Bengaluru, January 21: Karnataka's 111-year-old revered seer, Siddaganga Mutt seer Sri Shivakumara Swamiji breathed his last at 11.44 am on Monday. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy confirmed the passing away of the seer and informed that the cremation will be done on January 22 at 4.30 pm. Swamiji's condition was very critical and he was on life support at the Mutt. "Shivakumara Swami is in critical condition and is on life support at the Mutt. Doctors are monitoring his condition," State Home Minister M.B. Patil said earlier on Monday. Shivakumara Swamigalu Health Update: Siddaganga Mutt Seer 'Recovering Well' in Chennai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind condoled the passing away of the great Seer. "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", the Prime Minister said.

President Ram Nath Kovind in his condolence message said Swamigalu ji has contributed immensely to society particularly towards healthcare and education. "Extremely sad to learn of the passing of spiritual leader Dr Sree Sree Sree Sivakumara Swamigalu Ji. He contributed immensely to society, particularly towards healthcare and education. My condolences to his countless followers", he added.

It was in the last week that Kumaraswamy had demanded the highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, for the seer as recognition of his service to the society. Swami was believed to be one of the oldest persons living in India. He was suffering from a lung infection for the past few weeks and was undergoing treatment for the same. He has been in and out of hospitals over the last few years due to his advanced age.

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Sri Shivakumara Swami was born on 1st April, 1907 in Veerapura village of Ramanagara district in Karnataka. Swami, known as a "walking god" among his followers, was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2015. He was known as an incarnation of the 12th-century social reformer Basava, the Lingayat seer also heads the Sree Siddaganga Education Society, which runs about 125 educational institutions in the state - from engineering colleges to business schools.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 21, 2019 02:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).