Statues of India 1: Basaveshwara statue, Vijayapura

Basaveshwara statue, Bijapur.

Basaveshwara, Basavanna or Basava was a poet and a social reformer born in Bagewadi, Karnataka in 1105. He denounced class system and preached equality to men and women from all castes. He is considered as the founder of the Lingayat community in Karnataka. His poems are popularly known as vachanas. He brought in the anubhava mantapa or hall of spiritual experience where people from all backgrounds without discrimination participated in discussion on spirituality, economic and social issues. This is considered as worlds first parliament.

Also read about few other Statues of India.

Honors among many other:
1. Indian government minted commemorative coins in his name and released in 2006. He is the first Kannadiga in whose name a commemorative coin was released.
2. In 2003 then president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam unveiled the statue of Basavanna in parliament.
3. In 2015 Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi unveiled statue of Basavanna in Albert Embankment Gardens, London over looking Big Ben and British Parliament. Efforts of Dr. Neeraj Patil.
4. Basava express runs between Mysore and Bagalkot.

First post in new series about statues of India. The idea is to learn and spread knowledge about some of the leaders of our country.