Lingayat mutt in Karnataka's Gadag district appoints married Muslim man as pontiff; to take charge on 26 Feb

Bengaluru: A Lingayat seminary in Gadag district of northern Karnataka is all set to get a Muslim man as its pontiff. Diwan Sharief, in his early 30s, will be anointed as the pontiff of the Murugharajendra Koraneshwara Shantidhama mutt in Asuti village on 26 February, mutt sources said. The Lingayat community, which owes allegiance to the 12th Century “social reform movement” initiated by Basaveshwara, is open to people of all caste and religion. Sharief and his father were said to be influenced by the teachings of Basaveshwara and had donated land to the mutt. Sharief, who has three daughters and a son, had taken Linga deeksha and has undergone training about the mutt traditions, they added. The mutt is reportedly associated with Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra mutt of Chitradurga and Koraneshwara Sansthan mutt in Khajuri village in Kalaburagi. Sri Murugharajendra Koraneshwar Shivayogi, the seer of Koraneshwara Sansthan mutt,has decided to make Sharief as the pontiff, sources said.