111-year-old Lingayat seer Shivakumara Swamy of Siddaganga Mutt passes away Shivakumara Swamyâ€™s health deteriorated on Monday after he returned to the Siddaganga mutt following treatment for a lung infection. news Death The 'Nadedaduva Devaru' or 'Walking God', Shivakumara Swamy, the seer of the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru, passed away on Monday. The 111-year-old seer was on ventilation support until recently and was brought back to the mutt on January 16 after undergoing treatment for a lung infection that he developed after a liver bypass surgery in Chennai. Although his condition was stable and was responding to medication, the seer's health further deteriorated on Monday. The seer passed away 11.44 am on January 21, Monday, and the funeral rites will be held at 4.30 pm on Tuesday, officials of the Mutt confirmed. Three-Day mourning will be observed in the state. The seerâ€™s demise was condoled by senior leaders in the state and by his followers. Many prominent politicians from the state, including Home Minister MB Patil and Leader of Opposition BS Yeddyurappa, among others, visited the mutt upon hearing the news. Commoners to political figures, followers galore Shivakumara Swamy was an influential Lingayat seer and had hundreds of followers visiting him every day at the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru in Karnataka. Even at 111, he continued to meet devotees at the 'Hale Mata' or Old Mutt inside the Siddaganga Mutt until his health deteriorated. Political leaders cutting across parties would often make a visit to the seer a priority on their visit to Karnataka. Even though the seer chose to remain apolitical, he remained a constant presence in Karnataka's political circles. Almost all political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, visited Shivakumara Swami in the lead-up to the Karnataka elections earlier this year. Even when the demand for a separate Lingayat religion flared up this year, Shivakumara remained non-committal about his stance on the issue. The seers at the Mutt were divided on the issue; however, Shivakumara Swamy had refused to clarify his stance. The Congress leaders had claimed that the seer was in support of Lingayat becoming a separate religion. In the past, Shivakumara Swamy had condemned violence in Ayodhya in connection with the building of a Ram Mandir, claiming that no one deserved to see their place of worship destroyed. He was hailed as a progressive seer for his stance on issues. Running a tight ship since 1941 Born on April 1, 1907, in Magadi in the present-day Ramanagara district of Karnataka, Shivakumara Swamy was initiated as a Lingayat seer in 1930 and assumed responsibilities of the Mutt in 1941. He reportedly observed 'tapas' or penance for 76 years. Around 50 years ago, he had opened a free boarding school for poor children at the Mutt. The gurukul, as it came to be known, houses more than 8,000 children in the age group of 5-15 and accepts students irrespective of caste, creed and religion. The Mutt also runs medical and engineering colleges. The seer used to head the Siddaganga Educational Society, which runs around 125 educational institutions ranging from engineering to business schools/colleges in the state. The society also runs nearly 20 institutions, where the Sanskrit language and the Vedas are taught, and students are given free board and lodging. The humanitarian work of the seer earned praise in 2006 from then President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, when he visited Tumakuru in 2006 during the celebrations of the seer's 100th birthday. The Mutt was established to spread the thoughts propagated by Lingayats, followers of the 12th-century philosopher-social reformer Basaveshwara, who rebelled against the established Hindu traditions by defying the caste system and Vedic rituals. Shivakumara was also seen among his followers as an incarnation of Basaveshwara. He was the recipient of a doctorate of literature from Karnataka University in 1965, the Karnataka Ratna - the highest civilian honour in the state in 2007, as well as the Padma Bhushan in 2015 by the Union government. Karnataka CM had recently said the Central government should confer the Bharat Ratna on the seer.<doc-sep>Shivakumara Swami, the 111-year-old revered seer of Karnataka’s Siddaganga Mutt at Tumakuru, died early at 11.44 am on Monday. The state government has announced a three-day mourning in honour of the seer and has declared Tuesday a statewide holiday, Deputy chie fminister G Parameshwara said soon after announcing the seer’s death. The Swami, known among his followers as the “Walking God”, was one of the oldest known living persons in India. He was suffering from a lung infection for the past few weeks and was on ventilator for the last 15 days. Over the last few years he had been in and out of the hospitals due to age-related ailments. Soon after the Swami’s death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the Swami had lived for the people, especially the poor and vulnerable and expressed his prayers and solidarity with the seer’s devotees around the world. “His Holiness Dr. Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu lived for the people, especially the poor and vulnerable. He devoted himself towards alleviating ills like poverty, hunger and social injustice. Prayers and solidarity with his countless devotees spread all across the world,” PM Modi tweeted. “HH Dr. Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu remained at the forefront of ensuring better healthcare and education facilities for the marginalised. He represents the best of our traditions of compassionate service, spirituality and protecting the rights of the underprivileged,” he said. “I have had the privilege to visit the Sree Siddaganga Mutt and receive the blessings of His Holiness Dr. Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu. The wide range of community service initiatives being done there are outstanding and are at an unimaginably large scale,” the PM said. His Holiness Dr. Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu lived for the people, especially the poor and vulnerable. He devoted himself towards alleviating ills like poverty, hunger and social injustice. Prayers and solidarity with his countless devotees spread all across the world. pic.twitter.com/AqgOLgqTrn — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 21, 2019 President Ramnath Kovind expressed his condolences to the countless followers of the Swami. “Extremely sad to learn of the passing of spiritual leader Dr Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu Ji. He contributed immensely to society particularly towards healthcare and education. My condolences to his countless followers,” the President tweeted. Extremely sad to learn of the passing of spiritual leader Dr Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu Ji. He contributed immensely to society particularly towards healthcare and education. My condolences to his countless followers #PresidentKovind — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 21, 2019 Congress president Rahul Gandhi also expressed his condolences on Twitter, saying that the swami’s passing has left behind a deep spiritual void. I am sorry to hear about the passing of Shivakumar Swami Ji, Pontiff of the Siddaganga Mutt. Swami Ji was respected & revered by millions of Indians, from all religions & communities. His passing leaves behind a deep spiritual void. My condolences to all his followers. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 21, 2019 “I am sorry to hear about the passing of Shivakumar Swami Ji, Pontiff of the Siddaganga Mutt. Swami Ji was respected & revered by millions of Indians, from all religions & communities. His passing leaves behind a deep spiritual void. My condolences to all his followers,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted. Among the last people to call on him were Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy visited the Mutt to enquire about Swami’s health. BS Yeddyurappa, MB Patil, KJ George and Sadananda Gowda were also present. The Swami was believed by his followers to be an incarnation of the 12th century social reformer Basava. He headed the Sree Siddaganga Education Society, which runs about 125 educational institutions in the state - from engineering colleges to business schools. Security has been tightened at the Mutt as hundreds of followers gathered, praying for the holy man’s recovery.<doc-sep>Bengaluru, January 21: Karnataka was plunged into grief on Monday, as the one of the tallest spiritual leaders of the state, seer Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddaganga Mutt, died to age-related ailments. The 111-year-old godman breathed his last at 11:44am at the Siddaganga Hospital, where he was being treated over the past few days. Before his demise, Swamiji's blood pressure and protein levels were found to be alarmingly low. The mortal remains of Swamiji were brought back to the Mutt, where leaders cutting across the political spectrum, and other sections of the society, arrived in large numbers to pay their antim darshan or last tributes. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Leader of Opposition BS Yeddyurappa cancelled all their scheduled programmes and rushed to the Siddaganga Mutt to pay homage to the late leader. Authorities at the Siddaganga Mutt have confirmed to the press that the last rites of Swamiji is scheduled to be held on Tuesday at 4:30pm. Shivakumara Swamiji Passes Away: Watch Live Streaming of The Lingayat Seer's Final Journey on TV9 Kannada Below. CM HD Kumaraswamy has announced a three-day mourning period across the state. All schools, colleges and offices will remain shut for one-day period, the Chief Minister told reporters. A meeting was held by Kumaraswamy, Deputy CM G Parameshwara, Home Minister MB Patil and top district officials to discuss the security arrangements for the funeral processions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the demise on social media. I have had the privilege to visit the Sree Siddaganga Mutt and receive the blessings of His Holiness Dr. Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu. The wide range of community service initiatives being done there are outstanding and are at an unimaginably large scale. pic.twitter.com/wsmRp2cERd — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 21, 2019 "HH Dr. Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu remained at the forefront of ensuring better healthcare and education facilities for the marginalised. He represents the best of our traditions of compassionate service, spirituality and protecting the rights of the underprivileged," he said. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 21, 2019 03:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).<doc-sep>
Siddaganga seer death: Schools, colleges in Karnataka to remain shut for a day The 111-year-old seer who was the chief of Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru passed away on Monday. news Death All schools and colleges in Karnataka will remain closed on Tuesday to mourn the death of 111-year-old Lingayat seer Shivakumara Swamy of the Siddaganga Mutt. As a result of the same, examinations of Educaion, Law, Social Work, MCA and integrated Biological Science of Bangalore University originally scheduled to be held on Tuesday will be held on Wednesday. A three-day mourning period has been declared in the state with all schools under the Siddaganga Education Trust remaining closed for the next two days â€“ January 21 and 22. The 111-year-old seer who is known as the â€˜walking godâ€™ and a reincarnation of Basavanna, passed away on Monday. He was on ventilator support until recently and was brought back to the Mutt on January 16 after undergoing treatment for a lung infection that he developed after a liver bypass surgery in Chennai. Although his condition was stable and he was responding to medication, his health further deteriorated on Monday. Officials of the Mutt have confirmed that the funeral rites for the seer will be held at 4.30 pm on Tuesday. The seerâ€™s demise was condoled by senior leaders in the state and by his followers. Many prominent politicians from the state, including Home Minister MB Patil and Leader of Opposition BS Yeddyurappa, among others, visited the mutt upon hearing the news. Shivakumara Swamy, who was the chief of the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru was an influential Lingayat seer and had hundreds of followers visiting him every day. Even at age 111, he would sit in the â€˜Hale Mataâ€™ or Old Mutt inside the Siddaganga Mutt to meet devotees. Although he chose to remain apolitical, the seer was a constant presence in the political circles of the state. He was visited by most of the political figures including PM Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy in the run-up to the Karnataka elections in 2018. For the convenience of his followers for the next two days, KSRTC will operate 100 plus buses in Tumkur city from KSRTC bus stand, Railway station, APMC, Junior College to Siddaganga Mutt to facilitate devotees. Further, additional buses will be operated from all districts to Tumkur to cater devotees.