Aniruddha Saralatthaya, the 16 year old son of Dr. Uday Kumar Saralatthaya and Srividya, from Nidle village in Dharmasthala, has been selected as the 31st successor of Sri Shiroor Mutt. He will be anointed formally on May 14  during the auspicious time (between 12.35 pm- 12.50 pm) at the Sri Sode Mutt in Sirsi of Uttara Kannada district.

The Shiroor Mutt in Udupi is one of the 8 mutts of the Madhwa sect. It was founded by Sri Vamana Tirtha, one of the direct disciples of Sri Madhwacharya.  The throne will be having its successor after lying vacant for more than two years following the untimely death of Sri Laxmivara Theertha.

Aniruddha has studied till class 10 and has studied various schools of thought such as the Veda, Thathparya Nirnaya and Yuktamallika. Sri Vishwavallabha Theertha, the pontiff of Sri Sode Mutt, shouldered the responsibility of appointing a suitable person. He said that appointing a teenager as an heir to the mutts in Udupi is a tradition followed as per the shastras.

After his anointment, Aniruddha will study Vedanta and may continue his formal education but without going to school.

Aniruddha’s ancestors served as priests at Sri Durga Parameshwari temple at Kadya near Subrahmanya in Dakshina Kannada district. His father Dr. Udaya Kumar Saralatthaya came to Udupi in 1988 for higher studies and holds Ph.D. from National Sanskrit University, Tirupati.

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