Quest for egalitarian socio-spiritual order: Lingayats and their practices

Abstract

The Lingayat movement led by Basava, Allama, Mahadevi and many others in Karnataka in the twelfth century stands as one of the important movements that challenged, protested and, to a major extent, succeeded in unseating the social supremacy of the upper strata of the society. However, this tradition of egalitarian ideals is waning away from the followers of the Lingayat movement. It is observed that the superficial practices among the many followers of this movement do not have philosophical sanctity. These practices make the followers of the Lingayat movement almost a prototype of Hindu orthodoxy and question their claims of being different. Contradictions and confusion, in the understanding of the community's ideals by the followers, may put the community in a sort of cultural crisis. The state of practice of ideals among the followers could be understood in terms of their assertions of caste and sub-caste identity; the demand for a separate religious identity on the basis of unique cultural beliefs; and confusing and contradictory political orientations.