Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c19.19

c19.19

The account given by the Jainas is different Vijjana had gone on an expedition to Kolhâpur to reduce the Sîlâhâra chief Bhoja II to subjection In the course of his march back to the capital he encamped at a certain place on the banks of the Bhîmâ, and, while reposing in his tent, Basava sent to him a Jangama disguised as a Jaina with a poisoned fruit Vijjana, who is said to have been a Jaina himself, unsuspectingly took the fruit from the hands of the seeming Jaina priest, and as soon as he smelled it, he became senseless His son Immadi Vijjana and others hastened to the spot, but to no purpose Vijjana, however, somewhat recovered his senses for a short while, and knowing who it was that had sent the poisoned fruit, enjoined his son to put Basava to death Immadi Vijjana gave orders that Basava should be arrested and all Jangamas, wherever found, executed¹⁴ On hearing of this, Basava fled, and being pursued went to the Malabar coast and took refuge at a place called Ulavi¹⁵ The town was closely invested and Basava in despair threw himself into a well and died, while his wife Nilâmbâ put an end to her existence by drinking poison When Vijjana's son was pacified, Chenna Basava surrendered all his uncle's property to him and was admitted into favour¹⁶ He now became the sole leader of the Lingâyatas, but, even before, his position was in some respects superior to that of Basava The religious portion of the movement was under his sole direction, and it was he who shaped the creed of the sect In him the *Pranava* or sacred syllable *Om* is said to have become incarnate to teach the doctrines of the Vira Saiva faith to Basava,¹⁷ and, according to the Chenna-Basava Purâna, "Chenna-Basava was Siva, Basava, Vrishabha (or Siva's bull, the Nandin), Bijjala, the door-keeper, Kalyâna, Kailâsa, (and) Siva worshippers (or Lingâyatas), the Śiva host (or the troops of Śiva's attendants)'"¹⁸