A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c19.s3.17

c19.s3.17

The Lingāyat literature of the Vijayanagar period (1336-1650) falls under two heads—stories of reformers and devotees, and expositions of doctrine. The Basava-purāṇa of Bhīmakavi, an Ārādhya-Brahmin, completed in 1369, is an important and a very popular work on hagiology. Written in shaṭpadi metre, it treats of Basava as an incarnation of Nandi, specially sent to re-establish Vira-śaiva faith on earth, and dwells at great length on the miracles performed by Basava in his life-time. Another account of Basava's life written about 1500 is Mala-Basava-rāja-carita of Singirāja, also known as Singirājapurāṇa, recounting the eighty-eight miracles of Basava and giving particulars of his opponents at Bijjala's court. Prabhulinga, also called Allama-prabhu, an associate of Basava, is the hero of *Prabhulinga-lile* of Chāmarasa, an Ārādhya-Brahmin poet of the court of (Praudha) Devarāya II (1422-46). *Prabhulinga* is here regarded as an incarnation of Ganapati, and Pārvatī is said to have taken the form of a princess of Banavase to test the strength of his detachment from the world. The work is said to have been read out to Devarāya who caused it to be translated into Telugu and Tamil. Chāmarasa held disputations with Vaishnavas in the king's presence and was a rival of Kumāra Vyāsa, the author of the Kannada *Bhārata*. Over a century later came Virūpāksha Pandita (1584), author of *Cenna-Basava-purāṇa*. The hero, Cenna Basava, is regarded as an incarnation of Śiva for the instruction of Siddharāma of Sonnalige in the entire Śaiva lore including stories of saints. The popular *Purāṇa* identifies the messianic Vira Vasanta Rāya with the contemporary ruler Venkaṭapati Rāya of Vijayanagar, who, in some of his inscriptions styles himself ‘Lord of Kalyānapura’, though with little justification. There are also lives of many *ācāryas* and *purātanas* (elders). Panditārādhya and Rēvaṇa Siddha were the most popular among the *ācāryas*, and became heroes of many works.