WEB DESK
In a rare show of libralism, a Lingayat mutt in Gadag district of north Karnataka has decided to make a Muslim youth its pontiff. Diwan Sharief Rahimansab Mulla, 33, who will be intercepted on February 26, said he was influenced by the teachings of 12th -century reformer Basavanna since childhood and would work towards his ideals of social justice and harmony.
Sharief will become pontiff of the Murugharajendra Koraneshwara Shantidhama mutt in Asuti village, which is linked to the 350-year-old Koraneshwara Sansthan mutt in Khajuri village in Kalaburagi.
They rank among the 361 mutts of Sri Jagadguru Murugharajendra mutt of Chitradurga, which draw lakhs of followers from across Karnataka and Maharashtra, besides other parts of the country.