Lingayat Vani community ( marathi: लिंगायत वाणी) is located mostly in Maharashtra and North Karnataka region and belongs to the Veershaiva (or Virashaiva/ Lingayat) sect of Hinduism, so they are also referred to as Lingayat Vani or VeerShaiva Lingayat Vani. The name Vani is derived from the Sanskrit word Vanijya which means trade.
They rejected the custodial hold of Brahmins over Vedas and shastras but did not outright reject the Vedic knowledge. They worship all gods and believe them to be a form of Shiva only. [1] [2]
Lingayat Vani belong to the upper caste and therefore are strict vegetarians. Devout Lingayats do not consume meat of any kind including fish. The drinking of liquor is prohibited. [3]
History
They were merchants, traders, agriculturists and Zamidars and some were also Jagirdars before the 19th century. They were given the titles of Appa, Rao, Deshmukh or Patil. [4] They were rich and also used to keep weapons like sword, guns etc.
Vijaynagar Empire
The Lingayats likely were a part of the reason for the success of the Vijaynagar empire in territorial expansion and in withstanding the Deccan Sultanate wars. Many kings were veerashaiva in faith and belonged to the Karnataka and Lepakshi region. [5] They were an important part of the Vijayanagara Empire army.
They fought the Bijapur Sultans, and the Virasaiva leader SadasivaAppa Nayaka played a key role in leading the capture of Sultanate fortress such as at Kalaburagi. This success led to Nayaka being appointed as the governor of the coastal Karnataka Kanara region. This emerged as a Lingayat dynasty, called the Nayakas of Keladi. [6]
Virasaivas merchants turned warriors of the Vijayanagara empire defeated the Deccan Sultanates in the Lepakshi region (Karnataka-Maharashtra-Andhra Pradesh border region). After the collapse of the Vijayanagara empire, the Lingayat Keladi/Ikkeri dynasty ruled coastal Karnataka. [7]
Lingayat Desais and The Marathas
The founders of the family of the Lingayat Desais of Kittoor are said to have been two brothers of the name of Haraimullappa and Chickmullappa, merchants by profession, who resided at Sumpgaum.This suggests the Desais would have been equivalent to Lingayat Vanis in social manner. By some means or other the family seems to have risen to distinction under the Kings of Bijapur, from whom it received the title of "Sumsher Jung Bahadoor", together with the more substantial favours of sundry inams and offices in and about Kittoor. [8] [9]
Bajirao Sarkar Peshwa remembered with gratitude the help and co-operation extended to them by Raja Mallasarja in defeating Tippu Sultan of Srirangapattana in 1781. Mallasarja showed extra-ordinary cleverness in escaping from the prison of Kapaladurga. Besides he was a very able administrator of his kingdom. In recognition of his valour, cleverness and ability Bajirao conferred the title of 'Pratap Rao' on Raja Mallasarja. [10]
Festivals and Gods
| Virabhadra | |
|---|---|
 Virabhadra and Daksha | |
| Other names |
|
| Affiliation | Shiva |
| Abode | Mount Kailash |
| Planet | Angaraka (Mars) |
| Mantra |
|
| Weapon | Trident, sword, arrow, discus, conch, spear, staff, thunderbolt, two varieties of shields, bow, noose, goad, axe, and club. |
| Day | Tuesday |
| Mount | |
| Texts | Shiva Purana |
| Festivals | |
| Consort | Bhadrakali |
Their chief clan gotras are Nandi and Vir(or Veera or veerabhadra). They worship lord Virabhadra or narsimha as their kula devata and some have Bhadrakali, Bhavani mata or Satvai mata as their kul devi. [11]
They believe to be originated from Shiva's Jats and therefore worship lord virabhadra as their ancestral god. They believe in having qualities of a Bhrahman, Kshatriya and vasihyas and neglect discrimination(same was the purpose of virabhadra to kill daksha). [12] [13] Lingayat vanis from nanded worship virabhadra of Mukhed as their kul daivat and the priest is usually from the lingayat vani caste only. [14] They carry surnames like Deshmukh, Devane, Desai, Nandedkar, Eklare, Rao, Bagmare, Dongre, Falke, Naik, Umre, Nandkule etc. [15]
Many Lingayat rulers had Lord Virabhadra as their family deity and special lunches used to be prepared. [16] Many of then warriors having heroic slogans of "Jai Veerbhadra", repeatedy hacking and pierching enemies. [17] Lingayat Vani marriages have a Gugul Ceremony in which special prayers are offered to Lord Ganesha and Lord Virbhadra. It is performed by the bride or bridegroom and their mothers. [18]
They are widely distributed in the western Maharashtra(konkan, pune, kohlapur) and eastern Maharashtra- marathwada region( Parbhani, Nanded,Latur, udgir,Yeotmal and ahmednagar) and the north karnataka region.
They speak marathi and some also speak kannada(north karanataka region).Lingayats traditionally believed themselves to be equal in status to Brahmins, and some orthodox Lingayats were so anti-Brahmin that they would not eat food cooked or handled by Brahmins. [19]
Freedom Struggle
Bhakti Movement
Lingayatism is known for its unique practice of Ishtalinga worship, where adherents carry a personal linga in a silver box necklace, symbolizing a constant intimate relationship with Shiva. A radical feature of Lingayatism is its staunch opposition to the caste system and advocacy for social equality, challenging societal norms of the time. [20]
Hyderabad Liberation
They were involved in the liberation of Hyderabad state from nizams and helped in the process internally. There were freedom fighters from latur, namely Bhimrao Mulkhede, Laxman tuljaram devane, datta raghoba Devane, who actively participated in the liberation struggle of Hyderabad. [21] Whereas in Nanded region, VishvanathRao appa, Hanmantappa Devane killed nizam saudagar(local headman appointed by nizams in every village) and looted local British banks creating more chaos for the nizams internally. The mundaragi camp headed by sivamurthy swami hiremath and chenappa wali succeeded in protecting victims of razakaars and also attacked razakars creating a necessary internal chaos and defeat of princely state of Hyderabad. [22] [23]
Modern Period
From 1918 to 1969, Lingayats were seen to dominate in the freedom struggle movement, and later in the Congress party. From 1956 to 1969, Congress had four chief ministers who were lingayats(S. Nijalingappa, BD Jatti, SR Kanthi and Veerendra Patil). After that its Hindutva ideology lead the community to support BJP extensively [24]
References
- ^ Prasad, Leela (2007). Poetics of conduct: oral narrative and moral being in a South Indian town. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-13920-5. OCLC 69734509.
- ^ Siva's Warriors: The Basava Purana of Palkuriki Somanatha. Princeton University Press. July 2014. ISBN 978-0691604879.
- ^ Ishwaran, Karigoudar (1983). Religion and Society Among the Lingayats of South India. E.J. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-06919-0.
- ^ Provinces (India), Central (1908). Central Provinces District Gazetteers. Printed at the Pioneer Press.
- ^ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ka'nara (2 pts.). Government Central Press. 1883.
- ^ Kudva, Venkataraya Narayan (1972). History of the Dakshinatya Saraswats. Samyukta Gowda Saraswata Sabha.
- ^ Stein, Burton (1990). The New Cambridge History of India: Vijayanagara. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-26693-2.
- ^ A Memoir of the States of the Southern Maratha Country. Government at the Education Society's Press. 1869.
- ^ Shintri, Sarojini (1983). Women Freedom Fighters in Karnataka. Prasaranga, Karnatak University.
- ^ Naikar, Basavaraj (2016-10-17). The Queen of Kittur: A Historical Novel. Partridge Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4828-8619-1.
- ^ Campbell, James MacNabb (2024-01-16). Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Vol. XX. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-385-31583-9.
- ^ गुरु, श्रीभागवतानंद (2021-11-26). अमृत वचन: Amrit Vachan (in Hindi). Shri Bhagavatananda Guru.
- ^ Civarāman̲, Akilā (2006). sri kandha puranam (english). GIRI Trading Agency Private. ISBN 978-81-7950-397-3.
- ^ Parāñjape, Tārābāī (1985). Sīmā pradeśātīla bhāvagaṅgā (in Marathi). Marāṭhī Sāhitya Parishada, Āndhra Pradeśa.
- ^ Singh, K. S. (1996). Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-0-19-563357-3.
- ^ Naikar, Basavaraj S. (2001). The Rebellious Rani of Belavadi and Other Stories. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-81-269-0127-2.
- ^ Naikar, Basavaraj S. (2001). The Rebellious Rani of Belavadi and Other Stories. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-81-269-0127-2.
- ^ "Customs and Rituals to Expect at Lingayat Weddings". Tumblr. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
- ^ Srinivas, M. N. (1956). "A Note on Sanskritization and Westernization". The Far Eastern Quarterly. 15 (4): 481–496. doi: 10.2307/2941919. ISSN 0363-6917. JSTOR 2941919.
- ^ Schouten, J. P. (1995). Revolution of the mystics: On the Social Aspects of Vīraśaivism. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
- ^ Mahotsav, Amrit. "Pandurang Laxman Indrale". Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ Svātantrya sainika caritra kośa (in Marathi). Bhāratīya Svātantrya Āndolana Itihāsa Samitī. 1971.
- ^ Patil, Shankaragouda Hanamantagouda (2002). Community Dominance and Political Modernisation: The Lingayats. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-867-9.
- ^ "From independence movement to Karnataka elections 2023: Understanding the role of Lingayats". India Today. 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
Lingayat Vani community ( marathi: लिंगायत वाणी) is located mostly in Maharashtra and North Karnataka region and belongs to the Veershaiva (or Virashaiva/ Lingayat) sect of Hinduism, so they are also referred to as Lingayat Vani or VeerShaiva Lingayat Vani. The name Vani is derived from the Sanskrit word Vanijya which means trade.
They rejected the custodial hold of Brahmins over Vedas and shastras but did not outright reject the Vedic knowledge. They worship all gods and believe them to be a form of Shiva only. [1] [2]
Lingayat Vani belong to the upper caste and therefore are strict vegetarians. Devout Lingayats do not consume meat of any kind including fish. The drinking of liquor is prohibited. [3]
History
They were merchants, traders, agriculturists and Zamidars and some were also Jagirdars before the 19th century. They were given the titles of Appa, Rao, Deshmukh or Patil. [4] They were rich and also used to keep weapons like sword, guns etc.
Vijaynagar Empire
The Lingayats likely were a part of the reason for the success of the Vijaynagar empire in territorial expansion and in withstanding the Deccan Sultanate wars. Many kings were veerashaiva in faith and belonged to the Karnataka and Lepakshi region. [5] They were an important part of the Vijayanagara Empire army.
They fought the Bijapur Sultans, and the Virasaiva leader SadasivaAppa Nayaka played a key role in leading the capture of Sultanate fortress such as at Kalaburagi. This success led to Nayaka being appointed as the governor of the coastal Karnataka Kanara region. This emerged as a Lingayat dynasty, called the Nayakas of Keladi. [6]
Virasaivas merchants turned warriors of the Vijayanagara empire defeated the Deccan Sultanates in the Lepakshi region (Karnataka-Maharashtra-Andhra Pradesh border region). After the collapse of the Vijayanagara empire, the Lingayat Keladi/Ikkeri dynasty ruled coastal Karnataka. [7]
Lingayat Desais and The Marathas
The founders of the family of the Lingayat Desais of Kittoor are said to have been two brothers of the name of Haraimullappa and Chickmullappa, merchants by profession, who resided at Sumpgaum.This suggests the Desais would have been equivalent to Lingayat Vanis in social manner. By some means or other the family seems to have risen to distinction under the Kings of Bijapur, from whom it received the title of "Sumsher Jung Bahadoor", together with the more substantial favours of sundry inams and offices in and about Kittoor. [8] [9]
Bajirao Sarkar Peshwa remembered with gratitude the help and co-operation extended to them by Raja Mallasarja in defeating Tippu Sultan of Srirangapattana in 1781. Mallasarja showed extra-ordinary cleverness in escaping from the prison of Kapaladurga. Besides he was a very able administrator of his kingdom. In recognition of his valour, cleverness and ability Bajirao conferred the title of 'Pratap Rao' on Raja Mallasarja. [10]
Festivals and Gods
| Virabhadra | |
|---|---|
|
Virabhadra and Daksha | |
| Other names |
|
| Affiliation | Shiva |
| Abode | Mount Kailash |
| Planet | Angaraka (Mars) |
| Mantra |
|
| Weapon | Trident, sword, arrow, discus, conch, spear, staff, thunderbolt, two varieties of shields, bow, noose, goad, axe, and club. |
| Day | Tuesday |
| Mount | |
| Texts | Shiva Purana |
| Festivals | |
| Consort | Bhadrakali |
Their chief clan gotras are Nandi and Vir(or Veera or veerabhadra). They worship lord Virabhadra or narsimha as their kula devata and some have Bhadrakali, Bhavani mata or Satvai mata as their kul devi. [11]
They believe to be originated from Shiva's Jats and therefore worship lord virabhadra as their ancestral god. They believe in having qualities of a Bhrahman, Kshatriya and vasihyas and neglect discrimination(same was the purpose of virabhadra to kill daksha). [12] [13] Lingayat vanis from nanded worship virabhadra of Mukhed as their kul daivat and the priest is usually from the lingayat vani caste only. [14] They carry surnames like Deshmukh, Devane, Desai, Nandedkar, Eklare, Rao, Bagmare, Dongre, Falke, Naik, Umre, Nandkule etc. [15]
Many Lingayat rulers had Lord Virabhadra as their family deity and special lunches used to be prepared. [16] Many of then warriors having heroic slogans of "Jai Veerbhadra", repeatedy hacking and pierching enemies. [17] Lingayat Vani marriages have a Gugul Ceremony in which special prayers are offered to Lord Ganesha and Lord Virbhadra. It is performed by the bride or bridegroom and their mothers. [18]
They are widely distributed in the western Maharashtra(konkan, pune, kohlapur) and eastern Maharashtra- marathwada region( Parbhani, Nanded,Latur, udgir,Yeotmal and ahmednagar) and the north karnataka region.
They speak marathi and some also speak kannada(north karanataka region).Lingayats traditionally believed themselves to be equal in status to Brahmins, and some orthodox Lingayats were so anti-Brahmin that they would not eat food cooked or handled by Brahmins. [19]
Freedom Struggle
Bhakti Movement
Lingayatism is known for its unique practice of Ishtalinga worship, where adherents carry a personal linga in a silver box necklace, symbolizing a constant intimate relationship with Shiva. A radical feature of Lingayatism is its staunch opposition to the caste system and advocacy for social equality, challenging societal norms of the time. [20]
Hyderabad Liberation
They were involved in the liberation of Hyderabad state from nizams and helped in the process internally. There were freedom fighters from latur, namely Bhimrao Mulkhede, Laxman tuljaram devane, datta raghoba Devane, who actively participated in the liberation struggle of Hyderabad. [21] Whereas in Nanded region, VishvanathRao appa, Hanmantappa Devane killed nizam saudagar(local headman appointed by nizams in every village) and looted local British banks creating more chaos for the nizams internally. The mundaragi camp headed by sivamurthy swami hiremath and chenappa wali succeeded in protecting victims of razakaars and also attacked razakars creating a necessary internal chaos and defeat of princely state of Hyderabad. [22] [23]
Modern Period
From 1918 to 1969, Lingayats were seen to dominate in the freedom struggle movement, and later in the Congress party. From 1956 to 1969, Congress had four chief ministers who were lingayats(S. Nijalingappa, BD Jatti, SR Kanthi and Veerendra Patil). After that its Hindutva ideology lead the community to support BJP extensively [24]
References
- ^ Prasad, Leela (2007). Poetics of conduct: oral narrative and moral being in a South Indian town. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-13920-5. OCLC 69734509.
- ^ Siva's Warriors: The Basava Purana of Palkuriki Somanatha. Princeton University Press. July 2014. ISBN 978-0691604879.
- ^ Ishwaran, Karigoudar (1983). Religion and Society Among the Lingayats of South India. E.J. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-06919-0.
- ^ Provinces (India), Central (1908). Central Provinces District Gazetteers. Printed at the Pioneer Press.
- ^ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ka'nara (2 pts.). Government Central Press. 1883.
- ^ Kudva, Venkataraya Narayan (1972). History of the Dakshinatya Saraswats. Samyukta Gowda Saraswata Sabha.
- ^ Stein, Burton (1990). The New Cambridge History of India: Vijayanagara. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-26693-2.
- ^ A Memoir of the States of the Southern Maratha Country. Government at the Education Society's Press. 1869.
- ^ Shintri, Sarojini (1983). Women Freedom Fighters in Karnataka. Prasaranga, Karnatak University.
- ^ Naikar, Basavaraj (2016-10-17). The Queen of Kittur: A Historical Novel. Partridge Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4828-8619-1.
- ^ Campbell, James MacNabb (2024-01-16). Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Vol. XX. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-385-31583-9.
- ^ गुरु, श्रीभागवतानंद (2021-11-26). अमृत वचन: Amrit Vachan (in Hindi). Shri Bhagavatananda Guru.
- ^ Civarāman̲, Akilā (2006). sri kandha puranam (english). GIRI Trading Agency Private. ISBN 978-81-7950-397-3.
- ^ Parāñjape, Tārābāī (1985). Sīmā pradeśātīla bhāvagaṅgā (in Marathi). Marāṭhī Sāhitya Parishada, Āndhra Pradeśa.
- ^ Singh, K. S. (1996). Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-0-19-563357-3.
- ^ Naikar, Basavaraj S. (2001). The Rebellious Rani of Belavadi and Other Stories. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-81-269-0127-2.
- ^ Naikar, Basavaraj S. (2001). The Rebellious Rani of Belavadi and Other Stories. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-81-269-0127-2.
- ^ "Customs and Rituals to Expect at Lingayat Weddings". Tumblr. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
- ^ Srinivas, M. N. (1956). "A Note on Sanskritization and Westernization". The Far Eastern Quarterly. 15 (4): 481–496. doi: 10.2307/2941919. ISSN 0363-6917. JSTOR 2941919.
- ^ Schouten, J. P. (1995). Revolution of the mystics: On the Social Aspects of Vīraśaivism. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
- ^ Mahotsav, Amrit. "Pandurang Laxman Indrale". Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ Svātantrya sainika caritra kośa (in Marathi). Bhāratīya Svātantrya Āndolana Itihāsa Samitī. 1971.
- ^ Patil, Shankaragouda Hanamantagouda (2002). Community Dominance and Political Modernisation: The Lingayats. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-867-9.
- ^ "From independence movement to Karnataka elections 2023: Understanding the role of Lingayats". India Today. 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2024-05-23.