Samadhi to maha samadhi: After postmortem, self-styled guru again lowered into crypt at Kerala home

The body of Gopan, the self-styled spiritual guru whose mysterious death has attracted a police probe, was buried in a specially-erected crypt — dubbed as “maha samadhi” — at his house at Aralumoodu near Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram Friday.

The body of the 69-year-old Gopan was lowered into the chamber in a sitting position, and the crypt was filled with ashes and camphor while scores of Hindu sanyasis led the prayers. Since Gopan belonged to Hindu Nadar community, several leaders of the community outfit Vaikunda Swami Dharma Pracharana Sabha (VSDP) took the lead in the rituals.

The case has drawn significant controversy earlier this week, with the family having objected to opening the chamber after police registered a missing case based on a complaint from locals. However, the Kerala High Court’ intervention to determine the cause of death paved the way for exhuming the body.

The police exhumed the body Thursday, and a postmortem was conducted at the government medical college here.