Consider the following statements related to the Virashaiva tradition in Karnataka: 1) The Virashaiva movement was led by a Brahmana named Basavanna, a minister in the court of the Kalachuri ruler in the twelfth century. 2) The Virashaivas encouraged practices, approved by the Dharmashastras, like post-puberty marriages and remarriage of widows. Which of the statement/s given above is/are correct?

Statement 1 is correct as the Virashaiva movement was initiated in the twelfth century by Basavanna, a Brahmana who served as a minister in the court of the Kalachuri ruler Bijjala II in Karnataka [1][3]. Statement 2 is incorrect because while the Virashaivas did encourage practices such as post-puberty marriage and the remarriage of widows, these were specifically practices disapproved of or discouraged by the Brahmanical Dharmashastras [1]. The movement was a radical social reform that challenged the Brahmanical social order, the caste system, and the concept of pollution [1][3]. They rejected funerary rites like cremation prescribed in the Dharmashastras, opting instead to bury their dead [1]. Their teachings, preserved in Kannada vachanas, emphasized equality and direct devotion to Shiva, often in direct opposition to established Brahmanical norms [1].

Sources

1. [1] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART II, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Bhakti-Sufi Traditions > 3. The Virashaiva Tradition in Karnataka > p. 147
2. [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 10: Advent of Arabs and Turks > Religion > p. 149