Lingayat organisations have opposed a proposal to celebrate Basaveshwara Jayanti and Renukacharya Jayanti on April 21, arguing that Renukacharya’s birth has no historical evidence.
The proposal came up from a section of the Akhil Bharat Veerashaiva Mahasabha district office-bearers during the Renukacharya Jayanti celebrations at Sree Veerabhadreshwar Temple recently.
G.K. Kadabadi of the Belagavi Basaveshwar Utsav Samiti and K.M. Uppin of the Rashtriya Basava Dal said it was a conspiracy to belittle and undermine the historical, social and cultural significance of the 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara. Community leaders V.S. Bagi, Shankar Gudas, and Jyothi Badami expressed similar views. They said there was no evidence in any form to substantiate the birth of Renukacharya Swami, who was believed to have sprang from a swayambhu (self-manifested) “Linga”. Such being the case, there was no reason why his birth anniversary should be linked and celebrated along with Basaveshwara Jayanti. It was apparently a move to mislead the people and spread superstition among Lingayats.
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A memorandum was submitted to the State government on Monday with a request to ensure that Basaveshwara Jayanti and Renuka Jayanti were celebrated on separate days.
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Akhil Bharat Veerashaiva Mahasabha plans to celebrate Basaveshwara Jayanti and Renukacharya Jayanti on April 21