History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.s8.10

v3.c41.s8.10

We give the following extract from Rice's History of Kanarese Literature in connection with the Lingayat sect and its founder Basava and other apostles (pp. 49-55). The Vīraśaivas (stalwart) are distinguished from three other Śaivas viz: 1 the Sāmānya and 2 Miśra who worship Vishnu as well as Śiva and 3 the Śuddha Śaivas who worship Śiva only but do not wear linga. The distinctive peculiarity of Vīraśaivas is that they (both men and women) always wear on the person a small stone linga in a silver or wooden reliquary suspended from the neck. The Jangamas or Lingāyat "religious" wear it on their head. The investiture with the linga like Upanayana is the most sacred rite of childhood.