Bengaluru: After remaining as the ‘de-facto’ chief of the Siddaganga Mutt for about 55 years, all eyes are now on Siddalinga Mahaswami, who is believed to officially take over the reins of the prominent Lingayat Mutt, following the demise of the 111-year-old Shivakumar Swamiji.
The junior seer was an ardent follower of Shivakumar Swamiji. Born as Vishwanatha in Magadi, in 1963, he completed his studies at the popular Siddaganga mutt institutions.
On accepting Lingayat order, he was given the name Siddalinga Mahaswami, a holy name derived from Yediyuru Siddalingeshwara, the deity of a temple in Kunigal.
As a highschooler, young Vishwanatha was sent to Siddaganga Gurukul after a local seer Mahalinga Swamiji of Kanakapura asked his parents to do so. With this came the turning point. He soon came under the care of Dr Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamiji and stayed in the old mutt premises, learnt Sanskrit and also pursued his college education at the mutt.
Siddalinga swamiji completed his bachelors and later his masters in arts, specialising in Economics, while simultaneously pursuing spiritual education system of the mutt.
On January 26, 1988, he entered the virakthashrama in the true tradition of Sree Siddaganga Math.
Within short time, Siddalinga swami had taken over the reins as president of the mutt and its educational institutions owing to the ill health of Shivakumar swamiji.
Running 125 educational institutions under the Sree Siddaganga Education Society, the mutt is considered to be one of the richest in Karnataka.
