56 
E. T. Atkinson —Notes on the history 
[No. 1 , 
human beings are equal, and hence men of all castes and even women 
can become spiritual guides amongst the Jangamas. Marriage is impera¬ 
tive with Brahmans, but permissive only with the followers of Basava. 
Child-marriage is unknown and betrothal in childhood unnecessary. 
Polygamy is permissible with the consent of a childless wife. A widow 
is treated with respect and may marry again, though whilst a widow she 
may not retain the jacket, perfumes, paints, black glass armlets, nose and 
toe rings which form the peculiar garb of the married woman. A Jan- 
gam always returns a woman’s salutation and only a breach of chastity 
can cause her to lose her position. The Jangamas are also call Vira 
S'aivas to distinguish them from the Aradhyas, another division of the 
followers of Basava who call themselves descendants of Brahmans and 
could not be induced to lay aside the Brahmanical thread, the rite of 
assuming which requires the recital of the gdyatri or hymn to the sun : 
hence the Jangamas regard this section as idolators and reject their assis¬ 
tance. Those who totally reject the authority of Brahmans are called 
Sauranyas and Viseshas. The Samanya or ordinary Jangama may eat and 
drink wine and betel and may eat in any one’s house, but can marry only 
in his own caste. The Yisesha is the guru or spiritual preceptor of the 
rest. The lesser vows are addressed to the linga, the guru and the Jan¬ 
gama or brother in the faith. The linga represents the deity and the guru 
he who breathes the sacred spell into the ear and makes the neophyte one 
with the deity : hence he is reverenced above the natural parents. The 
lingas in temples are fixed there and therefore called sthdvira : hence the 
lingas of Basava are called jJnyamn or able to move q^bout, and the fol¬ 
lowers Jangamas or living incarnations of the linga. The Aradhyas retain 
as much of the Brahmanical ceremonial as possible, they look down on 
women and admit no proselytes, they call themselves Yaidikas and say 
that the Jangamas are Yedabahyas. The latter declare that every one 
has a right to read the Yedas for himself and that the Aradhyas are poor 
blind leaders of the blind who have wrested the scriptures to the destruc¬ 
tion of themselves and others. 
The Jangama worships S'iva as Sadasiva, the form found in Kedar, 
who is invisible, but pervades all nature. By him the linga is reverenced 
as a reliquary and brings no impure thought. He abhors Maya or Kali 
who is one with Yona, and is opposed to licentiousness in morals or 
manners. He aims at release from fleshly lusts by restraining the pas¬ 
sions ; he attends to the rules regarding funerals, marriage and the plac¬ 
ing of infants in the creed, and is, as a rule, decent, sober and devout. 
Burial is substituted for cremation and Brahmans are set aside as priests. 
The Yira-S'aivas illustrate their creed by the following allegory :—‘ The 
guru is the cow whose mouth is the fellow-worshipper and whose udder 
