Basaveshwara: Philosophy and Contributions

Basaveshwara, also known as Basavanna or Bhakti Bhandari, was a seminal figure from the 12th century renowned for his roles as a philosopher, poet, and social reformer. Born in Bagevadi in Karnataka, he served as the Prime Minister during King Bijjala’s reign. He launched the Lingayat sect or Veera Shaivism in Karnataka, advocating for principles of divine work and equal distribution. In this article, you will know key information about Basaveshwara, his philosophy, contribution, and the establishment Lingayat sect, all of which are important for GS Paper-1 Art & Culture of UPSC IAS Exam.

Table of Content

• Who was Basaveshwara?
• Contributions of Basaveshwara
• Philosophy of Basaveshwara
• What is Anubhava Mantapa?
• What is Lingayat sect?
• Lingayat sect and Bhakti movement
• Difference between Lingayat sect and Bhakti movement
• Relation between Veerashaivism and Lingayatism
• Conclusion
• FAQs on Basaveshwara

Who was Basaveshwara?

• Basaveshwara (1134-1168) was a 12^th-century statesman, philosopher, poet, social reformer.
• He is also known as Basavanna or Bhakti Bhandari.
• He was appointed as Prime Minister of Bijjala during the reign of Kalachuri king Bijjala (1157-1167 AD).
  • This period in Karnataka was characterised by the dominance of Brahmanical Hindu values.
• He was born in Bagevadi of undivided Bijapur district in Karnataka.
• His life and doctrines were recorded in the Basava-purana, written by Bhima Kavi (14th century) in the Kannada language.
• Mahatma Basaveshwara is the first Kannadiga to have a commemorative coin made in his honour in celebration of his social reforms.
• Samadhi of sri Basaveshwara is at the Sharana Basaveshwara Temple in Karnataka.

Contributions of Basaveshwara

• He developed a new devotional movement named Veera Shaivism or Lingayat sect in Karnataka.
• He gave two important socio-economic principles: Kayaka (Divine Work) and Dasoha (Equal Distribution).
• He spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanas.
  • The main aim of the Vachana (poetry) movement was welfare of all by addressing class, caste and to some extent gender issues in a given societal milieu.
• He wrote Vachana such as the Shat-sthala-vachana, Kala-jnana-vachana, Mantra-gopya, Ghatna Chakra-vachana and Raja-yoga-vachana.
• He rejected gender and social discrimination; superstitions and rituals led by brahmins and replaced it with personalized direct worship of Shiva through practices such as individually worn icons and symbols like a small linga.

Philosophy of Basaveshwara

• His spiritual discipline, that brought social, religious and economic revolution in the 12th century, was based on the principles of:
  • Arivu (true knowledge),
  • Achara (right conduct), and
  • Anubhava (divine experience)
• This path advocates a holistic approach of Lingangayoga (union with the divine).
• This discipline encompasses bhakti (devotion), jnana (knowledge), and kriya (action) in a well-balanced manner.
• Lord basaveshwarawent to Kalyana (now called Basavakalyan) in A.D. 1154 and lived there for 12-13 years.
  • The Gates of Dharma were thrown open to all without any barriers of caste, creed or sex (Kalyana Rajya – Welfare State).
• He believed that man becomes great not by his birth but by his conduct in the society.

Sharana movement

• Similar to Gautama Buddha, Basavana taught people how to live happily in a rational social order which later came to be known as the Sharana movement.
• Sharana movement attracted people from all castes and produced a corpus of literature, the vachanas, that unveiled the spiritual universe of the Veerashaiva saints.
• Sharanas challenged the final bastion of the caste order: they organised a wedding where the bridegroom was from a lower caste, and the bride a Brahmin.

What is Anubhava Mantapa?

• Basaveshwara introduced public institutions such as Anubhava Mantapa.
• Anubhava Mantapa was the first Parliament of the world where philosophers and social reformers held debates.
• It was a common forum for all to discuss the prevailing problems of socio, economic and political strata including religious and spiritual principles along with personal problems.
• Here, Sharanas sat together and discussed the socialistic principles of a Democratic set up.

What is Lingayat sect?

• The tradition of Lingayatism is known to have been founded by Basavanna in 12th century Karnataka.
  • According to South Indian oral tradition, he was the actual founder of the Lingayats, but study of Kalachuri inscriptions indicates that, rather than founding a new sect, he in fact revived an existing one.
• The Lingayat community has many sub-sects identified on the basis of the vocations they followed.
• They are strict monotheists as they enjoin the worship of only one God, namely, Linga (Shiva).
• Even women can wear Ishtalinga and are equally powerful as men. There is no discrimination.
• For Lingayats, Shiva is a formless and timeless entity. The Lord is present within each and every one, and they are against idol worship.
• The sect rejects the system of four ashramas, authority of the Vedas, caste hierarchy, ritualistic priesthood, the plurality of gods, sacrifice of animals, temple worship etc.

Lingayat sect and Bhakti movement

• The emergence of the Lingayat sect can be located within the larger trend of Bhakti movements that had swept across South India from the 8^th century AD onwards.
  • The Bhakti tradition was a social reform movement that developed around Hindu Gods and Goddesses but split away from the Hindu fold by offering a path to spirituality regardless of their caste and creed.

Difference between Lingayat sect and Bhakti movement

• While the conventional Bhakti movements were marginally, and emotionally critical of the existing Brahmanical Hindu system, Lingayatism challenged it to its roots.
• It made good its challenge by becoming a highly structured movement, striving for the institutionalisation of the same or similar values professed by the Bhakti movements in general.
• The Lingayat Bhakti movement in Karnataka assumes the form of a cult in itself. From very early times, the Lingayat status was hereditary in nature. This did not happen within the Bhakti movements elsewhere in South India.

Relation between Lingayatism and Veerashaivism

While it is popularly believed that Lingayatism and Veerashaivism are one and the same, historical evidence suggests that they are not.

• Veerashaivism is also a Shaiva sect within Hinduism. It is predominantly located in Karnataka.
• Veerashaivism emerges in 16^th century and the followers claim that the philosophers of the 12-13^th centuries to be their forebearers.
• They claim that Basavanna was not the founder of the Lingayat tradition, but rather a reformer of an already existing religious tradition which they call Veerashaivism.
• However, evidence also suggests that Lingayatism departs from Veerashaivism in significant ways.
• The Veerashaivas accept the Vedic texts and Hindu practices such as caste and gender discrimination. However, Basavanna did not just oppose these but also offered an alternative model for them.
• The Veerashaivas claim mythical origins from the Shivalingam, which is similar in thought to the origin theories of Brahmanism. However, Basavanna opposed all Brahmanical roots.

Conclusion

Basaveshwara was a transformational figure in the 12th century, pioneering societal and religious reform through the Lingayat sect and Sharana movement. His philosophy advocated for equality and direct devotion to Shiva, deviating from the existing Brahmanical Hindu values and practices. He established a democratic forum, the Anubhava Mantapa, fostering inclusive dialogue. Despite the prevalent association of Lingayatism and Veerashaivism, historical evidence indicates significant differences, with Lingayatism challenging conventional structures and advocating for socio-religious reform.

Ref: Source-1

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