Congress leader Rahul Gandhi receives 'Linga Deeksha' from Sri Murugha Math seer

Chitradurga, Aug 3: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday got initiated into the Lingayat sect by the seer of Muruga Mutt in this district headquarters town in central Karnataka in the presence of various party leaders.

After receiving 'Linga Deeksha' from the Sri Murugha Math, Gandhi said, "I've been following & reading a little about Basavanna ji for some time now. So, it's a real honour for me to be here. I'd make a request, if you can send me somebody who can teach me a little more in detail about Ishtalinga and Shivayoga, I'd probably benefit from it."

After a conversation with Lingayat seers of various mutts, the seer of Muruga Mutt, Shivamurthy Muruga Sharana initiated Gandhi into Lingayat sect. "It is an absolute honour to visit Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra Vidyapeetha and receive the 'Ishtalinga Deekshe' from Dr. Sri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru", Gandhi tweeted.

The dominant Lingayat sect was founded in the 12th century by social reformer and poet Basaveshwara, who has a huge following in Karnataka and some neighbouring regions of the state such as Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Incumbent Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his predecessor BS Yeddiyurappa hail from the sect, which is particularly dominant in north Karnataka.