Daijiworld Media Network – Belgaum (RJP)

Belgaum, Oct 13: The chief of a Mutt has died consuming poison with the promise that he would come back to life in three days. The devotees said they were waiting for his return to life until they were convinced that the Swamiji would not return as promised.

The incident took place on Saturday night at Kempawada mutt near Athani in Belgaum district.

But devotees of 86-year-old Ganesh Yogi Maharaj claimed that he would come back to life after three days as he had promised them. It took the intervention of several government officials to convince the devotees that their Swamiji was indeed dead.

Mutt inmates said the Swamiji had observed fasting on Saturday on account of the auspicious 'Sankashti'. Swamiji told his devotees to observe nightlong vigil with prayers. Before retiring to his room to meditate, he told the devotees that he would die and come back to life in three days. And then he allegedly consumed 200 ml of insecticide at 8 pm.

Devotees told media persons that their swami had conducted such death experiments before also for shorter durations of 16-25 hours successfully. It is said that ‘due to these type of miracles’ Swamiji had gained thousands of followers.

Some villagers claimed that when the Swamiji expressed his desire to conduct this miracle, few villagers had tried to dissuade him.

Taluk health officer Dr TG Kage, who did an ECG test on the body, confirmed that the Swamiji was clinically dead.
Revenue, health and police officials had to convince the devotees to do the final rites. The post mortem was done in the village itself before handing over the dead body to the devotees.

Ganesh Yogi Maharaj also called Anand Swami, had come to Kempawada village as a primary school teacher in 1961. After working there for 3 years, he opened the Ganesh Mutt in the village to manage it for the next 50 years before his death.

Kagwad police have registered a case.