25 Aug

Lingayat Sect Movement

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Contents

• Introduction of Lingayat
• Vachana Literature
• Radicalism
• Haridasi Tradition in Deccan
• Raghavendra Swami

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Lingayat

• Why is it called Lingayat?
  • They considered Shiva to be supreme god and worshipped him in the linga form.
  • As a mark of devotion, a small linga is wore around shoulder.
• It thrived in northern Karnataka during the Vijayanagara Empire (14th-18th century). From the Karnataka region, the Virashaiva movement spread to other parts of South India.
• Saints
  • The main proponent of the sect is Basavanna (not the founder). He served in the court of Kalachuri king Bijjala II (1157-67). In his memory, the capital of Kalyani Chalukyas today is called as Basavakalyana, which is in North Karnataka.
  • Other important saints are Allama Prabhu, Channabasavanna and Akka Mahadevi. Akka Mahadevi was one of the early female poets of Kannada language of the 12th c.
• Royal Patronage
  • There was growing popularity and numbers in this new community whose membership was open and inclusive.
  • Soon it led to royal patronage in some Deccan kingdoms like Vijayanagara, particularly during the reign of Devaraya II (r. 1422–46 CE).
  • Later important royal dynasties in Karnataka became
  •  followers of Lingayatism.
  • One of the most remembered is the Lingayat queen Rani Chennamma of Kittur (1778–1829), known for her inspiring role in the anti-colonial struggle against the British.
• Anuhav Mantapa “hall of spiritual experience.”

Vachana Literature

• Saints expressed their thoughts in single line philosophical utterances called Vachans.
• Vachanas were utterings of mystics based on their spiritual experiences and reflection. While some commonality of thoughts can be distilled, there is a great individuality and diversity among them.
• This literature flourished esp. after 15^th To this day about 12,000 vachanas of this period authored by over a hundred spiritual seekers and saints, including over 30 women have been discovered.
• Vachanas were not written by/for academic philosophers, but for ordinary people in their mother tongue, Kannada. The poet saints called themselves ‘Sharanas’. They hailed from almost all classes of society, professions, and castes – including outcastes or “untouchables”.

Radicalism

• Not ritualistic in nature.
• Lingayatism is often considered a Hindu sect, sharing beliefs with other Indian religions, but it rejected the Vedic tradition of sacrifices, rituals, varna system, belief in karma-reincarnation, and superstitions.
• They primarily conceived their god as personal and formless.
• Unlike Tamil Bhakti, Basava championed devotional worship that rejected temple worship and rituals led by Brahmins and replaced it with personalised direct worship of Shiva.
• They have their own priestly class called Jangamas.
• They don’t cremate the dead but practice symbolic burial. They believed that after death, everyone vanishes into Lord Shiva. Death is just merging with the god, so no penance required.

• Social radicalism
  • They opposed discrimination against women in the spiritual field. They broke the Brahminical taboos which regarded women as inferior and unfit for spiritual self-realisation.
  • 

    Akka Mahadevi by Nilima Sheikh

    They discouraged child marriage, it also encouraged widow marriage

  • Originally, they didn’t follow caste hierarchy.
  • Although it espoused ahimsa, it critiqued Jainism, which was very influential in Karnataka.

Haridasi Tradition in Deccan

The Bhakti movement during this time involved Haridasas (devotee saints). Like the Virashaiva movement of the 12th century, this movement presented another strong current of devotion, pervading the lives of millions.

• The Haridasas represented two groups, the Vyasakuta and Dasakuta
  • Vyasakuta: required to be proficient in the Vedas, Upanishads and other Darshanas.
  • Dasakuta: conveyed the message of Madhvacharya through the Kannada language to the people in the form of devotional songs.
• Vijyanagara Era
  • The Dvaita philosophy of Madhvacharya was spread by eminent disciples
    • Naraharitirtha, Jayatirtha, Sripadaraya, Vyasatirtha,
    •  Vadirajatirtha etc.
  • Saint poets like Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa earned the devotion of King Krishnadevaraya. Annamacharya was a composer of early Carnatic music composed hundreds of Kirtanas in Telugu at Tirupati.

Raghavendra Swami (1595-1671)

• He was the adhipati of Kumbakonam Math.
• Wrote commentaries on Upanishads from Dvaita standpoint.
• Was accomplished Veena player himself, and wrote with Venu Gopala as mudra.
• Took sanjivan samadhi at Mantralayam.