Date:26/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/26/stories/2007062653540500.htm

Karnataka

Shivacharyas meet Siddaganga seer

Staff Correspondent

TUMKUR: Prasanna Veera Renuka Shivacharya of Sri Rambhapuri Peetha, Marulasiddha Shivacharya of Sri Ujjaini Peetha, and Chandrashekara Shivacharya of Sri Kashi Peetha were among the religious heads who met Sri Shivakumara Swamy of Sri Siddaganga Math here on Sunday.

The swamiji fell ill on June 14 and was admitted to a private hospital in Bangalore on June 19. He returned to the math on Saturday.

The Rambhapuri Shivacharya, who spoke to presspersons on behalf of the Pancha Peethacharyas of Veerashaivism, said, “Differences between Pattada Veerashaiva Maths and Virakta Lingayat Maths will be ironed out gradually. The Pancha Peethas have started preaching the principles of Basavanna. It is desired that Virakta Maths would soon start preaching the principles of Renukacharya.”

Bhimanna Khandre, president of the All-India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, and N.R. Jagadhish, president of Tumkur Grain Merchants’ Cooperative Bank, had arranged for the meeting of the Shivacharyas and the swamiji.

A large number of Lingayat leaders gathered at the math expecting the Pancha Peethacharyas as it would have been their first meeting in the history of Lingayats. But they were disappointed when only three of them arrived.

Their visit too, however, did not happen without anxiety. A few leaders of the Gowda sect of the Lingayat community gathered at the math and expressed their reservations.