111-year-old Karnataka seer dead

Bengaluru,January 21:

Karnataka’s 111-year-old revered seer, Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga Mutt at Tumakuru passed away on Monday

“His holiness, Swamiji passed away at 11.44 a.m. at the Mutt during his treatment for lung infection,” . Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told the media in Tumakuru, about 70km from here.

The last rites will be held with state honours on Tuesday, Kumaraswamy said.

The Swami had been in and out of hospitals over the last few years due to his advanced age. The 111-year-old Lingayat was put on ventilator support after his condition deteriorated due to a lung infection which he developed after an operation on December 8, which was carried out to treat his liver and bile duct infection.

Shivakumara Swamiis considered to be one of the most esteemed religious and social practitioners of the Lingayat-Veerashaiva faith of Lingayatism.

“Swami did great service to the poor by providing hundreds of children education and food,” he added.

Known among his followers as a “walking god” and an incarnation of 12th century social reformer Basava, the Lingayat seer also headed the Sree Siddaganga Education Society, which runs about 125 educational institutions in the state — from engineering colleges to business schools.

Many of the institutions offer free education and boarding facilities to poor students.

Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, other Karnataka Ministers and BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa also mourned the death of the state’s most popular seer.

They urged the Union government to confer the highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, on the seer for his philanthropic work.

Born on April 1, 1907 in Veerapura village of Ramanagara district in Karnataka, Swami was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2015.