Bengaluru: Siddaganga Seer Shivkumar Swamiji’s health condition has deteriorated, forcing doctors to put the 111 year old on life support late last night. The Lingayat seer has been in and out of hospitals for the past 2 months.
Medical experts from Bengaluru will be visiting the Siddagana Mutt in Tumkuru district of Karnataka in order to advice the doctors’ treating the seer currently. Dr Paramesh Shivana, the head of Siddaganga Hospital where the Swamiji is currently being treated, informed media that his health was very critical, adding that his protein levels and blood pressure were found to be low. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Deputy CM G Parmeshwara, Home Minister MB Patil along with the district administration and others will be holding a meeting at 12 noon Monday to discuss security arrangements and to check for precautionary measures to be put in place.
BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa, Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda and BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje have cancelled their scheduled programmes and have rushed to Siddaganga Mutt.
Reports are being made of helipads being set up around the Mutt and Tumkur industrial area for the arrival of VIPs are being made. Many devotees from different parts of Karnataka have also started arriving at the Mutt, hoping to pay a visit to the Swamiji. Traffic on NH 48 towards Tumkuru has been diverted to different routes due to the huge crowds assembling near the Mutt.
The chief pontiff of the Siddagan Mutt, Dr, Shivkumar Swamiji, is also fondly called Nadedaduva Devaru or ‘the Walking God’ by many. The Lingayat seer also heads the Sree Siddaganga Education Society which runs over 100 educational institutions across the state.
On his centenary in 2007, the then Karnataka Government had conferred the Karnataka Ratna, the highest civilian award in the state, to the seer. In 2015, Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan. Kumaraswamy has urged the Centre to confer the prestigious Bharat Ratna to the seer.
CM Kumaraswamy said that he would personally write, as well as meet the PM with this request. “Honours like the Bharat Ratna will have value when it recognises people like swamiji” Kumarswami said on Friday.