Jagadguru Sarangadhareshwara Mahaswamigalugu of Saranga Mutt in Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh has taken strong exception to the statement of writer and research scholar M.M. Kalaburagi in branding all the heads of Veerashaiva Mutts as opponents of the philosophy and principles preached by 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara.
“Making such generalised statements is wrong. In fact it is these religious mutts which have kept alive the legacy of Basaveshwara and continue in the path laid down by him for establishing a casteless society,” the swami said.
Speaking at a function to mark the 16th anniversary of the open air library and inaugurating the campaign to increase the reading habit in Kalaburagi on Monday, the swami said that the heads of various religious mutts had participated in Samapankthi Bhojana — of sharing the food prepared by Dalit families in their own locality, at Basavakalyan recently.
He lauded the efforts of journalist Subash Banagar for starting the open air library in Kalaburagi city 15 years ago and recalled the help extended by local journalists for running the library successfully all these years. He said a similar library would be established at Saranga Mutt in Srisailam to enable Kannada-speaking devotees to read Kannada newspapers.
Kalaburagi City Corporation Mayor Bhimareddy Patil, in his presidential address, said that the corporation would foot the entire bill of the newspapers supplied to the library.
Gulbarga South MLA Dattatreya Patil Revoor, who inaugurated the function, said that efforts would be made to establish open air libraries in all the parks in the city.
