Basavanna
Date
Authors
Principal Investigator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Basavanna was a multifaceted genius of rarity. He was an eminent officer, a social activist, a humanitarian, and a literati combined in him. He was not merely the leader of the Kalyana upsurge but a poet par excellence in the Kannada language. The pre-Basava period in Karnataka history was a period of decline. It was Basavanna who came to split the very core of this system and struggled to bring about an egalitarian social order. It was Harihara who lived in about 1220 AD that first wrote about Basavanna who came splitting the very core of the system and struggled to bring about an egalitarian social order. It was Harihara who lived in about 1220 AD that first wrote about Basavanna. ‘ Basavaraajadeevararagale’ written by him about Basavanna’s life is not available now. Later Paalkurike Soomanataatha wrote his Basava Puraanamu in Telugu. Basavanna was born in an Agrahara by the name Baagevaadi in the present-day district of Bijapura. He left home at the age of sixteen. It was Kundalasangama that Basavana finally arrived. It was the place where Krishnaa and Malaprabhaa met in confluence. There was a temple of Sangamanaatha, He took refuge in this temple. At that time, The name of Bijjala was heard extensively in political circles across the land. Basavanna decided to go to Mangalaveede and seek employment under Bijjala as an accountant. He started his socio-religious movement. A number of people rallied around Basavanna in support irrespective of their gender, caste, creed, or socioeconomic status. His resident becomes Mahaamane, the great house and a great soul in the eyes of the general public. He bestowed deep thought on the problem of caste and identified himself with the downtrodden as he was full of compassion and had an urge for social justice. He realized that economic equality is essential to bring about social equality. His ideology induced everyone to engage themselves in some evocation like a miracle. Thus improving the state production and bringing more revenue to the exchequer also. Anubhavamantapa was the center meant for the exchange of ideas. The course of the movement took definite shape here. His popularity and revolutionary activities aroused enmity among many who were closed to emperor. Basavanna used the state treasury to initiate social reforms and religious movements focused on reviving shaivism, recognizing and empowering ascetics who were called Jangamas. He spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachannas. One of the main themes of the vachannas is self-criticism. The mindset of individuals of varied nature made him employ people’s language to express his views.