Veerashaivism is a sect within the

Shaivism Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...

fold of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. According to tradition, it was transmitted by ''Panchacharyas'', ( kn, ಪಂಚಾಚಾರ್ಯರು, paṃcācāraya from sa, पंचचार्य, pañcācārya), or five

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ...

Renukacharya Reṇukāchārya ( kn, ರೇಣುಕಾಚಾರ್ಯ)(also known as Revaṇārādhya or Revaṇasiddha) was one of the five acharyas who came in the Kali Yuga to teach and preach Vīraśaivism. He is said to have been born from the Someśvar ...

Darukacharya 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 ...

, Ekorama, Panditharadhya, Vishwaradhya, and first taught by Renukacharya to

Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...

, a Vedic seer. The preachings of Jagadguru Renukacharya Bhagavadpada to rishi Agastya is recorded in the form of a book, ''Shri Siddhantha Shikhamani'', which is regarded as an important holy book for the Veerashaivas. This text is likely a 8th century work, and it likely contains the earliest reference to Veerashaivism in literature.

Guru lineage

A small manuscript named ''Vira-Saiva-Guru-Parampara'' details the following guru lineage for Veerashaivism in order of priority: Visvesvara Guru, Ekorama, Viresaradhya, Virabhadra, Viranaradhya, Manikyaradhya, Buccayyaradhya, Vira Mallesvaradhya, Desikaradhya, Vrsabha, Aksaka, and Mukha Lingesvara. Viranaradhya is the father of the 18th century Telugu Veerashaivite ''acharya''

Mulugu Papayaradhya Mulugu Papayaradhya, also known as Mulugu Papayya and Sangameswara Sastry, (1778–1852) was a Telugu and Sanskrit scholar, preceptor, translator, and writer, known for his translation of the Devi Bhagavatam from Sanskrit into Telugu and for being ...

. In the ''Virasaiva Agama,'' it is mentioned that in four main pontiff seats (Yoga Peetha, Maha Peetha, Jnana Peetha, and Soma Peetha), there are four gurus of different priority: Revana, Marula, Vamadeva, and Panditaradhya.

Panchacharyas

According to tradition, the ''Panchacharyas'' arose out of five great ''Sthavaralingas'' located in Kolanupaka in

Aler Alair is a town in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipality and one of the constituencies in the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. It is located in Alair mandal of Bhongir revenue division. Alair is known f ...

town, Yadadri district,

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjain ...

in Madhyapradesh, Kedar in

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

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, and ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

, 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 ...

or Banaras in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

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''. The ''Panchacharyas'' established five ''peethas'', which play an important role in Veerashaiva.

The five peetha of Veerashaiva

* Veerasimhasana of Rambhapuri in Balehonnuru (

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 ...

) * Saddharma Shimhasana of (

) ( Madhyapradesh) later moved to

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 Temple ...

(

) * Vairagya Shimhasana of Kedar (

) * Surya Shimhasana of Srisailam (

) and * Jnana Shimhasana of Kasi (

)

Peethas

Veerashaivism is continued to this day and is preserved and transmitted by five ''peethas'' (Rambhapuri, Ujjaini, Kedar, Shreeshail, Kashi), who play an essential role in the Veerashaiva tradition.

Philosophy

The philosophy of Veerashaivism is explained in

Siddhanta Shikhamani Siddhantha Shikhamani is a religious scripture of the Panchacharyas tradition of Veerashaivas .Traditionally it is attributed to Shri Shivayogi Shivacharya. It is regarded as ''Dharmagrantha'' ("sacred scripture") of Veerashaivism. The work is i ...

. While the Veerashaiva-tradition incorporates

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

elements, the origin of ''panchacharyas'' has been explained in Sivagamas, especially in Svayambhuva Agama, Suprabhedagama and Viragama. The earlier portions of Agama literature are the fundamental source of Saiva religion, while the latter portions are of special importance to Veerashaivism. However, Veerashaivism differs from Agamic Shaivism and

Pasupata Pashupata Shaivism (, sa, पाशुपत) is the oldest of the major Shaivite Hindu schools. The mainstream which follows Vedic Pasupata penance are 'Maha Pasupatas' and the schism of 'Lakula Pasupata' of Lakulisa. There is a debate about p ...

Shaivism in its philosophy, in its doctrine of ''sthala,'' in the special kind of ''lingadharana,'' and in certain ritualistic elements.

References

{{Reflist Shaivism Hinduism-related lists Hindu traditions