HAVERI : The police and the district administration of Haveri are on their toes as a 30-year-old saint has taken jeevant samadhi (living underground without water and food) for nine days.
According to the saint and his followers, the samadhi ritual is being taken up for the welfare of society. Shivaraj Tata, the saint, is now topic of hot debate after he took samadhi on the premises of a temple at Kakol village in Ranebennur taluk.
On Tuesday morning, Shivaraj Tata entered the samadhi amid cheers of hundreds of devotees. The samadhi is about eight-feet deep and five-feett wide.
The devotees covered the samadhi with wooden planks and woollen blankets. Before commencing the samadhi, Shivaraj Tata asked his devotees to open the planks only on March 29, on the day of Ugadi. While the saint is seated underground, his devotees are lining at the samadhi to offer rituals. It’s said that for the next nine days, nine key devotees will perform pooja to the samadhi.
The district administration on the other hand is unable to decide whether to allow the saint to take up samadhi for nine days or not. Assistant Commissioner Basavaraj Somannavar told Express that the police will be consulted.
The district administration also wants to maintain caution as the issue is sensitive. “We have to handle it very carefully. I have asked the officials to visit the temple and submit a detailed report. Depending on that, we will take action,” he added.