A large crowd, weeping women and rituals greeted the Shankaracharya of Kanchi, Jayendra Saraswati, at the Kanchi Mutt on Wednesday.
The shankaracharya has stayed away from the Mutt after the Tamil Nadu government charged him with allegedly masterminding the murder of a former aide.
The celebrations for Jayendra Saraswati's return were muted. The junior Kanchi shankaracharya, Vijayendra Saraswati, accompanied him to Kanchi.
The shankaracharya brought with him the Mutt deity Chandramouliswara, which had been taken to Kalavai so that Jayendra Saraswati could perform the daily rituals after he was released from jail in January. He was ordered by a court to stay away from the Mutt after the prosecution alleged he could tamper with evidence.
Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images
