Basavanna’s philosophy is a part of the Hindu religion and the linga puje existed before his time, Vachanananda Swami of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat Panchamasali Peetha said in Davangere on Sunday, November 30.
Speaking during the release of the book Hindutva in Basavashaiva by researcher DA Upadhya, the seer said that attempts were being made to separate Basavanna from Hinduism and to misinterpret his teachings. DA Upadhya’s name was recommended for the Padma Awards in 2016 when he was dean of the Allamaprabhu Lalithakala Academy.
The release of the book comes amid an ongoing debate within the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community about whether or not Lingayatism is a faith independent of Hinduism. Some religious advocate that Lingayatism is one of many Hindu sub-sects, while other organisations argue that the movement started by Basavanna in the 12th century was a counter to Brahminical Hinduism and was opposed not only to the Vedas, but also the caste order.
In the recent past, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also pitched in, claiming that Lingayatism is a part of Hinduism and has even published books advocating these claims.
Both faith and nomenclature pre-occupied political leaders, activists, religious leaders and community members who see themselves as part of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat group during Karnataka’s recently concluded Social and Educational Survey.
The Panchamasali seer said there are deliberate efforts to portray Basavanna’s followers as those who rejected the Vedas instead of those who accepted them.
“Basavanna is being projected as someone who declared that people are being made to believe that (he rejected) concepts such virtue-sin and the idea of heaven and hell. The idea that karma should not be criticised is also being spread. Let them show where Basavanna has said this,” the seer said.
Vachanananda Swamiji also stated that the worship of the Shiva linga existed even before Basavanna’s time, particularly among working-class (Kayaka) communities. These groups had devotion but were not allowed into enter temples. For this reason Basavanna devised the Ishta linga deekshe and a ritual, he said.
“Linga puje existed before Basavanna. Basavanna devised the ishtalinga puje for the kayaka communities and a ritual. He created awareness among people to see god in the ishtalinga. He never said that god was not in the temple,” the seer said.
He also said that there wasn’t much difference between the Vedas-Upanishads and the vachanas.
The author of the book DA Upadhya said that Lingayats originated in the Indus plains. “There are references in a conversation between Yudhishtira and Bhishma in the Mahabharata, that Lingayats are also eligible to receive donations, just like Brahmins.
Lingayat religion existed even before Basavanna’s time. Lingayat religion was not established during the era of the Sharanas,” Upadhya said.
Textile entrepreneur BC Umapathy said that Veerashaiva and Lingayats were the same and that the gurus and viraktas were two sides of the same coin.