Lingayat Vachan Sahitya

"Lingayat" a ideal culture for humankind..

"Vachan Sahitya" a divine knowledge for a ideal Society.

In 12th century, Basavanna’s view of the ideal society is unique. He lived in Kalyana, a city whose name incidentally means welfare, and constantly contemplated the idea of a welfare society. In a vachana, he says his happiness depends on the happiness of the entire community that lives around him

Basavanna’s contemporaries praise him from the heart. Allama Prabhu, the great philosopher-poet who was also a prominent leader of Basava’s Bhakti movement, says the lamp of Basavanna’s thoughts should illumine the ideal society.

Akka Mahadevi, who wrote vachanas of rebellious brilliance, says Basavanna is greater than all the Gods of the three worlds. Here moral strength comes from interacting with great minds like Basava and Allama Prabhu. Aydakki Marayya, a lesser know poet of Basavanna’s time, says the world will brighten up only when it is lit by Basavanna’s Compassion.