Haralayya was a 12th-century

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...

saint and poet of

Vachana sahitya Vachana sahitya is a form of rhythmic writing in Kannada (see also Kannada poetry) that evolved in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th century, as a part of the Sharana movement. Madara Chennaiah, an 11th-century cobbler-saint who lived ...

in India. He joined

Anubhava Mantapa Anubhava Mantapa, established by Basavanna in the 12th Century C.E. is located in Basavakalyan in Bidar district of Karnataka. It is the first religious parliament in the world, whose literal meaning is "experience pavilion", and was an academy of ...

, the hall created by

Basava Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Cha ...

, where every caste was welcome.

History

Haralayya was born in

Kalyan Kalyan (Pronunciation: əljaːɳ is a city on the banks of Ulhas River in Thane district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is governed by Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. Kalyan is a subdivision (Taluka) of Thane district ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. He was a

cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who Shoemaking, repairs, and sometimes makes, shoes Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * The Cobbler (1923 ...

and an ardent follower of

, who founded

Lingayatism Lingayatism or Veera Saivism is a Hindu denomination based on Shaivism. Initially known as '' Veerashaivas'', since the 12th-century adherents of this faith are known as ''Lingayats''. The terms ''Lingayatism'' and ''Veerashaivism'' have been ...

. He married Kalyanamma, who was also a follower of Basava. Once he met Basava on the streets and greeted him, eliciting a polite reply Basava. Haralayya was dumb struck that he was greeted so courteously by the king's treasurer. Later he regretted that he did not answer Basava's greeting and failed to show humility. So he and Kalyanamma decided to offer footwear made from their own skin to Basava. But Basava refused to accept the gift, because he did not regard himself worthy. On his way back home, Haralayya met Madhavarasa, a Brahmin minister of Kalchuris, who tried to snatch the shoes and take them with him, but because of this misdeed, he contracted

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

. His maid took him to Haralayya to cure him, and after bathing in water from Haralayya's tank, he healed. Madhavarasa apologized to him and took 'Istalingadiksha' and became a follower of

. Basava arranged the marriage of Madhavarasa's daughter, Lavanya, to Haralayya's son, Sheelavantha, which resulted in strong opposition by Bijjala II, the ruler of Southern Kalachuris. Offended by the decision, he killed both Madhavara and Haralayya's family.

In popular culture

In 2014,

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

film director Purushottam directed the movie ''Mahasharana Haralayya'', chronicling the story of Haralayya's life. Haralayya Tirth was built at the entrance of

Basavakalyan Basavakalyana is a city and municipal council in the Bidar District of the Indian state of Karnataka. History Before India's independence, Basavakalyan was called Kalyani. After independence and division of states on linguistic basis in 1956 ...

by Basava Dharma Peetha Charitable Trust.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haralayya 12th-century Indian poets Lingayat saints Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown