Pontiff weds Bengaluru woman, ousted from Shaivite mutt in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: 54-year-old Mahalinga Swamigal, the head of the famous Suriyanar Temple Mutt in Kumbakonam in the Cauvery Delta region, decided to break his celibacy vow by entering into a wedlock with his devotee, 47-year-old Hema Sri from Bengaluru, last month.

The “sudden marriage” of the Adheenam (mutt head), which was kept under wraps for weeks together, has led to a major controversy in Tamil Nadu with devotees asking him to renounce the leadership and leave the Shaivite Mutt, whose properties run into hundreds of crores of rupees.

Things came to a naught on Tuesday when villagers and followers of the mutt which manages the Suriyanar Temple, one of the Navagraha worship places in the region, forced Mahalinga Swamigal out of the mutt’s headquarters.

In retaliation, the pontiff, who had sacked his disciple Swaminatha Swamigal for questioning his marriage, wrote a letter to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department of the Tamil Nadu government to take over the mutt’s administration.

The Adheenam justified his marriage with his devotee saying there have been instances of pontiffs getting married in the past and his “register marriage” was a “personal affair.” Adding a twist to the row, the pontiff announced that he still remains the head of the mutt, which is one of the 18 Shaivite mutts established centuries ago in Tamil Nadu.

As the melee continued, villagers objected to the presence of the pontiff and asked him to leave the spot immediately. However, Mahalinga Swamigal stood his ground and waited till HR&CE officials arrived at the spot and handed over a letter to them to take administrative control of the mutt.

“I won’t leave the village till the time the administrative control is transferred to HR&CE. After everything is done, I plan to move to Karnataka (from where his wife hails),” the pontiff said on Wednesday.

Mahalinga Swamigal, who assumed charge as the 28th head of the Suriyanar Temple Adheenam in Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district in 2022, married Hema Sri in Bengaluru on October 10. Hema Sri was an ardent devotee of the mutt and she came in contact with the pontiff during her frequent visits to the temple.

Historically, Adheenams had remained unmarried to focus on spiritual duties, by leading a life of celibacy. However, there had been few instances where married men had relinquished their family life to take up spiritual duties.

The Shaivite Mutts, which propagate the philosophy of Shaiva Siddhanta besides owning large tracts of lands and properties, assumed national centerstage in 2023 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited them to New Delhi to install Sengol in the new Parliament building.

HR&CE Minister P K Sekarbabu said on Wednesday the government will move towards taking administrative control of the temple and mutt under Sections 60 and 60 (A) of the HRCE Act. “We are consulting legal experts on the issue and we will announce our decision very soon. We have received a letter from the mutt head,” Sekarbabu said, adding that a detailed assessment will be done of the properties owned by the pontiff.