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 ...

s: Renukacharya,

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 bee ...

, 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 know ...

town,

Yadadri district Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District, is a district in the Indian state of Telangana. The administrative headquarters is located at Bhongir, Bhuvanagiri Town. The district shares boundaries with Suryapet district, Suryapet, Nalgonda district, Nalgonda, J ...

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...

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 Uj ...

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 in

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 c ...

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 195 ...

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 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

) * Saddharma Shimhasana of (

) ( Madhyapradesh) later moved to Ujjini (

) * 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 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 th ...

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 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