Basava Jayanthi is a popular festival that is celebrated in the southern state of Karnataka. The day marks the birthday of Basavanna or Mahatma Basaveshwar, a 12th-century poet-philosopher and the founding saint of the Lingayat tradition. The Lingayats are a Hindu sect with a major following in southern India that worships Shiva as the only deity. The holiday is celebrated throughout South India, primarily in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and is traditionally observed by the Lingayats of Karnataka. According to the Hindu calendar, Basava Jayanthi, which is marked as the birthday of Lord Basaveshwar, usually falls on the 3rd day of Vaisakha month. The date varies every year and falls either in April or May in the Gregorian calendar. This year, Basava Jayanthi 2023 will be celebrated on Sunday, April 23. As Basava Jayanthi nears, here’s all you need to know about the special day dedicated to Mahatma Basaveshwar. April 2023 Holidays Calendar With Major Festivals: Get Full List of Important Dates in the Fourth Month.

Basava Jayanti 2023 Date in Karnataka

Basava Jayanthi 2023 will be celebrated on April 23, Sunday.

Basava Jayanti Significance

Basava Jayanthi is an important day for the Lingayat community in Karnataka as it is the birth anniversary of the 12th-century poet-philosopher and the founding saint of the Lingayat tradition. Basavanna, also known as Bhaktibhandari (literally, the treasurer of devotion), or Basaveswara (Lord Basava), was born in 1105 CE in the northern part of Karnataka, to a Kannada family devoted to Lord Shiva. Basava Jayanthi marks the birth anniversary of Basavanna, also known as Vishwaguru Basavanna. Basavanna is considered to be a very great revolutionary. He believed in a society free of the caste system, with equal opportunity for all.

On Basaveshwar Jayanti, people visit the nearest Lord Basaveshwar temples, offer prayers and celebrate the joyous occasion. People of the Lingayat committees organize many events to celebrate this special day. The teachings of Basavanna’s life are remembered on this day. He founded the Anubhava Mantapa, an academy that included Lingayat mystics, saints, and philosophers. Basavanna believed that every human being was equal, irrespective of caste and that all forms of manual labour were equally important.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 21, 2023 11:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).