A fresh controversy has erupted in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district after a 22-year-old seer of a Lingayat mutt was forced to vacate his post following the discovery of his Muslim origins. The man, known in the mutt as Nijalinga Swamy, was previously Mohammed Nisar, born into a Muslim family. His background came to light when locals discovered his Aadhaar card, triggering an uproar among devotees who felt betrayed. The episode has once again raised serious questions about how religious conversions are being weaponized to infiltrate sacred Hindu institutions under the garb of spiritual transformation.
The incident occurred at the Gurumalleshwara Shakha Mutt in Chowdahalli village, Gundlupet taluka, where Nijalinga Swamy had served as head for just six weeks. He had claimed to have taken “Basava Deeksha” at the age of 17, abandoning his previous life. But the sudden exposure of his old identity, accompanied by photos showing him in a skull cap and allegedly holding beer bottle, has left many questioning his true intentions and the growing pattern of religious infiltration into Hindu spaces.
Discovery of the Seer’s True Identity Shocks Devotees
The controversy began when one of the seer’s employees borrowed his old mobile phone, only to stumble upon images from his previous life. Alongside photos of Nisar wearing a skull cap, the Aadhaar card attached to the phone clearly stated his birth name and Muslim identity. Among the images was also one in which he appeared to be holding a beer bottle — sparking widespread outrage.
Soon after, word spread across the village and among mutt devotees. The feeling of betrayal was widespread, with many alleging that the seer had deliberately concealed his identity to gain religious and social legitimacy. The fact that this information had to be discovered by accident raises concerns about vetting processes within mutts and the increasing vulnerability of Hindu religious institutions to such deceptions.
Who Brought Him In? Serious Lapses in Vetting by Religious Authorities
According to the seer himself, his name was proposed by a guru connected to another Lingayat mutt in Basavakalyan, Bidar. He stated that well-wishers advised him to hide his Muslim identity and simply focus on religious service. This admission is alarming. It not only reveals an intentional effort to hide his past but also exposes how religious conversions can be used as a tool to penetrate and exploit Hindu spiritual ecosystems.
Even more troubling is that the land on which the mutt was built was donated by an NRI philanthropist, Mahadev Prasad, presumably in good faith, believing the mutt would serve the spiritual interests of Lingayat devotees. Instead, it became the base for a carefully masked entry of a person with an entirely different religious background who may not even fully adhere to Hindu dharmic traditions.
A Pattern of Infiltration? Past Cases Raise Red Flags
This is not an isolated case. In 2020, Diwan Sharief Rahimsab Mulla, a former autorickshaw driver, also took deeksha and was appointed head of another Lingayat mutt—reportedly the fourth such Muslim-origin individual to do so in 300 years. While the Left-liberal media often hails such events as symbols of communal harmony, the larger Hindu society must ask: At what cost?
Are these conversions genuine spiritual journeys, or are they strategic maneuvers aimed at influencing, exploiting, or even destabilizing Hindu institutions? With no legal or institutional frameworks in place to examine such transformations, Hindu mutts and temples may increasingly fall prey to these tactics masked under religious inclusivity.
Hindu Institutions Must Wake Up to the Threat of Subversion
The case of Nijalinga Swamy, born Mohammed Nisar, must serve as a wake-up call for Hindu religious institutions, spiritual leaders, and devotees across India. While Hinduism has always welcomed sincere seekers, it cannot remain blind to manipulative tactics disguised as religious conversions. This is not about denying someone’s spiritual journey it’s about preventing exploitation of sacred spaces and ensuring that dharmic institutions are not infiltrated under false pretenses.
The incident exposes how Hindu identity is being misused by some to gain authority, wealth, or social standing, while completely bypassing the cultural, spiritual, and ethical responsibilities such roles demand. If left unchecked, this trend could result in irreversible damage to centuries-old traditions and faith-based institutions.
Hindu society must now ask: How many more “seers” are hiding similar secrets? How many more mutts are vulnerable to such deception? Is this merely the beginning of a larger agenda? It’s time for vigilance, reform, and protection of dharmic spaces from those who seek to enter not out of faith, but for subversion.