Congress leader Rahul Gandhi received ‘Ishta Linga Deekshe’ from Shivamurthy Murugha Sharana, pontiff of Murugharajendra Mutt in Chitradurga district, on Wednesday. This is one of the prominent mutts of Veerashaiva-Lingayats, a powerful community that is largely seen as being loyal to the BJP.
The seer conducted the ‘Ishta Linga Deekshe’ ceremony, considered an important ritual in the Lingayat sect. The seer offered Mr. Gandhi an Ishta Linga and applied vibhuthi on his forehead.
Mr. Gandhi told the seer that he would worship the Ishta Linga and follow Basavanna’s philosophy. He also requested the seer to send a representative of the mutt to his place so that he could learn the rituals associated with the Ishta Linga.
