Mangaluru, Dec 13: Renowned Sanskrit scholar Vidyavachaspati Bannanje Govindacharya died at his residence at Ambalpady in Udupi on Sunday due to age related illness, family sources said.

He was 85.

A propagator of 'Madhwa' ideology and a great orator, Govindacharya had been conferred the Padma Shree in 2009.

He was well-versed in Veda Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya, Mahabharata, Ramayana and Puranas and has written commentaries on Veda Suktas, Upanishads, Shata Rudriya, Brahma Sutra Bhashya, and Gita Bhashya.

He had authored around 150 books and translated several texts from Sanskrit to Kannada.

Some of them are Bana Bhatta's novel 'Bana Bhattana Kadambari', Kalidasa's 'Shakuntala' and Shudraka's 'Mrichakatika.'

Govindacharya had also translated several historical novels to Kannada.

He also wrote notes on the chapters of Hindu text Upanishad.

He was one of the greatest exponents on Madhva philosophy and was best known for his pravachanas, which are very popular among Tuluvas and Kannadigas across the world.

Govindacharya was the brand ambassador of India in World Conference on Religion and Peace held in Princeton, USA in 1979.

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Kandla (Gujarat) (PTI): A vessel carrying 20,000 metric tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) arrived at Deendayal Port Authority in Kandla in Gujarat after crossing the Strait of Hormuz amid the West Asia crisis, officials said on Sunday.

The Marshall Islands-flagged MV SYMI started its journey from Qatar and docked at the port in Kandla around 11.30 pm on Saturday after crossing the Strait of Hormuz on May 13, they added.

Since early March, 13 India-flagged vessels, comprising 12 LPG tankers and one crude oil tanker, have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway close to the coast of Oman through which roughly one-fifth of the world's energy supplies pass.

It has been severely disrupted by the conflict in West Asia that started on February 28, with the US and Israel launching joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes. It has resulted in one of the worst energy crisis the world has seen in recent decades.

Incidentally, at a special meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC) on safeguarding energy and supply flows, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Parvathaneni Harish said targeting commercial shipping, endangering civilian crew and impeding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is "unacceptable".

On May 13, an India-flagged commercial vessel came under attack off the coast of Oman.

Omani authorities rescued all 14 crew members of the vessel sailing from Somalia, but it was not immediately known who carried out the strike.