[2] Subramanyam Mahadeva Iyer was nominated by his predecessor, Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, as his successor and was given the pontifical title Sri Jayendra Saraswathi on 22 March 1954.

[5] Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal was head of the mutt established by Adi Shankaracharya in 482 BCE .

It took enormous amount of courage for Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal to renounce the world including His parents at the age of 19 in order to become true spiritual guru.

The previous Kanchi mutt head, Jagadguru Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal had a profile and presence that combined religious benevolence and spiritual sensitivity but He rarely spoke in public.

But Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal liked to get involved in the current affairs of India, public life and liked to meet people across castes.

[10] Unlike His predecessors in Kanchi Sankara Mutt, Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal was involved in both spiritual and public life and was known for the efforts for a solution in the Ayodhya issue during the erstwhile period of Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, but it failed to fructify.

Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal chose to bring warring factions into table and wrote a series of letters to All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishadh (VHP) to work out a solution.

Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal broke the restraining rules of the Math and reached out to the downtrodden.

[12] The followers of the mutt call Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal a reformist saint and credit him with ensuring that the preachings of Adi Sankara were spread among people beyond the Brahmin community.

It is this approach that led to Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal playing a part in trying to resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute during the NDA rule, by engaging with stakeholders from both communities and the government.

[14] According to people who had been close to him during this period, Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal recognised the faultline in Hinduism that had triggered the conversions and embarked on an attempt to bring in Dalits and other socially oppressed classes into the mainstream Hindu fold.

Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal's primary motto was to promote spirituality among people and also spread the bhakti cult.

[16] In 2004, Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal was arrested in connection with the Sankararaman murder case on Diwali day by Jayalalithaa government.

[18] Tamil writer Anuradha Ramanan said she was subjected to sexual harassment by the Mahaswamigal when she met him back in 1992, when she was taken to negotiate the release of the spiritual magazine "Amma" by the monastery.

The 82-year old seer was admitted to a hospital near Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram the following morning due to breathing problems.

A few hours later, hospital and mutt sources announced that he had died[24] and issued statement "The 69th Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal attained Siddhi at 9.00 am today - Shukla Trayodashi - 28 Feb. 2018 at Sri Kanchi Kamakotii Peetam Sankara Matam, Kanchipuram.

Jayendra Saraswati's body was placed in the hall of the Kanchi math in a seated position, for devotees to catch a final glimpse.

Devotees from various places visited the mutt from the morning of 28 February and throughout the night and paid homage to the late Acharya till 8am of 1 March 2018.

The rituals for lowering Jayendra Saraswathi's body in the 7 x 7 ft burial pit in the Brindhavanam Annexe started after 11 am on 1 March 2018.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu mourned the death of Saraswathi.

[29] Notable dignitaries who offered condolences and paid homage following his demise include former Deputy Prime Minister of India LK Advani, former Union Minister and Pattali Makkal Katchi leader Anbumani Ramadoss, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader MK Stalin, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind,[30] Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Union ministers D. V. Sadananda Gowda and Pon Radhakrishnan,[31] Banwarilal Purohit, O. Panneerselvam, Sengottaiyan, and Ilayaraja.