Viśvabandhu Maruḷasiddha, also called Maruḷārādhya or Dāruka, was a

Veerashaiva Veerashaivism is a sect within the Shaivism fold of Hinduism. According to tradition, it was transmitted by ''Panchacharyas'', ( kn, ಪಂಚಾಚಾರ್ಯರು, paṃcācāraya from sa, पंचचार्य, pañcācārya), or five ...

saint and one of the Panchacharyas, the five apostles of

Veerashaivism Veerashaivism is a sect within the Shaivism fold of Hinduism. According to tradition, it was transmitted by ''Panchacharyas'', ( kn, ಪಂಚಾಚಾರ್ಯರು, paṃcācāraya from sa, पंचचार्य, pañcācārya), or five ...

. It is believed that the Panchacharyas arose out of five great Sthavaralingas located in

Balehonnur Balehonnur is a town in Narasimharajapura taluk, a township of the Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located 286 kilometres west of Bengaluru, 226 kilometres north-west of Mysuru and 142 kilometres north-east of ...

Ujjini Ujjini is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India.Village code= 933300 Ujjini, Bellary, Karnataka It is located in the kottur taluk of Vijayanagar district in Karnataka. Marulasiddeswara Temple The Ujjini Marulasiddeswara Templ ...

, Kedar,

Srisailam Srisailam is a census town in Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Srisailam mandal in Atmakur revenue division. It is located about from the district headquarters Nandyal, from Kurnool, an ...

, and

Kashi Kashi or Kaashi may refer to: Places * Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India **Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas **Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi * Kashgar, a cit ...

under different names in different ''

Yuga A ''yuga'', in Hinduism, is generally used to indicate an age of time. In the ''Rigveda'', a ''yuga'' refers to generations, a long period, a very brief period, or a yoke (joining of two things). In the ''Mahabharata'', the words ''yuga'' and ...

s''. Marulasiddha actually arose out of the Siddheśaliṇga of Vaṭakṣetra at

, where he also founded a maṭha. He has been conferred the title Viśvabandhu, meaning "the Relative of universe". Today his followers form one of the influential communities of

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 ...

, called Sadhu Lingayats , who form one of the denominations or subcastes of

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 ...

.Most of them are found in and around central

Davanagere, Ranebennuru, Chitradurga Shimoga. Tarala balu Samasthana is the main mata for Saadu lingayath located in Sirigere Village, Chitradurga District. He is believed to be the origin of the Vīraśaiva gotra.

References

{{reflist Indian Shaivite religious leaders