The influential Lingayat Panchamasali community in Karnataka has made a significant decision regarding the upcoming state socio-economic and educational survey, often referred to as the caste census. Despite some internal disagreements, the community has resolved to identify as “Lingayat Panchamasali” for their caste, while opting for “Hindu” in the religion column “for the time being.” This consensus emerged from two separate, crucial meetings held by community leaders and religious heads in Bengaluru and Hubballi.
During these discussions, the suggestion from the Akhila Bharat Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha to list their religion as “Lingayat,” “Veerashaiva,” or “Veerashaiva Lingayat” was considered. However, the Bengaluru meeting concluded with a unanimous decision to defer the broader religious identity debate and simply state “Hindu” for now. The Hubballi meeting, though marked by more intense debate on whether to declare “Lingayat” or “Hindu” as their religion, ultimately arrived at the same interim conclusion: “Hindu” will be specified until the long-standing demand for independent religious status for Lingayatism is definitively resolved. Notably, Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami, a prominent figure in the movement for Lingayatism’s independent religious recognition, had previously championed this cause.
In Bengaluru, following extensive consultations with various seers and community leaders, the pontiff of the Veerashaiva Lingayat Panchamasali Jagadguru Peetha, Harihar, formally announced the community’s decision on the “Lingayat Panchamasali” caste nomenclature. He emphasized that there was no need to specify any sub-caste and reiterated the directive for the community to identify as Hindus until the separate religion issue is settled. Distinguished attendees at the Bengaluru meeting included former minister Murugesh Nirani, Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, former MLC Mohan Limbikai, and other key figures from the Panchamasali community.
Concurrently, at the meeting held in Hubballi, Sri Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swami of the Lingayat Panchamasali Peetha at Koodalasangama also underscored the importance of using ‘Lingayat Panchamasali (Code A-0868)’ in the census. This, he asserted, would help prevent confusion and firmly establish the community’s distinct identity within the survey data.