Consider the following statements related to the Virashaiva tradition in Karnataka : 1. The Virashaiva movement was led by a Brahmana named Basavanna, a minister in the court of the Kalachuri ruler in the twelfth century. 2. The Virashaivas encouraged practices, approved by the Dharmashastras, like post-puberty marriages and remarriage of widows. Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct ?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, 1 only. Basavanna did lead the Virashaiva movement, but the Virashaivas encouraged post-puberty marriage and widow remarriage precisely because the Dharmashastras disapproved of them. In the twelfth century Basavanna, a Brahmana who served as a minister at the court of the Kalachuri king Bijjala, started the Virashaiva or Lingayat movement in Karnataka. His followers worship Shiva in the form of a linga, usually worn in a small case on the left shoulder, and their teachers are called jangamas. The movement questioned the caste system, the idea of pollution attached to certain groups, and the theory of rebirth. It also challenged Brahmanical rules by supporting post-puberty marriage and the remarriage of widows, practices the Dharmashastras did not approve. Its ideas come down in vachanas, short Kannada verses. Option B is wrong because statement 2 wrongly says these practices had the Dharmashastras' approval. Option C is wrong for the same reason. Option D is wrong because statement 1 is correct. Exam tip: Basavanna, Bijjala's minister, Lingayats, vachanas in Kannada.
Practice Questions
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