District: Tumkur
Town: Tumkur
Temples: Sree Siddaganga Mutt
Sree Siddaganga Mutt is an ancient and one of a kind Gurukul, situated in Tumkur, amidst the beautiful and serene landscape. It is about 63 km from Bangalore. The mutt’s aim is to provide service to the needy and to the poor, and this has been successfully carried out.
Sree Siddaganga Mutt – Overview
The Sree Siddaganga Mutt offers education to more than 8000 poor children, between the age five to 16 years, with free food and shelter and is exempted from discrimination, and is open to children of all faiths and communities. The mutt also has a school for the blind with more than 100 blind children and offers free education, food and independent hostel facility.
One of the befitting things we can see in the mutt is the annual prayers of the students of the mutt. All these students participate in the prayers without any disparity of caste or creed. The prayers are held both in the mornings as well as in the evenings, during which time the swami is present and guides the students.
Temples in the Ashram
Temples of Sree Siddalingeshwara and Sree Siddalingamma are located in the ashram.
Sree Siddaganga Mutt – History
The Sree Siddaganga Mutt was established in the 15th Century A.D. by the Sri Gosala Siddeswara Swamiji, who belongs to the Shunya Simhasana, a spiritual academy from the days of social reformer Basaweshwara. The present head of the mutt is Dr. Sree Sree Sree Shivakumara Swamiji, who is now 104 years old. He is the driving force in this ashram.
He was born in Veerapura near Magadi Taluk. He took full responsibility of the mutt in the year 1941. He is also the founder of the Sree Siddaganga Educational Society. The tireless efforts of the swami have resulted in the development of free boarding for the children to its present size.
Sree Siddaganga Mutt – Facts
- The mutt hosts a chain of educational institutions which offers traditional Sanskrit courses as well as modern science and technology.
- Recognizing his humanitarian work, the swami was bestowed with an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature by the Karnataka University in 1965.
- Under the guidance of the swami, a large-sized annual agricultural and industrial fair is held.
- Cattle fair and exhibition is held for the benefit of the local people during the time of Shivaratri festival.
- In 2007, the swami was awarded the prestigious Karnataka Ratna by the Government of Karnataka which is the highest civilian award of the state.
- Dasoha is the free food event organized by the mutt, and this feeds the students and thousands of pilgrims who come to the mutt for worshipping the deities and of course, taking a glimpse of Dr. Sree Sree Sree Shivakumara Swami.
How to Get to Sree Siddaganga Mutt
The most economic route for reaching the Siddaganga Mutt is to avail local transport facilities. There are plenty of buses and taxis plying from Tumkur. Travelling in KSRTC bus from Bangalore to Tumkur will take about two hours in a car. Strolling around the ashram, meeting the swami and seeing the discipline in the mutt will definitely be a unique experience for everyone visiting the mutt. The mutt and the temples within can be visited anytime during the year, as the weather is quite pleasant.
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