Dr Shivakumara Swami, the senior-most Lingayat seer in Karnataka, breathed his last on Monday, 21 January, at the age of 111, at Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru. He had been battling a lung infection for the past few weeks.
The seer passed away at 11:44 am. The Karnataka government has declared three days of state mourning, starting Monday, and a government holiday on Tuesday, 22 January.
The last rites will be performed at 4:30 pm on Tuesday. Mobile toilets, food arrangements and tents have been put up for pilgrims and devotees for the funeral. Almost 8,000 cops have been deputed in Tumakuru for Monday and Tuesday.
Shivakumara Swami with PM Narendra Modi
(Photo: Archives)
Referred to as “the walking god” by devotees and pilgrims, the pontiff has been an important public figure in Karnataka, revered by politicians and public alike.
The health of the 111-year-old Lingayat seer, who was the oldest living person in the country, was in critical condition and he had been battling a severe lung infection and respiratory trouble at his advanced age. He was put on ventilator support last week to aid his breathing.
Despite the ongoing political drama in the state, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara, and a host of other MLAs and ministers had paid a visit to the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumkur, some 70 km away from Bengaluru.
Along with being the pontiff, Swami was also the founder and administrator of the Sri Siddaganga Education Society that has set up multiple educational institutions for thousands of needy students.
In the last two years, he had become a focal point of a debate that also became an election issue in the state Sssembly elections in 2018 – the question was whether Lingayatism should be elevated from a sect to a religion distinct from Hinduism.
But Who Is the Nadedaduva Devaru or ‘Walking God’ of Siddaganga?
Born in 1907, The Economist has called him the “most esteemed adherent” of Lingayatism. Swami had studied English in college and was proficient in Kannada and Sanskrit.
He became a Lingayat monk in 1930 and started out by opening a boarding school for the children of poor parents at the Siddaganga Mutt over 50 years ago. According to reports, this school now accommodates over 8,000 children from various backgrounds, irrespective of caste or religion.
The mutt also runs higher education institutions in the state.
Swami was widely considered to be a voice of secular reason and modern wisdom, lending all his visitors an ear but choosing not to hold any partisan stand on his own. Devotees often described him as being a perfect combination of tradition and modernity.
It is believed that he spent his youth travelling the countryside of Karnataka and neighbouring states on foot, talking to people and educating them on the importance of moral integrity and self-reliance. In line with this, he was also frequently lauded for his efforts in poverty eradication in rural areas, with special emphasis on primary education, particularly in English for empowerment.
According to reports, he had often said that teachers are the architects of the nation and torch-bearers of civilisation. "Education is the debt to be paid by the present generation to the future generation," he has been quoted as saying.
The state government announced the institution of Shivakumara Swami Prashasti from 2007, the centennial anniversary of Swami.
A Magnet for Politicians
In Karnataka politics, a meeting with the seer is believed to hold you in good political stead. The seer had entertained visitors across party lines from Rahul Gandhi to Amit Shah.
Former BJP chief minister and Lingayat BS Yeddyurappa held Swami in particularly high regard. Media reports from the time of his chief ministership claim that he used to visit the seer on a near-weekly basis.
Amit Shah had also met the seer in the run-up to the state Assembly elections last year on the sidelines of the Congress government at the time, trying to push through a religious minority tag for Lingayats in the state.
This had rung alarm bells for the BJP, as it would undermine the party’s narrative of a united Hindu demographic and vote bank. Traditionally, Lingayats in Karnataka have voted almost en masse for the BJP, experts observe.
However, Swami had never taken a stand on the matter despite his junior pontiffs taking a variety of positions before the media.
Demand for a Bharat Ratna
Despite their political differences, parties across the board as well as the people of the state have been urging the Centre to award the seer a Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour in the country.
Deputy CM Dr G Parameshwara, who also hails from Tumkur where the Mutt is located, has said it is about time Swami is recognised.
In the last few days as his health failed, Swami had been visited by a plethora of leaders like Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge, former PM HD Deve Gowda, home minister MB Patil; the scion of Wadiyar royal family, Mysore Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)