Bengaluru, Jan 22: For close to a decade, Siddalinga Mahaswami, 55, has been the ‘de-facto’ pontiff of the Siddaganga muttin Tumakuru, one of the richest mutts in the state. Following the demise of Shivakumara Swami, Siddalinga swami will officially take over the reins of the prominent Lingayat mutt in the next few days.
A ‘home grown’ seer, Siddalinga swami is an ardent follower of Shivakumar swamiji and even completed his studies at institutions owned by the mutt. Born on July 22, 1963, to Sadasivaiah and Sivarudramma in Magadi, Bengaluru Rural district, Siddalinga swamiji was called by his maiden name Vishwanatha. His holy name was derived from Yediyuru Siddalingeshwara, the deity of a temple in Kunigal.
While studying in high school, Mahalinga swami, the local seer of Kanakapura, asked his parents to send him to Sree Siddaganga Gurukula. That was how he came under the care of Shivakumar swamiji. He stayed on the old mutt premises. Siddalinga swami completed his bachelors and later his masters in arts, specialising in Economics.
He simultaneously joined the spiritual education system of the mutt and after his studies entered full time in the services of Shivakumara Swami.
Initiation to mutt
On January 26, 1988, he entered the virakthashrama. It was turbulent times at the mutt as the then junior pontiff, Gowrishankara swami, was entangled in controversies over misappropriation and pilferage of resources. He was even accused of sodomy of a 12th standard student, a charge that was eventually dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2008.
Gowrishankara swami was thrown out of the mutt and Siddalinga swamiji installed as the junior pontiff on March 31, 1988. Over the past six to seven years, due to the ill health of Shivakumar swamiji, Siddalinga swami has been discharging duties as president of the mutt and its educational institutions.
During the height of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat controversy, Siddalinga Mahaswami stayed equidistant from both sides and ensured that the mutt was not embroiled in any controversy.
The mutt, which runs 125 educational institutions under the Sri Siddaganga Education Society, is considered one of the richest in Karnataka with assets worth thousands of crores of rupees. It wields considerable influence in the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community. However, one swami associated with the Siddaganga mutt said there is no actual monetary calculation of assets as it continues to be run on the concept of dasoha (serving people by providing food, education and shelter).
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