Jedhara Daasimayya (), was an Indian mid-11th century

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

and vachanakaara in

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 ...

. He was born in Mudanuru, a village in Shorapur Taluk,

Yadagiri Yadgir is a city and the administrative headquarters of Yadgir district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also the administrative headquarters of Yadgir Taluka, one of the six taluks of Yadgir. Geography Yadgir town covers an area ...

district in Karnataka. Being a weaver by profession, His village had a Ramanatha temple among its many temples, dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

as worshiped by

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

, the epic hero and incarnation of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

. That is why Dasimayya's signature name (ankitanama) is Ramanatha, meaning Rama's Lord, i.e. Shiva. Jadara Dasimayya's

vachanas 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 live ...

are dedicated to Ramanatha. He was one of the earliest propagator of Hinduism in India. He was a staunch worshipper of Shiva. According to the legend, Dasimayya was performing intense ascetic practices in a

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

, when he claimed

appeared to him. He allegedly told him to work in the practical world. As a result, Dasimayya renounced his practices and took up the trade of a weaver. He is also known as Jedar Dasimayya, "Dasimayya of the weavers". Today there is a large community of weavers called

Devanga Devanga (also known as Lingayat Devanga, Devanga Shetty, Devanga Chettiar) is a Hindu caste from South India that traditionally followed the occupation of textile merchandise, weaving and farming mostly found in the Indian states of Karnataka ...

spread across the southern states of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

who follow Jadara Dasimayya. Today, popular tradition identifies several places where Dasimayya set up his weaver's looms in Mudanuru. Like most that followed him, he taught a life of complete nonviolence, even teaching local hunting tribes to renounce meat and provide for themselves through pressing and selling oil. Dasimayya married Duggale, who grew up in Shivapura. He later became a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, eventually giving initiation to the wife of the local

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...

king Jayasimha, Suggale. A street in Bengaluru has been renamed after this great poet. After much opposition from Indian National Congress, on 12th Octobe 2022 - Jumma Masjid Street in the heart of Bengaluru has been renamed to "Sree Devara Dasimayya Road".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasimayya, Devar Kannada poets Indian male poets 10th-century Indian poets