Orthodoxy, Reform, and Protest: Brahmanas and Virashaivism

Abstract

This paper attempts to analyze the debate between the scholars concerning the nature of Virashaivism. While one category of scholars characterizes Virashaivism as anti-Brahmanical and anti-Vedic, another category of historians of religion realized the proximity of Virashaivism, at least the initial phase of its growth, with Brahmanical religion. This paper supports the contention that Virashaivism exhibited the features of a reform movement before emerging as a protest sect. In fact, the Brahmanas played an important role in the annihilation of Jainism in the earlier phase of the growth of Virashaivism even though its second phase of progress under the leaders such as Basavanna represented the anti-Brahmanical and anti-caste tendencies. The study will further substantiate this argument through the study of the Kannada text Abbaluru Charite, which narrates the achievements of Ekantada Ramayya, a Brahmana leader of Virashaivism. It is shown that the Abbaluru Charite is useful to study the role of the Brahmanas in the emergence of Virashaivism. The major concern of the Brahmanas was to compete with the Jainas to obtain royal patronage and popular support.