Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid homage to seer Shivakumara Swami, head of the Sree Siddaganga Mutt in Karnataka's Tumakuru who died on Monday, and said the late pontiff would always shower his blessings on him like a son whenever they met.
"I wish to pay homage to Shri Shri Shri Shivakumara Swami. I had the opportunity to take his blessings a few times at Sree Siddaganga Matha in Tumkur. Whenever I met him, he used to love me and shower his blessing on me like a son. Passing away of such a great saint is very sad for all of us. The country will always remember his contribution to human welfare," Prime Minister Modi said at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.
Shivakumara Swami breathed his last at 11.44 am on Monday. He was being treated for a lung infection which he developed after an operation on December 8. The operation was carried out to treat his liver and bile duct infection.
On Monday night, Prime Minister Modi had tweeted his condolences: "I have had the privilege to visit the Sree Siddaganga Mutt and receive the blessings of His Holiness Dr. Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu. The wide range of community service initiatives being done there are outstanding and are at an unimaginably large scale.
"HH Dr. Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu remained at the forefront of ensuring better healthcare and education facilities for the marginalised.
"He represents the best of our traditions of compassionate service, spirituality and protecting the rights of the underprivileged," Prime Minister Modi posted.
The Karnataka government has declared a three-day state mourning, and all schools, colleges and government offices will remain closed owing to the Swami's demise.
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