Swami Atmasthanandaji, former president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission was created at Belur Math late on Monday evening.
Thousands of devotees, braving the rain, thronged the Ramakrishna Math and Mission headquarters at Belur in Howrah to pay their last respect to him.
The state government gave a gun salute to mark respect to the departed soul. Swami Suvirananda, general secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Mission said breaking the convention, the Math authorities had agreed to the proposal of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to give gun salute by the Kolkata Police and Howrah Police to mark respect to Swami Atmasthanandaji.
The ailing monk passed away at Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan on Sunday evening. A flower wreath from Prime Minister Narendra Modi was placed near the glass case where the moral remains of Swamiji was kept. Modi came in contact with Atmasthanandaji when he was the head of the Mission centre at Rajkot in the mid 1960s and expressed his willingness to join the Order. It was Maharaj who had advised him to serve the nation. The Prime Minister and Chief Minister who was on her way to The Netherlands spoke to Swami Suviranandaji over phone and conveyed their condolences.
Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Rajib Banerjee visited the Math during the day. Mohammad Selim also went to the Math to pay his last respects. Thousands of people including many who had received initiation by Atmasthanandaji gathered at the Math since early morning on Monday to pay their tribute.
The Math was kept open throughout the night for the devotees. The Bramhacharins of Veda Vidyalaya chanted hymns from the Bhagavad Gita. The devotees stood in long queues to have a last glance of their beloved "Guru." Many monks from the centres situated outside Bengal came to pay their last respect.
The monks and Bramhacharins of the Order carried out special ritual at 8.30 pm. Then his mortal frame was taken to the temples of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda by the monks of the Order. The sacred pyre was lighted at 9.30 pm amidst chanting of hymns. The sacred pyre was set up on the bank of River Hooghly, the place earmarked where the former presidents had been cremated.
Swami Atmasthanadaji was the 15th president of the Order. A brilliant student from Presidency College, he came in contact with the monks of the Order including some of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. He was initiated by Swami Vijnananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and was a personal attendant (sevak) of Swami Virajananda, the sixth president of the Order.
Atmasthanandaji had served in many centres of the Mission including the one in Rangoon. He became a trustee in 1973. He was the general secretary of RK Math and Mission.
Maharaj will be remembered for many years by the monks and householders for his amazing energy and zeal. Throughout his life he followed Swamiji's message "Service to Man is Service to God." He inspired hundreds of youth who eventually joined the Mission to serve society.
A tight security arrangement was in place in view of the gathering of thousands of devotees in the complex.