Lord Basaveshwara

March 28, 2023

Home Minister recently unveiled a statue of Lord Basaveshwara in Bengaluru.
Lord Basaveshwara or Basavanna was a 12th century poet and born in Karnataka.
He lived during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya/Kalachuri dynasty.
He was a philosopher and social reformer.
He rejected gender and caste discrimination, superstitions and rituals.
Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as
He is considered the founder of the Lingayat religion, which is a major religious group in Karnataka.
A strong promoter of ahimsa (non-violence), he condemned human and animal sacrifices.
His philosophy was based on principles of Arivu (true knowledge), ethos (right conduct), and Anubhava (divine experience).
Basava Purana, written by Palkuriki Somanatha in 13th-century, holds full account of Basavanna’s life and ideas.
He developed and inspired a new devotional movement named Virashaivas, or ardent, heroic worshippers of Shiva.