The veteran monk was admitted to the Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan, a hospital, on September 4 with age-related ailments like Parkinson’s disease, sources said.

His body was taken to the Belur Math headquarters this evening where his cremation is scheduled to take place by 12.30 pm tomorrow. The gates of Belur Math will remain open throughout the night and tomorrow morning till the last rites are completed.

The West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi paid a visit to the Seva Pratishthan this evening to pay his condolences. "I joined all those who came in contact with him to honour his memory. "The Governor visited the Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan hospital and placed wreath on the body of the Swamiji, said sources at Raj Bhavan.

Born in the Paharpur village in Sylhet district (now in Bangladesh), Swami Gahanandaji joined the Ramakrishna Order at its centre in Bhubaneswar in January 1939 at the age of 22.

He later served at Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata from 1942 to 1952.

"He worked tirelessly to develop the services of Seva Pratishthan and to cater to the medical needs of people belonging to poor and low-income sections of the society. He played a vital role in converting the once small maternity hospital into a huge 550-bed, modern, well-equipped hospital that it is today," stated a press statement issued by Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.

He became the general secretary of the Math and Mission in 1989 and continued in that post for three years till 1992 when he became Vice-President of the Order.