KALABURAGI: In his death, 96-year-old Siddappa Malkappa from Kalaburagi district will be remembered for being buried in a grave that was dug by himself at his farm land 15 years ago.
A resident of SN Hipparaga village, in Jewargi, and a father of four sons, Siddappa had dug two graves in his lifetime - one for himself and the other for his wife.
When his wife Neelamma passed away six years ago, she was buried in one of those graves. On Wednesday, when Siddappa died, he was buried in the other grave.
Siddappa narrated stories on morality to villagers According to reports, Siddappa used to narrate tales with lessons in morality to people in the village and always encouraged them to pursue the path of virtue in all their deeds. Both he and his wife had taken 'deeksha' from their family guru 35 years ago.
When Neelamma died, her last rites were conducted in accordance with Veerashaiva rituals. The same rituals were conducted by the family members when Siddappa died, with his body placed in a bag called a 'rudra-pach', filed with 'vibhuti' (sacred ash) and 'kumkum' (vermillion powder), and all the contents, including the mortal remains, packed into a parcel with large bricks all around. Since the last rites, many people from the village have visited the grave - some out of curiosity and some to simply offer their homage.