Benggaluru/Hubbali: Jagadguru Mate Mahadevi, a prominent woman pontiff of Lingayat community and seer of Lingayat matha Basava Dharma Peetha died at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Thursday due to multi-organ failure.
The hospital authorities said that ever since she was admitted she was on life support.
Dr H. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals said, "Mate Mahadevi was critically ill and admitted on March 8 at Manipal Hospitals. She died at 4:45 pm today."
"She had a prolonged renal illness and was on life support, including ventilation, BP support and dialysis. Her condition was extremely critical and she was receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics for sepsis," he said.
The last rites will be conducted at Kudalasangama on Friday. Installed as 'Jagadguru' in the 1970s, Maate Mahadevi was the first woman seer of the community. She had started Sharana Mela, a religious congregation of followers of social reformer Basaveshwara and Lingayatism, and established Basava Dharma Peetha at Kudala Sangam.
Mate Mahadevi was in the forefront of the movement demanding separate religion status for the Lingayat community and had angered Veerashaiva seers and leaders.
The support from home minister M.B. Patil, JD(S) leader Basavaraj Horatti and other prominent seers in the region had added strength to the movement.
Condolence poured in after the news of her death and several seers and leaders paid tributes by setting aside their ideological differences.
