About

• The Lingayat community are devotees of Lord Shiva.
• The Lingayat sect is believed to have stemmed from the principles of the 12th century social reformer and Kannada poet Basava. 
• Basavanna started a radical anti-caste movement which rejected orthodox ritualistic Hindu practices in favour of a more personal, affective relationship with God, specifically Lord Shiva.
• Today, the Lingayat community is an amalgamation of many sub-castes. Of these sub-castes, the agriculturalist Panchamasalis are the largest, making up nearly 70 per cent of the Lingayat population.