Several Basava-Lingayat groups across Karnataka are protesting against a Lingayat seer’s remarks that allegedly insulted Lingayat seers and followers of Basavanna, the 12th-century reformer widely regarded as the founder of the Lingayat faith.
The remarks were made by Kadasiddheshwara Swamiji of Kaneri Matha in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, during an event on October 9 in Biluru village, Jath taluk, Sangli district.
The seer reportedly accused the Lingayat Mathadhishara Okkuta of being a “nataka thanda” (meaning dubious group or drama company) that was propped up by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He said that they were travelling across the state telling people not to go to temples and to throw away the idols of gods, Kannada daily Vijaya Karnataka reported. At one point, he is reported to have exhorted his followers to “beat them with slippers.”
His remarks were in reference to a coalition of Lingayat seers who hold that the Lingayat faith is an independent religion, distinct from Hinduism, and has been actively campaigning across Karnataka. The group recently organised the Basava Samskruti Abhiyana — a march covering hundreds of kilometres, featuring public meetings and lectures to spread awareness about vachana philosophy. The campaign concluded on October 5, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah speaking at the closing ceremony in Bengaluru.
The Kaneri Matha seer’s comments have since sparked widespread anger among Lingayat leaders and followers of Basavanna. The Belagavi district unit of the Jagatika Lingayat Mahasabha staged a protest in Belagavi, while the Basavapara Sanghatanegala Okkoota staged a protest in Davangere district on Monday, October 13, Vijaya Karnataka reported.
Basavaraj Rotti, head of the Jagatika Lingayat Mahasabha in Belagavi district, said the remarks were inappropriate and unbecoming of a swami’s position. The protesters demanded that the seer withdraw his statements and apologise to Lingayat seers.
More than hundred Lingayat swamijis and associated organisations have also condemned the Kaneri Matha seer’s remarks.
In a joint statement released during the 24th Kalyan Parva festivities in Basavakalyan in Bidar district, the National Basava Dal and Lingayat Dharma Mahasabha described the seer’s remarks as “abusive, unconstitutional, and intellectually degenerate,” and asserted that they deeply wounded the Lingayat community. They accused the seer of acting “like an agent of extremist forces” and urged the state government to initiate legal proceedings against him under the Goonda Act.