Sri Vidyanandagiri Swamy passes away
TIRUPATI, March20

Sri Vidyanandagiri Swamy, the chief pontiff of the Yerpedu Vyasashramam passed away on Wednesday. He was 97. He was being treated at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, for a kidney disorder during the last fortnight to which he succumbed.
Born in July 1913 to Ven-kataswamy and Seethadevi at Kondamanchupalli (Ka-dapa district), the boy So-maiah left home in search of enlightenment after the sudden death of his mother. He finally landed at the Vyasashramam in Yerpedu village, founded by Sri Malayala Swamy. He took to sanyas and donned the saffron robes in 1954 and became the chief pontiff of the Ashram in 1973 after the demise of his predecessor Sri Vimalanandaswamy.
The seer had toured the USA on an invitation from the Telugu Association of. North America (TANA) in 1997 and again in 1999 and mesmerised all with his spiritual discourses. The ashram, located 25 km from Tirupati, started as a small hut, but thanks to his untiring efforts, now has an old age home, a charitable hospital,'separate Gurukulams for boys and girls, orphanage and a boys' dormitory. The ashram conducts daily poor feeding and free medical camps, besides running a spiritual magazine. The Swamy's devotees turned out in hundreds to the Ashram to pay last tributes. TTD chairman B.Karunakar Reddy and Srikalahasti MLA S.C.V. Naidu were among those who visited the Ashram.