Mathe Mahadevi, the head of Basava Dharma Peetha at Kudalasangama who passed away on Thursday, was a staunch advocate of the need to recognise Lingayat dharma as a separate religion outside the fold of Hinduism. The outspoken religious head was also often described as the “first woman seer” of Lingayat religion.
Although controversial, she was an orator, writer, researcher, activist, publisher and reformer. She even produced a film on Basaveshwara and tried her hand in politics, albeit unsuccessfully.
Addressed by her devotees as “Mathaji”, Mathe Mahadevi, who travelled extensively across Karnataka, neighbouring States and abroad with a mission to spread the message of 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara, often courted controversy for her views and actions.
She was always a critic of the Veerashaiva seers (seers of the Pancha Peethas), those advocating superstitions, and even Sangh Parivar members, and she consequently courted controversy at several junctures in her life. Back in the 1980s, she was caught in a furore after making modifications to the ‘ ankita nama ’ (literary signature) mentioned in the vachanas of Basaveshwara.
In recent times, she was in the limelight for leading the movement for independent religion status for Lingayats. In fact, she kick-started the movement with a mammoth rally in Bidar in 2017 and courted controversy ahead of the Assembly elections for her to appeal to vote for the Congress.
Early years
She was born in 1946 at Sasalahatti in Chitradurga district as Ratna, to Basappa and Gangappa. She studied science and philosophy before being inducted into the path of spirituality in 1966 by Sri Lingananda Swami, who founded the Basava Dharma Peetha. After his demise, she became the second seer of the Peetha.
Emphasising the need for a “regional political party”, Mathe Mahadevi contested elections in 2004 from the then Dharwad North Lok Sabha constituency as the candidate of Vijay Sankeshwar’s Kannada Nadu Party.
As a writer, her first work was Gangataranga , after her induction into the life of spirituality. Then came the huge volume Basava Tatva Darshana . Apart from several vachanas , she wrote two novels in Kannada — Kappitta Haalu and Tarangini . She has to her credit over 150 books and more than 350 devotional songs.
