Dingaleshwar Swami to lead ‘Veerashaiva Lingayat Ekata Samavesha’ in Hubballi; asserts Lingayat & Veerashaiva are same

Dingaleshwar Swami of Shirahatti Fakkireshwar Mutt has said that ‘Veerashaiva Lingayat Ekata Samavesha’ would be held in Hubballi on September 19 to clear the confusion among community members and to assert that Veerashaiva and Lingayat were one and the same.

Addressing a press conference along with several other Veershaiva Lingayat seers in Hubballi on Saturday, the seer said that Lingayat and Veerashaiva were one and the same. “However some are conspiring to divide the community. Condemning it and to clear the confusion among the community members, this convention is being organised. Seers from across the State and from neighbouring States of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu and Telangana will participate in it,” he said.

Dingaleshwar Swami said that the final agenda and time of the convention would be finalised after another round of discussion with seers from various places.

“We want the community members to get their community mentioned as Veerashaiva Lingayat. The stand taken by the Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha when it was established in 1904 will continue to be the same. However some people are trying to establish Lingayatism as independent religion by misusing the name of Basavanna and creating a divide in the community,” he alleged.

The seer asserted that Veerashaiva Lingayat was not individual centric but tenet centric. In the name of ‘Basava Samskruti’ campaign some were opposing vedic culture, but those leading the campaign were themselves running vedic schools, he alleged.

“Their talk and actions differ. Politicians of the saffron world are conspiring to divide the community. Our clear stand is that Lingayat should not be separate,” he said. Replying to a query, he said that the government that supported the Lingayat movement for independent religion was in power now and those trying to divide the community had again resurfaced ahead of the census.

Around 30 seers including Prabhu Sarangadhar Shivacharya Swami, Sadashiva Swami of Hukkeri Mutt, Haveri, Jayashanthalinga Swami and others were present.