Sitharaman, Gowda to attend funeral of Shivakumar Swami

Monks carry the body of Shivakumara Swami, a 111-year-old Indian monk popularly known as the "walking god", in Tumakuru in the southern state of Karnataka, India, Jnauary 21, 2019. REUTERS

Union ministers DV Sadananda Gowda and Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the funeral of the head pontiff of Siddaganga mutt and lay wreath on behalf of the prime minister.

According to official sources, the two ministers would fly down to Karnataka to attend the last rites of the Lingayat seer Shivakumar Swamy.

The 111-year old head of the Siddaganga mutt in Karnataka, known as 'Walking God' among his countless followers, died Monday after prolonged illness.