THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sivagiri former head Swami Prakashananda passed away Wednesday morning. He was 99. He died at Varkala Sree Narayana Mission Hospital. He was for a long time president of Sivagiri Sree Narayana Dharma Sangam Trust. He will be laid to rest at Sivagiri at 5 pm.

Prakashananda came to Sivagiri at the age of 23 after fascinated by the ideas of Sree Narayana Guru. He was a disciple of Swami Sankarananda, the then chief of the mutt, and learned theology from him. Swami Prakasananda is a native of Puravanthur, Kollam. His name in the ashram was Kumaran.

Prakashananda was one of the oldest saints in Kerala today. He was under treatment at Varkala Sree Narayana Mission Hospital for two years due to health issues.