Panchamasali rift: Trust decides to choose a new seer

The rift between the incumbent seer of Panchamasali Peetha at Koodalasangama and the Panchamasali Samaj Trust has reached its pinnacle with the trust deciding to choose a new seer to the Panchamasali religious chair.

Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Saturday, chairman of Akhila Bharat Lingayat Panchamasali Samaj Trust and MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar announced that the trust had decided to anoint a new seer to the Panchamasali peetha and it would be appropriate if the incumbent seer Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami vacated the religious chair on his own.

“Members of the Panchamasali community are fed up with the behaviour and conduct of Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami. Elders of the community, leaders, and legislators have held meetings in this regard and have discussed the need for choosing a new seer. Arrangements in this regard are also being made. We will not tell the incumbent seer to vacate the peetha and leave the mutt. We will be happy If he goes on his own,” Mr. Kashappanavar said.

He said that the trust was formed in 2008 and Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami was made the head of Panchamasali Peetha at Koodalasangama. “However over a period of time, changes were seen in the conduct of the seer, who was expected to work for the proliferation of Basava philosophy and welfare of the community. Forgetting the objective of the peetha, he started chairing meetings under banners of political parties, making transfer recommendations, and speaking on behalf of one particular individual. Instead of being present at the mutt and spreading the message of Basavanna, he has been moving from one place to another and speaking on social media for publicity,” he said.

Mr. Kashappanavar said that as per the bylaw of the trust, the seer was not supposed to acquire properties in his name. “However, he has two houses in Belagavi, one each in Hubballi and Bengaluru in his name. This apart, the seer has said that he would build another mutt on the banks of the Malaprabha and build an institution for education of poor children of the community. All these are contrary to the bylaws of the trust. We are caretakers of the trust and had anointed the seer to lead the peetha,” he clarified.

He said that during 2019, the seer was issued a notice after he took steps contrary to the trust bylaws and he had given an undertaking that he would rectify his mistakes. In spite of that he was constantly on the move and was not available to devotees for ‘darshana’.

“Sometimes the mutt had become a home for the unwanted and immoral activities were taking place. Being the chairman of the trust, I had installed a gate and CCTV cameras at the mutt after discussing the same with the elders of the community,” he said.

“Regarding his visit to the mutt, the seer had not contacted me. At his instigation a few persons entered the mutt after breaking open the gate. A case has been registered in this regard. Misunderstanding the act of locking the gate of the mutt for safety reasons, the seer was making allegations against me,” he said.

On the Panchamasali seer’s hospitalisation, Mr. Kashappanavar said that it could be an act of publicity.