Bidar: The demand for independent religion status for Lingayats once again gathered new momentum on Wednesday, July 19 when lakhs of people belonging to Lingayat community took to the streets in Bidar.
About two lakh people arrived from different parts of the State to gather at the Nehru Stadium and marched though the major streets of the city raising slogans demanding independent status for Lingayats.
Their anger was not just against those who projected Lingayat community as an integral part of Hinduism but also those who argued Lingayat and Veerashaiva were one and the same.
The heads of the different Lingayat mutts who arrived from different parts of the country to participate in the agitation invariably asserted that Lingayats had been neither part of the Hindu religion nor were a synonym for the Veerashaiva sect.
“There are two main religious streams in Hinduism — Shaivas and Vaishnavas. Veerashaiva is one among the seven sects of Shaivas. Both Shaivas and Vaishnavas uphold Vedas, Agamas, Shastras and Puranas and follow the Vedic religious practices. However, Lingayat religion founded by Basaveshwara vehemently opposed them,” they said.
Shivalinga Shivacharya, a Lingayat swamy from Maharashtra, expressed anger against successive governments for not recognising Lingayat religion even though it is an independent one.
He stressed the need for a consistent and coordinated struggle to get independent status for their community.
“Lingayats are spread across Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and other States. Historically, ours is an independent religion founded by Basaveshwara in the 12th century. It has never been a part of Hinduism. Contrarily, it fought Hinduism,” he said.
Basavalinga Pattadadevaru of Bhalki Hiremath called upon Lingayats not to use Veerashaiva term to identify themselves.
Panchamasali Jagadguru of Koodalasangama Mutt blamed the “followers of Manu” for suppressing the voices of Lingayats for an independent religion status. “The new wave of agitation has now begun from the land of Basaveshwara. We shall not stop until we get the status of independent religion. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should immediately send a recommendation on this,” he said.
The community leaders and heads of Lingayat mutts dismissed the fact that the Veerashaiva Mahasabha was representative of Lingayats and said that it only represented Veerashaivas. They said that there are 71 sub-sects within Lingayat “religion”.
A memorandum, addressed to the Chief Minister, was submitted to the office of Deputy Commissioner. The community leaders, in the memorandum, asked the government not to issue caste certificate as Veerashaiva Lingayat to Lingayat community members and recommend that the Union government recognise Lingayat as an independent religion.
Over a dozen swamijis of different Lingayat mutts, including Mate Mahadevi of Koodalasangama Basava Dharmapeetha, Shivananda Swamy of Hulasuru Mutt, Basavalinga Swamy of Mrutyunjaya Mutt in Maharashtra, Shanmukha Swamy of Kalaburagi Kaulaga Viraktha Mutt, Revanasidda Swamy of Dharwad, Mate Daneshwari of Chitradurga, Sangameshwara Swamy of Basavakalyan, Prabhulinga Swamy of Hyderabad and Channabasavananda Swamy of New Delhi, participated.
Source: The Hindu