History of Lingayatism

Basava, a native of Bagevadi, was a Nagvanshi and the son of Madiraja and Madamba. His maternal uncle Baladeva was a minister in the court of King Bijjala. There are multiple theories attributed to the appointment of Basava as a minister in the court of Bijjala

• When his uncle Baladeva fell sick and was bedridden, the latter's responsibilities were transferred to Basava.
• Another theory suggests that Basava successfully deciphered an inscription that disclosed the location of a treasure. This pleased King Bijjala who appointed Basava as a minister.

According to Basavapurana, when Basava assumed power, he began distributing gifts to all the devotees of Lord Siva. The other people felt left out and began instigating the King, who later cruelly punished two devotees of Shiva. This episode had a profound effect on Basava. Another incident was that at the age of 8, he also rebelled during his initiation ceremony (holy thread ceremony of the Brahmins).

He then rebelled against the rigid practices of the caste system then prevalent and eventually began expounding his own theosophy with a casteless society at its core. Soon, his philosophy began attracting large numbers of people. Saints like Allama Prabhu, Akka Mahadevi, Channabasavanna also played pivotal roles in...
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