How Karnataka’s medieval Lingayats challenged caste, oppression of women & toppled empires

Because medieval Indians didn’t have Constitutions or courts to guarantee their rights, they sang to the gods. And when many people were singing to the gods—potters, weavers, cowherds, cleaners, watchmen—they sometimes sparked off a revolution.

Today in Thinking Medieval, Anirudh Kanisetti explains the origins of the Lingayats or Virashaivas. Today one of Karnataka’s most powerful voting blocs, they began as a 12th century movement that battled caste proscriptions; promoted women’s agency; and worshipped the god Shiva with meat, onion curries and other dietary no-nos.

Historical Note: Harihara does not actually refer to the Lingayat community by their present-day name, or even as Virashaivas. He prefers the more amorphous term sharana, which in his usage approximates “saint”. For ease of watching, “Lingayat” in this video generally refers to the medieval sharana community and not to the present-day Lingayat social group.

Sources:
Ben-Herut, Gil. Śiva's saints: the origins of devotion in Kannada according to Harihara's Ragaḷegaḷu. Oxford University Press, 2018.
Chandra Shobhi, Prithvi Datta. "Kalyāṇa is Wrecked: The Remaking of a Medieval Capital in Popular Imagination." South Asian Studies 32, no. 1 (2016): 90-98.
Ramanujan, Attipat Krishnaswami, ed. Speaking of Śiva. Penguin, 1973.
Shivaprasad, HS. I keep vigil of Rudra: The Vachanas. Penguin UK, 2010.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exclusive content, special privileges & more – Subscribe to ThePrint for Special benefits: https://theprint.in/subscribe/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connect with ThePrint
» Subscribe to ThePrint: https://theprint.in/subscribe/
» Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3nCMpht
» Like us on Facebook:   / theprintindia  
» Tweet us on Twitter:   / theprintindia  
» Follow us on Instagram:   / theprintindia  
» Find us on LinkedIn :   / theprint  
» Subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram: https://t.me/ThePrintIndia
» Find us on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2NMVlnB
» Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pEOta8