The Thiruvananthapuram Rural Police on Thursday unearthed the body of Gopan Swami, a native of Neyyattinkara near here, who was entombed in a concrete chamber by his family after they claimed that he reached the pinnacle of spirituality and attained ‘Samadhi’.

The exhumation process began around 7 a.m. under heavy police security. The action followed a ruling by the Kerala High Court on Wednesday,which refused to stay the exhumation of the body of Gopan Swami. The family moved the court asserting their fundamental right to bury Gopan according to their religious practices. They said in their plea that there is no law in existence in India which prohibits death by Samadhi and for preserving the worldly body by construction of a Samadhi Peedam. However, Justice C.S. Dias questioned why the family had failed to register his death or obtain a death certificate, emphasizing that police had the authority to investigate deaths under suspicious circumstances.

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When police opened the burial site, Gopan’s body was found in a sitting position, covered with ash (bhasmam), incense, and aromatic compounds. Subsequently, it was taken to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College for a post-mortem examination.

The inquest report confirmed that the exhumed body showed no visible injuries or wounds indicating unnatural causes. However, the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the detailed post-mortem report is released.

Doctors said three key tests must be carried out to determine the cause of death. Analysis of lung secretions will assess whether inhaled ashes at the burial site caused suffocation, potentially triggering a heart attack. Histopathology will examine darkened marks on the head, partially obscured by decomposition, to determine their nature.

The death, and the subsequent entombment, came to light after Gopan’s sons announced on January 9 that their father had attained ‘samadhi’ (blissful death) through posters displayed around their residence.

The exhumation of the body of Gopan Swami, who was placed in a ‘samadhi’ or entombment by his family for forensic and post-mortem examination , was halted on Tuesday following strong protests by the family and a section of local residents

Gopan Swami (78), a native of Neyyattinkara, was on Thursday secretly buried by his sons, who claimed he had attained ‘Samadhi’, used to refer to the death of holy men who have reached the state of ultimate spiritual realization