Describe the beliefs of Virashaiva tradition in Karnataka.

1.	Describe the beliefs of Virashaiva tradition in Karnataka.
Answer» Solution :The Virashaivas or Lingayats worship Shiva in his manifestation as a linga, and men usually wear a small linga in a silver case on a loop strung over the left shoulder. Those who are revered include the jangama or wandering monks. Lingayats believe that on dcath the devotee will be united with Shiva and will not return to this world. Therefore, they do not practise funerary rites such as cremation, prescribed in the Dharamashastras.Instead, they ceremonially bury their dead. They challenged the idea of caste and the "pollution" attributed to certain groups by the Brahamanas. They QUESTIONED the theory of REBIRTH. These won them followers amongst those who were marginalised by the Brahamanical SOCIAL order. The Lingayats also encouraged certain practices that were disapprovedin the Dharmshastras, such as post-puberty marriage and the remarriage of widows. The understanding of Virashaiva tradition is derived from Vachanas (oral sayings) composed in Kannada by WOMEN and men who joined the movement.

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