National General Secretary of Jagatika Laingayat Mahasabha Shivanand Jamdar has said more historical documents unearthed recently further prove that Lingayatism is an independent religion.
Inaugurating the Dharwad district women’s wing of Jagatika Lingayat Mahasabha in Hubballi on Saturday, Mr. Jamdar said that it was lack of awareness among many of the Lingayats that had resulted in the community vociferously demanding the status. “Barring few, many of the seers of the community lacked knowledge about the independent nature of Lingayatism, which had been proved in many of the proceedings and legal documents,” he said.
The more than a century old Akhil Bharat Veerashaiva Mahasabha had been misleading the community members and the recent change in its nomenclature to Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha was another ploy to mislead the Lingayats, he said.
Taking a dig at the office-bearers of the Veerashaiva Mahasabha, Mr. Jamdar said that now it was being run by politicians, many of whom lacked proper awareness about Lingayatism being an independent religion. It was only more awareness among the community members that would strengthen the movement, he said.
Elaborating on the role of the women in further creating awareness, Mr. Jamdar called on the women to ponder over the rights that had been bestowed upon them by Basavanna and other Sharanas through the ‘vachana shastra’. “Lingayat women have been given the right to wear Ishtalinga, worship at home, which is missing in ‘sanatan dharma’. You only need to tell others about what Lingayatism is all about through your own examples,” he said.
Mr. Jamdar said that there was a need for Lingayats, particularly the women from the community, to bury their differences over sub sects and castes and unite as Lingayats to take forward the movement.
Earlier, the office-bearers and members of the women’s wing were administered oaths in the presence of Basaveshwari Mataji of Basavadhama, Attiveri. The president of Belagavi district women’s wing Pramakka Angadi delivered a talk and Dharwad district unit president M.V. Gongadashetti presided over the event. Vice President Sneha Bhoosanur maded introductory remarks, while Dakshayani Koliwad compered.
