Lingayat body asks Karnataka to keep Anubhava Mantapa under state control

The Jagatika Lingayat Mahasabha (JLM) has asked the Karnataka government to keep ownership and management control of the Anubhava Mantapa, the institution under construction at Basavakalyan in Bidar district, rather than transferring it to a private organisation or mutt.

Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, JLM national general secretary S.M. Jamadar said the government should nonetheless consult Lingayat organisations that have a stake in the project. The demand follows a resolution passed by the JLM general body two days earlier seeking day-to-day management of the institution.

Jamadar proposed that the government constitute a special committee drawn from Lingayat mutts and organisations to plan events, oversee daily administration and carry out specific duties at the Mantapa. Mass lunches under the Dasoha programme and literary events could be conducted through this committee, he said, along with vachana study camps and workshops.

He said the JLM's recent national annual general meeting had resolved to hold programmes centred on the philosophy of Basavanna and the Sharana saints, Kayaka, gender equality and the eradication of the caste system.

On the project's timeline, Jamadar said Minister Eshwar Khandre has stated that the Anubhava Mantapa will be inaugurated in March 2027, but a grant of ₹450 crore is yet to be released to complete the work. Road connectivity to the site has stalled, and construction of the Dasoha hall, pilgrim accommodation and parking facilities has not been approved and tenders have not been invited, he said, adding that these works are three to four months away from starting. He argued that inaugurating the project in haste for political reasons would be inappropriate and demanded that it be postponed to January 2028.

On the proposed 'Basava Bharata' programme being planned by some mutts and individuals aligned with the Sangh Parivar, Jamadar said the JLM has no objection, but would not stay silent if Basava philosophy is distorted or misrepresented, or if Hindutva is incorporated into it.

He also said the JLM has resolved to launch a campaign in January 2027 to print and distribute pamphlets across all taluks and rural areas, offering guidance to the Lingayat community on the caste census scheduled for 2026-27. The organisation has decided to set up a special unit in every district to advise inter-caste and inter-faith couples, whose numbers are rising within the community, and to invite organisations representing the 38 sub-sects of the Lingayat community to take membership of the Mahasabha.

Office-bearers Basavaraj Rotti and Ashok Malagali were among those present at the press interaction.