Remembering Shivakumara Swami: When ‘Walking God’ condemned ‘Babri Masjid’ demolition

Shivakumara Swami, the prominent Lingayat seer, passed away at the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru on Monday. He was 111. Popularly known as ‘Nadedaaduva Devaru’ or the ‘Walking God’ among his followers, Shivakumara Swami was revered by every community across Karnataka. The progressive seer turned the 600-year-old Siddaganga Mutt into a center of free education for the economically deprived. Lakhs of students have been educated at the ‘gurukul’ irrespective of their caste and creed. Such was the clout of the Lingayat seer that every single leader who visited Karnataka would compulsorily stop by the Muut to visit him. From Indira Gandhi to Narendra Modi, political bigwigs across party lines visited the Mutt to seek the seer’s guidance.

But what’s most astonishing about the seer was his ardent belief in secularism. Back in 1990s, when the country was embroiled in the post-Babri Masjid demolition chaos, Shivakumara Swami was among the prominent religious leaders, who openly condemned the brazen demolition of the Mughal-era mosque. “No human being has the right to destroy other’s place of worship,” the Lingayat seer had reportedly said.

During the time when there were many demanding a separate religion status for the Lingayat community, the seer made it a point to stay away from the issue. Before becoming the seer, he went by his name Shivanna, and was born on April 1, 1908 at Veerapura, Magadi taluk, Ramanagara district. He was  initiated into Viraktha Ashrama in 1930. The Karnataka government had conferred the highest state honour Karnataka Ratna on him.

The Siddaramaiah government has asked the Centre to confer India’s highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna on him. Mourning the loss of the seer, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy recalled his contribution as an educationist and a social reformer. "He provided free education thousands of children from depressed classes," said Kumaraswamy. He also appealed for calm. Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara described him as "modern day Basavanna".  Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the seer’s death. “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 Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.  

HIGHLIGHTS

• The seer was born on April 1, 1908 at Veerapura in Ramanagara district.
• He was initiated into Viraktha Ashrama in 1930.
• Karnataka govt had conferred highest state honour Karnataka Ratna on him.