Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati was on Thursday denied entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram for performing early morning poojas to the presiding deity.

The seer, who entered the temple after taking bath at the holy 'agni theertham', was stopped in front of the sanctum
sanctorum in the presence of mediapersons and others accompanying him by temple Joint Commissioner Subramanian.

The official told the Sankaracharya that the commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, which
administers temples, had 'strictly instructed' him not to allow the seer into the sanctum sanctorum.

• The Sankaracharya's Arrest

The seer, on his first visit to the temple after his arrest in the Sankararaman murder case in November 2004, then
asked the priest to do the pooja on his behalf and offered prayers from outside the sanctum sanctorum.

Temple officials said the seer was also denied entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Dhanuskodi Kothanda Ramar temple.

They agreed that as per temple manuals, the Kanchi Sankaracharyas had the right to perform poojas in the sanctum
sanctorum of both the temples. As per records, they had been doing so for the past several centuries.

Local Bharatiya Janata Party leader Muralidharan, who also accompanied the seer along with a group of party volunteers, entered into a heated argument with the temple officials and told them that they had no right to deny permission to the seer.

However, they left the temple as the officials remained firm.