Basavanna, our role model on rejecting caste
Had HfHR existed in the 12th century, Basavanna would surely have been our leader, mentor, or an Advisory Board member!
A depiction of Basavanna’s ‘Anubhava Mantapa’, where people of all castes joined to discuss and debate issues close to their hearts
As part of our progressive Hindu Heritage Month, we bring you the amazing story of twelfth century social reformer and poet, Basavanna, who rebelled against the Brahmanical establishment and defied the traditions of the day by bringing people of all castes under his Anubhava Mantapa (a debating society if you will). He also gave equal status to women in his movement and did the most unthinkable: arrange an inter-caste marriage in defiance of the ruling class.
He and his followers faced deadly consequence as a result.
We bring you Basavanna’s inspiring story from three perspectives: from the Late Gauri Lankesh, a left intellectual and journalist; Huchangi Prasad, an up and coming Dalit Kannada poet, and Githa Hariharan, a well-known scholar.
In our humble way, we at HfHR see our work on caste as a continuation of Basavanna’s legacy.
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Basavanna: India’s First Free Thinker
By: Late Gauri Lankesh, Bangalore Mirror, May 9, 2016
Born into a Brahmin family, Basavanna was taught the Vedas, Shastras and the Upanishads. But he rejected both his caste and its scriptures and said that the spiritual experience of the labouring classes would be the well-spring of his social movement. In fact, most of the things that Basavanna did was to turn Brahminical beliefs on its head.
Basavanna founded the Anubhava Mantapa (hall of spiritual experience) where people of all segments — be he a cobbler or she a sex worker — could articulate their thoughts. In his times, women were not only considered 'second class', they were also denied the right to offer worship. Basavanna, however, gave women equal status in his movement. In order to take the social movement closer to the people, Basavanna and all the other Sharanas voiced their concerns in simple Kannada so that even lay people could comprehend them. Basavanna asked everyone to not only share their lived experiences, but to also share the fruits of their labour. This had a two pronged purpose. Sharing the fruits of their labour and participating in community dining encouraged a feeling of kinship overcoming caste and class barriers.
Basavanna was clearly way ahead of his times. When there existed great discrimination on the basis of caste, gender and class, Basavanna and his contemporary Sharanas strived for an egalitarian society. When blind faith was the order of the day, they spoke about rationalism. When feudalism was the accepted structure of society, they spoke about a shared existence. No wonder, Basavanna is considered by many as India's 'First Free Thinker'.
Basavanna had said, "Things standing shall fall, but the moving ever shall stay.'' It is disheartening to note that today his supposed followers [The Lingayats] are doing their very best to destroy both Basavanna and his philosophy. Because they are celebrating Basavanna in the static form of busts and statues while simultaneously ignoring his teachings. It's not enough to celebrate Basavanna's birth anniversary. The ideals of the revolutionary Sharana movement should be propagated. Because those ideals are very similar to the resolve we have made in the preamble of our constitution: to make India a sovereign, socialist, secular and a democratic republic.
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Basavanna – A Man Who Rebelled Against Sanatana Tradition
By: Huchangi Prasad, NewsClick, 06 Jun 2019
The sharana movement encouraged equality, brotherhood and free thinking. It was revolutionary: people of the working class got together to fight for equality, and against inhuman caste and gender discrimination. They created awareness about superstition by propagating reason. Most of all, the mass movement created by Basavanna and aimed at the root of exploitation by opposing the sanatana traditions of the Brahmins.
Basavanna was, perhaps, the first person in the world who wrote about the novel and revolutionary idea that work is worship. He organized people from the lowest strata of the society to realise this worthy objective. This leader of the working class became a saviour of the people who had been suffering for centuries. He worked hard to spread the concept of one God. He emphasized the importance of education and insisted on gender equality.
To the orthodox Brahmins who said a person was born untouchable because of the karma of the sins committed in previous births, Basavanna said, “Look at the houses of the poor, all the sharanas of Koodala Sangama are champions of self-respect.” This is how he motivated the exploited to strive for self-respect. Basavanna was a pioneer in making people aware of political consciousness, and ideas like equality and freedom.
Again, the sharana movement has a lesson for us about freedom of expression – at a time when free speech and dissent are being curbed. Basavanna built an Anubhava Mantapa, a platform to express views without caste and gender prejudice. Basavanna handed over leadership to the oppressed castes. The Anubhava Mantapa consisted of 770 sharanas, something like the first parliament in the world. Allama Prabhu, a dalit, propagated the philosophy ‘attainment of nothingness’ was like the Speaker of this parliament, which included women saints such as Akkamahadevi, Gangambike, Neelambike, Sule Sankavva [a prostitute], Dhanamma, Kalyanavva and Aydakki Lakkamma [rice gleaner], and others such as Dohara Kakkayya [‘lowest caste’], Ajaganna, Kurubara Bommanna [Shepherd], Holeyara Boganna [a dalit] and Madhuvarasa [a brahmin]. All of them, women and men, participated in the discussions on the welfare of the people.
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An anti-caste rationalist, Basava is being appropriated by those whose ideals are opposed to his.
By: Githa Hariharan, The Scroll, Apr 24, 2018
His egalitarian beliefs inspired the murdered scholar MM Kalburgi. But the founder of Lingayatism is being claimed by multiple political parties.
If the reformer and poet Basava were alive today, we would call him an activist, or even a radical. Back in the twelfth century, when he spearheaded a movement in Karnataka, this is how he described the plethora of demanding gods who keep common people in their thrall:
Certain gods
always stand watch
at the doors of people.
Some will not go if you ask them to go.
Worse than dogs, some others.
What can they give,
these gods,
who live off the charity of people
O lord of the meeting rivers?
Basava did not merely mouth platitudes against caste oppression. Just as he ate with the lower castes and welcomed them into his movement, he insinuated himself into the lineage of those considered inferior by the orthodox. Basava may have been born a Brahmin; but he shed the sacred thread, the agrahara culture of the Brahmins, the priests and temple culture. He became a child of butchers, water-carriers, fodder-gatherers. He became a child of the lower castes, of the lowest “untouchables”. This is how he made himself human.
The son of the slave in Untouchable Channayya’s house,
The daughter of the maid in Butcher Kakkayya’s house.
Those two went to the fields to gather dung
and fell in love.
I’m the son born of these two;
the lord of the meeting rivers is my witness.
Many sharanas other than Basava became leaders in different ways. All of them had to face, of course, stiff opposition from priests, Brahmins, the rich, and finally the king himself. The crisis came when an inter-caste marriage took place, between the daughter of a Brahmin and the son of a cobbler. Then king, city, Basava, the movement – all collapsed into anarchy. The king was assassinated; Basava driven out of the city. Many sharanas were slaughtered. Vachana manuscripts were seized and burnt.
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Names and occupation of some of the Sharanas who may have been in the Anubhava Mantapa:
Allama Prabhu, A Drummer; Molagi Marayya, A woodcutter & seller; Madivala Machideva, A Washerman; Dohar Kakkayya, A hide and skins-worker; Madaar Channayya, A cobbler; Chikkayya, A Mahar; Hadapad Rechanna, A Barber, Kinnari Bommayya, A musician, Nuliya Chandayya, A rope-maker; Aidakki Marayya, A picker of grains;.Amugi Devayya, A tailor; Vokkal Mudayya, A peasant; Turugahi Ramanna, A cowherd; Bahurupi Choudayya, An Entertainer; Medar Ketayya, A basket-maker; Ambigar Choudayya, A boatman; Dhakkad Bommanna, A War-trumpet blower; Ketar Sangayya, A robber; Kannappa, An oil pressman and seller; Sanganna, A doctor (a herbal medicine man); Haralayya, A leather worker, Somayya, A gardener; Kankad Nachayya, A Goldsmith; Madhuvarasa, A minister; Shivadevaru, A trader; Kaderi Remavve, A weaver; Ratnada Rachayya, A jeweller.
