HUBBALLI: Siddalinga Mahaswamiji of Tontadarya Mutt was a towering personality among seers of Virakta Mutts, but he was different from others because of his progressive thinking.
Despite being a religious head, he was not attracted to blind beliefs, meaningless traditions and practices. Though he was the head of a Lingayat mutt, his presence used to attract people irrespective of their caste, creed, class and religion.
The seer will be remembered for his contribution at safeguarding Kappatagudda. Sensing the danger that hounded the hill with rich bio-diversity, he went to the extent of going against the decision of the government. When BJP government gave its nod to giant steel company POSCO to set up its unit at Halligudi village in Gadag district and allowed to acquire hundreds of acres of land, the seer launched an agitation.
This was to save the source of earning of thousands of small farmers and protect the rich mineral resources at Kappatagudda. While this agitation gained momentum, the state government was forced to withdraw its decision to set up a steel plant. Some criticised that the swamiji was blocking industrialisation.
The seer took the same stand by launching ‘Save Kappatagudda’ campaign when the Siddaramaiah government withdrew conservation reserve status to the hill. The campaign was so intense that the district minister was forced to hold a dialogue with the seer. Finally, the government backtracked from its decision and the conservation reserve status was restored.
Tontadarya Swamiji’s love for Kannada was highly appreciated by literary doyens. He was not only a prolific writer, but also an eloquent orator in Kannada. The literary circle of Gadag believes that the seer was the real force behind holding an All India Kannada Literary Meet in the town a few years back. His mutt also published books.
The swamiji’s contribution to the field of education is worth emulating for other religious heads. While holding the reigns of Dambala-Gadag Tontadarya Mutt, he started several educational institutions across the city to help poor children to pursue their education. The mutt now runs over 50 institutions.