The health condition of Sri Siddheshwar Swami, seer of the Sri Jnyayogashrama of Vijayapura is critical. The 81-year-old seer is suffering from age-related ailments for a few weeks.
He suffered multiple fractures after a fall at a devotee’s home in January but recovered fully. He was confined to a wheelchair in the last few weeks. He was refusing treatment and was only willing to take pain relief medicines, doctors said. He was wheeled out to greet the crowds in the ashram premises in the afternoon on Saturday.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is scheduled to visit the ashram and meet the seer on Saturday night.
He is resting in his two-room quarters in the ashram premises in Adarsha Nagar behind Lakshmi temple. Rumours of his ill health drew huge crowds to the ashram in the last few days. Ashram authorities have appealed to the people not to disturb him and have urged them to follow him on social media.
A monk who has served for over 65 years in the ashram, Sri Siddheshwar Swami is revered for his command over Indian philosophy. He is known for his simple lifestyle and the attractive oratory. He has a deep interest in a wide range of philosophical streams and uses anecdotes, stories and examples from various sources in Kannada, Marathi, English, Hindi and Sanskrit.
A polyglot, he is one of the most popular speakers in Karnataka and Maharashtra. His lectures of the ideology preached by Sri Basaveshwara and other Sharanas, the three Acharyas of Indian philosophy, Buddhism, Jainism and Sufism, attract huge crowds. Till recently, he conducted month long discourses in small towns of Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Hailing from Bijjaragi village in Vijayapura district, Sri Siddheshwar Swami went on to complete an MA in Philosophy from Karnataka University Dharwad. He was ordained into the order of the math seers, by his Guru Vedanta Kesari Sri Mallikarjuna Mahashivayogi.
