Third Panchamasali peetha set for launch on February 14

The political manoeuvres behind it have left the numerically strong Lingayat subsect divided

In February, 2008, Panchamasalis, the largest sub sect among the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, got their first Peetha (religious chair) at Kudalasangama in Bagalkot district and within a week their second Peetha at Harihara in Davangere district. Thirteen years later, the community is witnessing the launch of the third Peetha in Bagalkot district on Monday. The politics behind the initiative has left the community divided.

While a lack of consensus on religious ideology and geographical location led to formation of two Peethas in less than a week in 2008, the third Peetha is being seen more as a fallout of the political manoeuvring for Panchamasali leadership.