Although the efforts to persuade the Sri Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami, who has abdicated the ‘peetha’ and gone to his ‘original’ math in Hanagal to return to Hubballi have not yielded any result, the devotees are still optimistic about his return.
However the Swami’s sudden decision to abdicate the peetha, have left many devotees puzzled and ‘deliberate silence’ of him and that of the core committee members on the issue of succession has left many questions unanswered.
Although it was evident that Sri Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami has under lot of pressure over the issue of succession to the Math, he has not come out openly with details about what he terms as ‘painful developments’ so far.
His statement at Hanagal Kumaraswami Math that he was happy now and his revelation before the devotees in Akki Alur that ‘Only he and his guru Kamaraswami knew about the truth’ have left the common devotees puzzled.
While the majority of the members of the core committee of the Moorusavir Math have including former chief minister Jagadish Shettar have preferred not to speak in public on the issue, only three core committee members including former MLC Mohan Limbikai, Shankranna Munavalli and former minister Basavaraj Horatti have been vocal on the issue but they too haven’t divulged any details on who was pressurising the Swami on appointing the successor.
It is an open secret that there were differences among the core committee members over appointing Sri Dingaleshwar Swami of Bale Hosur Math in Gadag district as the successor of the Math (following various allegations against him) and both those in favour of it and against it were mobilising support (few clandestinely, few openly) for their viewpoint. The devotees’ meeting convened by the incumbent seer last Sunday was being seen as a ‘showdown’. However with some devotees vehemently opposing it, the police didn’t allow it sensing a probable law and order problem.
The developments forced the incumbent seer to abdicate the peetha and return to Hanagal, his original base. The devotees of Hanagal are now happy with the return of their seer and they are in no mood to send him back to Hubballi, where they believe, he was ‘forced to undergo hardships’.
The efforts by Mr Mohan Limbika, Shankranna Munavalli and a set of devotees from Hubballi to get the seer back to Math, didn’t make an impact on the seer on Tuesday. Although a meeting did take place between the devotees of Moorusavir Math and Hanagal Math led by former minister C.M. Udasi and in the presence of Gurisddha Rajayogindra Swami at Hangal, the seer’s ‘silence’ was the only reply that the devotees got on their plea.
Despite their failure, the Hubballi devotees are likely to renew their efforts under the leadership of a prominent Lingayat leader or leaders from the region. In between there has been a proposal for appointing administrator to the Math, even as two cases on the issue of succession are pending before two different courts in Hubballi. Going by the developments the succession issue is likely to prolong and see more twists and turns in the coming days.
