AN Indian mystic who vowed to spend a weekend buried underground to show his desire for world peace has died of suffocation. Police said 22-year-old Ananda Swami had performed the ritual twice before, but overzealous followers this time packed the soil more tightly atop his two-metre, brick-lined pit. Entering the trench on Saturday, Swami told supporters he was performing penance to seek world peace and to bring rain to the drought-hit southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. But when the crowd returned Monday to the pit in Kondayampatti village, 385km south of Madras, Swami failed to rise.
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A post-mortem found Swami likely died within four or five hours of burial, and that his body had already begun to decompose. His face bore scars indicating he may have tried to push through the wooden plank on top of him as he ran out of air, the post-mortem found. Police said during the previous two burials Swami had kept the wood panel open wide enough to allow in air, but this time soil firmly covered all outlets for oxygen. Followers also lit a bonfire next to the pit, believing Swami had sent them a sign that this was what he wanted, and the smoke may have made it even more difficult for him to breathe, police said.
Hindu mystics often seek to demonstrate their devotion by undergoing trials of endurance, such as spending long periods of time in uncomfortable positions. |