Seers use 1881 Census to say Lingayat was a religion

A cohort of seers on Wednesday reiterated their demand for minority religious status for Lingayats, readying one more representation that will be submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Seers from several influential Lingayat mutts gathered for a “decisive meet” organised by Jana Samanyara Vedike-Karnataka at Basava Bhavan in the city, where it was declared that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are not the same. In fact, the seers dug out a copy of the 1881 Imperial Census of India where ‘Lingayat’ finds a mention and another 1893 publication where Veerashaiva is listed as one of the 38 sub-sects under Lingayat.

“There is a provision for the Central government to declare Lingayat as a separate and minority religion. The previous UPA government in 2014 accorded minority status to Jains under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 and National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004,” the forum said in a statement addressed to the chief minister.

Kannada actor Chetan Kumar also joined the chorus. “Let there be no doubt that Veerashaiva and Lingayat are not the same. Veerashaiva is a sanatana dharma in which discrimination on caste lines still exist, coupled with superstition and prevalence of middlemen such as priests. The followers of Basavanna do not subscribe to that,” he said. The meeting was briefly disrupted when a person in the audience took exception to Kumar’s comment on BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa.

Panchamasali Peeta seer Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami, Bylur Nishkala Mantapa Nijagunananda Swami, Mysuru Basava Jnana Mandira seer Sharane Mata Basavanjali, Bidar Basava Kendra seer Mata Akka Annapurna, Tumakuru Koratagere Basava Mahalinga Swami, former Bangalore University Vice Chancellor N Prabhu Dev among others were part of the meeting.