Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Kuruba Lingayats

It's a know fact that the Kuruba Gowdas are the original inhabitants of Karnataka from which other communities branched out. The history, costumes and traditions of Kuruba Gowdas and Halumatha goes back to many thousands of years back. The earliest inscriptions and antiquities found in Karnataka confirm this very fact. I have mentioned in my previous blogs how different communities branched out of the core group of Halumatha, of which only Kuruba Gowdas are retaining the ancient costumes and traditions.

Lingayats of Karnataka make a major chunk of the population, about 15%. But there was no community called as lingayath before the 12th century. The great social reformer Basavanna started the reformation movement wherein he tried to create a caste less community. Basavanna himself was a Brahmin, but his followers were mainly from the lower strata of the time, many people became his followers and adopted Lingayathism. These people included majority from the untouchable group, Basavanna worked relentlessly to uplift them and bring them to the main stream of the society.

Many people belonging to the Halumatha community also became his followers and adopted Lingayathism as their religion. Some of the sub sated of the present Lingayats who are from the Kuruba Gowda community are -
1) Nonaba(ನೊಣಬ) Lingayats - they belonged to the Nolamba Kula(ನೊಳಂಬ ಕುಲ) of the Halumatha Kuruba community, Nolamba eventually became Nonaba.
2) Sada(ಸಾದ) Lingayat - belonged to the Halumatha Sada Kula(ಸಾದ ಕುಲ).
3) Reddy(ರಡ್ಡಿ) Lingayat - they belonged to the Ratta Kula(ರಟ್ಟ ಕುಲ) of Halumatha which eventually became Ratta to Radda to Reddy.

It is a known fact and an open secret that vast majority of today's Lingayats have Kuruba ancestry. 

http://www.prajavani.net/article/ಹಾಲುಮತ-ಕುರುಬ-ಮತ್ತು-ಲಿಂಗವಂತ

21 comments:

  1. yes doctor ur right , that majority of the lingayath community have their ancestors from halumata ! no doubt , nobody argue on this point of yours ! u said it mr. vikram. keep on keep going .

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    1. What is the difference between a Kuruba and Lingayath Kuruba?

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    7. There are Kuruba Lingayats also. Also, one should recall the contributions of Revana Siddheshwara and Siddharameshwara, the great pontinffs who belonged to Kuruba caste and then also guided the Lingayat Community. Also, Allama Prabhu has said "Kuruba huttuva munna kulavilla gotravilla ..."

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    8. ಇಲ್ಲ ನೊಳಂಬರು ಅವರು ವೀರಶೈವರು ಮೂಲಾ ಒಕ್ಕಲಿಗರು ಹಾಗೆ ರೆಡ್ಡಿಗಳು ಒಕ್ಕಲಿಗರು ಲಿಂಗಾಯಿತರಲ್ಲೂ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ ಕೂಡ ಒಕ್ಕಲಿಗರು ಜೈನರಲಿ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ ಲಿಂಗಾಯಿತರಲು ಇದ್ದಾರೆ ಹಾಗೆ 65ಲಕ್ಷ ಒಕ್ಕಲಿಗ ಲಿಂಗಾಯಿತರು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಸಮಾಜ ಇದರಲ್ಲಿದೆ ಹಾಗೆ ಒಕ್ಕಲಿಗ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಪಂಗಡ ಗಳು ವೀರಶೈವರೂ ಲಿಂಗಾಯಿತರು ಜೈನರಲ್ಲಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಜನಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ ,ಹಿಂಸೆಯನ್ನು ವಿರೋಧ ಮಾಡಿ ಅಹಿಂಸೆ ಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ಅಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ

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  2. Essentially both of them are same, it's just a name difference across different regions

    lingayat matrimony matchfinder

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  3. Lingayat term may be coined from basavanna but basavanna followed veerashaiva dharma which is ancient and follows shakti vishishtadwaita philosophy started by Jagadguru Renukacharya. Renukacharya is one among the 4 acharyas (shankara, madhwa, ramanuja, Renuka). Veerashaiva dates back to ancient times which is true lingayat

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    1. Its wrong Mahatma Basavanna started the new Lingayat Religion for all castes he break castism in12 century

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    2. There is nothing called four great acharyas. Within Hindu Vedantic thoughts there are only trimathacharyas -Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhwa.
      In fact even Nimbarkacharya, Bhaskaracharya who also have commented on the Vedanta using the Vedic Pramanas are also not not counted among the Trimathacharyas to extend the tri to pancha.

      Jagadguru Revanasiddheshwara is a great teacher of Kurubas and initiated the Wodeyar clan of the Kurubas

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  4. Authentic reference books plz..

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  5. The word Lingayath is a portmanteau of two Sanksrit words Linga = Shiva and Arjayati (Ayathaha) = to earn/receive (ಸಂಪಾದಿಸು/ಪಡೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳು). Hence Lingayath is one who has earned/received the Linga through dheekshe. Basaveshwara was a progressive thinker and so he rebelled against the Vedic culture in which he was born (i.e., Brahmin). But he was impressed with the Veerashaiva religion existing during those times and gave up his janivara and earned (dheekshe) from a Veerashaiva guru and started practicing it. Since he was a progressive thinker and revolutionary, he propagated Veerashaivism and hence people from different castes (like Ganiga, Kuruba, Banajiga, Kumbar, Shimpi, Reddy etc.) impressed by his teachings embraced Veerashaivism but were called Lingayath because they earned/received (Arjayati) a Linga.

    One of the many evidences to prove that Veerashaivism existed even before Basaveshwara is the fact of appointment of Veerashaivas as the chief priests by His Holiness Adi Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya at Kedarnath, Uttarakhand (one of the 12 Dwadasha Jyotirlingas established by His Holiness Sri Adi Shankaracharya). Another Dwadasha Jyotirlinga where Veerashaivas are the chief priests is the Srishailam (Andhra Pradesh). His Holiness Sri Adi Shankaracharya existed around 700 AD and His Holiness Sri Adi Shankaracharya has written a Will (which is available in Kedarnath even today in the form of copper plates) in which he has clearly stated that ‘Veera Maheshwaras’ (Veerashaivas were referred to as Veera Maheshwaras during ancient times) from Karnataka should be the chief priests at Kedarnath. Accordingly since then, till today Veerashaiva Jangamas are the chief priests at the two principal Dwadasha Jyotirlingas i.e., Kedarnath & Srishailam. Therefore Veerashaiva dates back to the times of His Holiness Adi Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya Guruji or maybe even earlier.

    Whatever the history may be, let us forget the differences between us. Nobody is superior, nobody is inferior. ನಾವೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಒಂದೇ ತಾಯಿಯ ಮಕ್ಕಳಂತೆ ಬದುಕೋಣ.

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    1. What! I really don't know where you people are learning this! Who said Shankaracharya propounded Veerashaivism? And Who said 12 Jyotirlingas were established by Shankaracharya? Which Scripture mentions it? Where has Shankaracharya written agreement? Have you seen it? Who has seen it? Please don't show me Whatsapp and Facebook messages or websites.
      Please do study before saying anything. I agree that there is no inferior, no superior. The vedas themselves are saying it: "Ajyesthaso akanishtasa.."(Rigveda) And of course many rishis of the vedas were not brahmins by birth. And there was Varna system no caste system.

      There was a person called Shankaracharya, the first Shankaracharya, who wrote commentary on the Vedanta Sutras, Upanishads and Bhagavad Geeta. In his commentary he has very strictly condemned the Shaivism, Shaktism, Kshapanakas, Ganapatyas, Vaishnavism, Pashupatas etc... along with Nyaya, Vaisheshika.

      Confusions arise because every pontiff of the Four Shankara Peethas call themselves as Shankaracharya. First Shankaracharya, Second Shankaracharya, etc...in their mutt parampara.

      But please read Vedanta Bhashya of Shankaracharya yourself you will know it. The so called Kanakadhara stotra, Shiva stotras, Govinda Bhajans were not written by Adi Shankaracharya but some other Shankaracharya.

      During the times of Shankaracharya, the Shaiva, Shakta, Vaishnavites, Ganapatyas were slowly rising.
      Ganapatyas are nowhere to be seen now except that Brahma Vaivarta Purana mentions Ganesha as Supreme Lord. Of coure, All the puranas are false and spread later after Shankarcharya died.

      Gaudapada was a brahmin and teacher of Govinda Bhagavatpada. Gaudapada wrote gaudapada karika which is a bhashya on Mandukya Upanishad. And Govinda Bhagavadpada was the teacher of Shankaracharya.

      Gaudapada had huge respects for the Buddha. Therefore, in his Upanishad Bhashya he has used several names and titles attributed to the Buddha and showed great respect. The names such as Dvipadamvara, Deva-manava-Guru etc... are written as it is. (Dvipadamvara= One who is best of the humans, best of the enlightened ones). Deva-manava guru= The teacher of the devas and humans. Means teacher of teachers. In sanskrit, Deva=teachers or spiritually enligtened ones. Vidvaamso hi devaah).

      Commenting on the Vedanta sutras, Shankara rejected the shunyavaada of Buddhism. Infact, Shunyavaada was not a part of the teaching of the Buddha at all. But there were few Buddhists who were following the Shunyavaada.

      The so called Shaivism, Vaishnavism, shaaktism, Gaanapatya, Kapaalika, Jainism etc... were newly arising. And Shankaracharya wrote against all of these beliefs.
      Unfortunately, the same Shankaracharya who rejected Shaivism in his bhashya, now his followers invented stories that Shankara himself as the avatar of Shiva.

      Shankara argued for Advaita Philosophy and gave the concept of Maayavaada and attributed it to the Avidya and said Brahma alone is the only self-existing one and all these worlds are Vyaavarika satya but they are not real. He placed much importance on the four vakyas of Upanishads such has Aham Brahmasmi, Sohamasmi, Tattvamasi, ayam atmaa Brahma.
      But, Avidya giving rise to Consciousness was already said by the Buddha. And Shankara in opposite to Shunyavaada, placed Brahma in its Place.

      And therefore Padma Purana calls Shankaracharya as Prachanna Bauddha. Means, Shankara only propagated Buddhism but used only the name of Brahma of the Vedas.
      Two people who belonged to some Kaapilika or some other religion(I don't wish to name) could not bear the arguments of Shankaracharya against them. But, Shankaracharya was already famous. So, they planned to kill Shankara. They came near Shankara and said "We want to become your students". And slowly included Poison in Shankara's food. As a result, Shankara suffered from huge pain in his stomach and died.

      Slowly the followers of Shankara started assimilating Shaivism, Vaishnavism etc... due to the influence of people. And started Bhasma, Vibhuti, Maaladharana etc...

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  6. Wodeyar of kurubas established veerashaiva. Intially panchpeeths belonged to kuruba community

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  7. Veeraahaivas have a rich History dating back to Ramayana and Mahabharata times.It is one of the oldest tradition that has remained intact in India.There were around 64 Shiva Temples as described in Shiva Maha Purana.In Ramayana Bhagwan Sri Rama has described about Maha Pashupata sect.There are innumerable references about antiquity of Veerashaiva Dharma.Veerashaiva does not oppose Vedas.Please read Sri Shakti vishishtadvait written by SRI SRI SRI 1008 Jagadguru Dr.Chandrashekara Shivacharya.

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    1. Yes veerasaiva available in ancient era but it is part of sapta seven saivas and veerasaiva also have differentiate itself like mishra veerasaiva, shuddha veerasaiva, samanya veerasaiva, bharsaiva etc etc.... Veerasaiva not for common man religion that time there are also subsection.... If renukachary available in that era so ehy agastya muni not wear ishtlinga ? Why Ramayana geeta not told single word about renukachary?? Actually in 12 century Mahatma Basavanna create Lingayat Religion and thier followers started call veerasaiva also not mishra virasaiva, shuddha veerasaiva etc and for long process of diksha. Basavanna invent very simpe method for diksha and give Lingayat Religion for all low caste or upper caste only one Lingayat Religion with independent philosophy.

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    2. What? Where is it in Mahabharata or ramayana?
      When did Rama propagate Veerashaivism?
      Can you add the shlokas from Ramayana that supports your belief?
      Just because some person has written anything does not mean one should take it all.
      While coming back from Lanka, Rama shows the place where he meditated on Mahadeva. Not even establishment or idols are mentioned in Ramayana.

      Why should anyone oppose Vedas?
      Vedas are talking about equality of all. "Ajyeshtaso Akanishtasa ete (Rigveda), "na tasya pratima asti"(Yajurveda), No image or idol exists of the Lord.
      The so called mutt sampradaya started from Brahmins.

      There is no mutt samskruti in Vedas. Every person could become anything and do any profession.

      Please Read Satyarth Prakash of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati if you want to know the true history of Puranas.
      The Shiva Purana, Vishnu Purana etc... are against the Vedas. Because they propagate Idol Worships, Caste system etc...
      Raja Bhoja had ordered for the chopping of the hands of the writer of Shiva Purana. Because, the writer had attached name of Vyasa to it instead of his name. Unfortunately, those books still exist. And are full of contradictions and Stories.

      Read "Satyarth Prakash". It is available in nearly all languages. Authored by Dayanand Saraswati. It mentions the flaws of the Puranas as well as shows the true Vedic Philosophy.
      Sudhakar Chaturvedi has translated it into Kannada so beautifully. Sudhakar Chaturvedi lived for 123 years and he propagated Casteless society.

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    3. Later Ramayana such as that authored by Tulsidas and others have added so many stories to Ramayana. But, there is no evidence for your words in Moola Ramayana.

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