After a hiatus that lasted close to five years, the issue of succession in Moorusavir Mutt has been raked up again with one of the claimants for the successor’s post Sri Dingaleshwar Swami making a comeback with more vigour and with a challenge to enter the mutt on February 23 this year.
There has been opposition to the appointment of Sri Dingaleshwar Swami as successor to the centuries old Moorusavir Mutt from a large section of the devotees and there are some who are in favour of him succeeding to the post.
Moorusavir Mutt is one among the prominent Lingayat mutts of the Virakta tradition.
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In November 2014, after a court case in the issue and high drama on the mutt premises, the seer of the mutt, Sri Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami, had announced his decision to abdicate the peetha and had left for Hanagal Kumaraswami Mutt. The swami was head of the Hanagal Mutt before he was appointed peethadhipati of the Moorusavir Mutt.
It was only after much persuasion by devotees of Hubballi and various seers that the swami had returned to the mutt on the day of Basava Jayanti in April 2015. The swami had then said that he would not again commit the mistake of abdicating the peetha but would decide the issue of succession under the guidance of the heads of various mutts and the devotees.
Now, even as Sri Dingaleshwar Swami, who heads the Virakta Mutt at Balehosur in Gadag district, declared that he was still the appointed successor of Moorusavir Mutt and was ready for an open discussion on the issue on the mutt premises on February 23, Sri Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami, who is staying at Hanagal Mutt after recovering from a bout of illness, has issued a press release asking those speaking for and against the mutt’s succession issue to keep quiet.
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Sri Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami had even said that his patience should not be construed as his weakness and the successor of the mutt would be appointed as per the tradition of the mutt and in accordance with the rules governing the mutt’s administration.
The former Minister and Member of the mutt’s core committee Basavaraj Horatti has tried to distance himself from the controversy saying that he would not go to the mutt on the scheduled date for a debate. “Nor would I like to intervene in the fight between the swamis,” he said.
However, the former MP and businessman Vijay Sankeshwar, who resigned from the core committee long ago, has extended support to Sri Dingaleshwar Swami succeeding to the post. In a press conference here on Monday, Mr. Sankeshwar even accused Sri Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami of selling the mutt’s property violating rules and said that under him [Sri Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami], the development of the mutt had been affected. He said that the accusations and cases against Sri Dingaleshwar Swami were created by vested interests to prevent his entry to Moorusavir Mutt.
Meanwhile, Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar, who in 2015 played a key role in bringing back Sri Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami, has chosen to remain silent on the issue. However, discussions on the issue have begun among the devotees of the mutt and there is a clear division among them over appointing Sri Dingaleshwar Swami as the successor. Considering the possibility of the issue leading to disturbance like it had happened in 2014, the police have already provided security cover to the mutt premises.