Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the Sivagiri Mutt in Kerala and paid homage at the samadhi of Brahmashri Narayana Guru, describing the social reformer as one of India’s foremost moral philosophers whose ideals of equality and social justice remain deeply relevant.
The Chief Minister offered prayers in the presence of Sivagiri Mutt pontiff Brahmashri Satchidananda Swamiji. AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, Higher Education Minister Dr Sudhakar, Political Secretary to the Chief Minister Naseer Ahmed, Legal Advisor Ponnanna, and Legislative Council member B.K. Hariprasad were present. Siddaramaiah also met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the dais and exchanged greetings.
Addressing the 93rd Sivagiri Theerthadanam, Siddaramaiah said Narayana Guru was not merely a saint but a transformative social movement rooted in equality, ethics, and human dignity. He said Guru envisioned an India where people live together harmoniously amid diversity and had warned against communal discourse driven by arrogance and devoid of moral values.
He described Sivagiri as more than a pilgrimage centre, calling it a moral institution that upholds dialogue over dominance, equality over hierarchy, and ethics over power. The Chief Minister said Guru’s proclamation of “one caste, one religion, one God for humankind” directly challenged caste hierarchy, religious monopoly, and social exclusion.
Siddaramaiah said Narayana Guru’s emphasis on education, organisation, and self-reliance empowered oppressed communities and laid the foundation for social transformation across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and coastal Karnataka. He noted that Guru’s influence extended to reform movements in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and Malnad regions, strengthening resistance to divisive communal politics.
Warning that caste and communalism have changed forms rather than disappeared, Siddaramaiah said Guru had foreseen the dangers of religion being used as an instrument of power. He stressed that nation-building without social justice reduces democracy to a mere administrative structure.
The Chief Minister said the Karnataka government is committed to carrying forward Narayana Guru’s ideals by prioritising equality and human dignity. He recalled that Narayana Guru Jayanti was declared in 2016 and that a Brahmashri Narayana Guru Studies Chair has been established at Mangalore University with substantial financial support to preserve and promote his legacy.
Concluding his address, Siddaramaiah called upon religious leaders, scholars, youth, and political institutions to reject hatred, uphold moral values, and strengthen democracy through dialogue and social justice.