Basavanna

A great saint from the 12th century India, Guru Basavanna was an extraordinary visionary who gave a unique spiritual path to the mankind. Based on the principles of (true knowledge), (right conduct), and Strongly emphasizing the concept of equality of all creatures under God, Guru Basavanna spearheaded a comprehensive revolution that encompassed all aspects of life. The spiritual, social, religious, and economical revolution of Basavanna fought against the gender, caste, racial, and social status based discrimination bringing parity to all for enjoying the divine bliss. The essence, purpose, and goal of Guru Basavanna’s revolution was to illumine the path for transforming a human imprisoned in this mortal life into a Leading a content life with their families, Sharanas enjoyed a unique lifestyle that was beyond the turmoil of the mortal life. Sharanas were productive members of the society working sincerely and paying their social dues, yet theirs was an evolved life not touched by the sufferings of the mortal life. Sharanas developed a universal quality moving beyond the confines of religion, gender, social status, country, and race. To them the entire creation was theirs; everything and everyone belonged to a fellowship under God. The message of Guru Basavanna is very relevant even to this day. The logical, scientific, and holistic approach of his path has the potential to uplift the mankind. It helps a person to understand himself better, overcome his negativities, and ...

The revolutionary who taught that right conduct is heaven. He declared that work is worship and taught the ideals of simple living and the equality of all men. And he practiced what he preached. Do not steal, do not kill. Do not utter lies; Do not lose your temper. Do not detest others; Do not glorify yourself. Do no blame others. This alone is purity within. This alone is purity without; And this alone is the way to please our Lord Kudalasangama. These words are very simple. But they contain the very essence of all the moral codes of the world and of the religion of man. Our life must be pure both inwardly and outwardly. That alone is the way to win God’s grace. And God’s grace fills our life with joy. The passage given above is called a Vachana’. Basaavanna wrote it. Kudalasangama was his personal deity. This name appears at the end of every vachana as a mark of identity. Basavanna wrote many vachanas. Before the birth of Basavanna it was customary to write religious and ethical texts in Sanskrit. But Basavanna began to write them in Kannada. This practice enriched the Kannada literature. Till then it was the custom of Kannada writers to compose poetry. Basavanna wrote in the vachana form using prose. So modern Kannada prose could develop. Kannada became popular. Several Shaiva Saints (Shivasharanas) followed the example of Basavanna and wrote vachanas. These vachanas spread among the people. They contained religious and moral ideas and explained how society should be bu...

Yaganti temple (Andhra Pradesh) Show map of Andhra Pradesh 15°21′3″N 78°08′22″E / 15.35083°N 78.13944°E / 15.35083; 78.13944 Architecture Completed 15th century by Vijayanagar kings Hariharaya and Bukkaraya... Yaganti Temple or Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple is a [ citation needed] History [ ] This temple was constructed by King [ citation needed] It was built according to One story of the site's origin is as follows: The sage A second story is as follows: Chitteppa, a devotee of Shiva, was worshiping Shiva and Shiva appeared to him as a tiger. Chitteppa understood that it was Lord Shiva in tiger form, and shouted Neganti Shivanu ne kanti (meaning: I saw Shiva I saw), and danced with joy. There is a cave called Chitteppa nearby. Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple is one of the few temples patronized by one of the great dynasties of India. Every year Architecture [ ] Pushkarini [ ] A feature of this temple is its Pushkarini, a small pond of water on the temple premises. Water flows into this Pushkarini from the bottom of hill through the mouth of a Nandi (bull). The water is fresh and sweet, as it comes from the hills. No one knows how the water reaches the pond all year round and this temple architecture in terms of its sculpture shows the skills of ancient Viswakarma Sthapathis. Devotees find that a holy bath in Pushkarini is highly beneficial. After taking a bath in Pushkarini, they pay tributes to Lord The sage Agasthya bathed in Pushkarini and worshipped Shiva. Caves p...

Sharana s have chronicled their experiences and path towards divinity in unique literature known as Vachana. The word Vachana means ‘Speech’. It also means a verbal promise. Vachanas of the Sharanas are the means to purify one in word, action, and vision. Composed in simple language, yet carrying profound philosophy and thought provoking ideas, Vachanas form the backbone of the path of Guru Basavanna. Typically small verses/poetry of 4-8 lines, they prescribe to a format-free writing, not imposing any grammatical or literary restrictions on the authors. Yet, Vachanas possess musical and emotional quality. It is interesting to see how Sharanas convey complex concepts in simple Vachanas. Often, they draw examples from familiar day-to-day experiences and use them as similes and metaphors to drive home profound ideas. Some Vachanas convey different meaning based on the level of an aspirant. Some Vachanas state the message and follow it with an example or explanation. Yet others use common images and experiences to orient the minds of the reader to the proper context and then deliver the message. Vachanas are the first hand narrative of Sharanas and were also seasoned by the scrutiny of fellow mystics. Guru Basavanna realized the value of chronicling and organizing Vachanas. Each Sharana has used a penname that seems be drawn from his/her first divine connection. These divine insignia are incorporated towards the end of the Vachana clearly identifying the author. For instance, ...

Make PDF In news In honor of Basavanna, the Karnataka government to lay foundation stone lay the foundation stone for the Anubhava Mantapa in Basavakalyan town in Bidar district About Basavanna • He was born in 1130 in Basavana Bagewadi, Karnataka • Basavanna was an Indian 12th-century statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat saint in the Shiva-focussed Bhakti movement, and Hindu Shaivite Social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya/Kalachuri dynasty • He was active during the rule of both dynasties but reached his peak of influence during the rule of King Bijjala II in Karnataka, India • He had married Sharane Neelganaga, the daughter of his maternal uncle, and taken the position of an accountant in the palace of King Bijjala. • He became the Finance Minister and then Prime Minister in the King’s court. • The Basavaraj Devara Ragale by the Kannada poet Harihara (c.1180) is the earliest available account on the life of the social reformer and is considered important because the author was a near contemporary of his protagonist • A full account of Basava’s life and ideas are narrated in a 13th-century sacred Telugu text, the Basava Purana by Palkuriki Somanatha Contributions of Basavanna • Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas. • He rejected gender or social discrimination, superstitions and rituals but introduced Ishtalinga with an image of the Shiva Liṅga, to every person regardless of his or her birth, to be a consta...

As part of our progressive Hindu Heritage Month, we bring you the amazing story of twelfth century social reformer and poet, Basavanna, who rebelled against the Brahmanical establishment and defied the traditions of the day by bringing people of all castes under his Anubhava Mantapa (a debating society if you will). He also gave equal status to women in his movement and did the most unthinkable: arrange an inter-caste marriage in defiance of the ruling class. He and his followers faced deadly consequence as a result. We bring you Basavanna’s inspiring story from three perspectives: from the Late Gauri Lankesh, a left intellectual and journalist; Huchangi Prasad, an up and coming Dalit Kannada poet, and Githa Hariharan, a well-known scholar. In our humble way, we at HfHR see our work on caste as a continuation of Basavanna’s legacy. *** Basavanna: India’s First Free Thinker By: Late Gauri Lankesh, Bangalore Mirror, May 9, 2016 Born into a Brahmin family, Basavanna was taught the Vedas, Shastras and the Upanishads. But he rejected both his caste and its scriptures and said that the spiritual experience of the labouring classes would be the well-spring of his social movement. In fact, most of the things that Basavanna did was to turn Brahminical beliefs on its head. Basavanna founded the Anubhava Mantapa (hall of spiritual experience) where people of all segments — be he a cobbler or she a sex worker — could articulate their thoughts. In his times, women were not only conside...

Basava Center of North America (BCNA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3), Charitable, Spiritual, Organization. The mission of the organization is to promote human values based on the teachings of Lord Basavanna (Basava) and his contemporaries to promote the Equality, Equanimity and Egalitarianism principles.