basava

Updated: June 6, 2025

Sometimes religion and caste are in opposition, for many modern religious leaders have begun by declaring that among believers there are no social distinctions. This is true not only of teachers whose orthodoxy is dubious, such as Nânak, the founder of the Sikhs, and Basava, the founder of the Lingâyats, but also of Vallabhâcârya and Caitanya. But in nearly all cases caste reasserts itself.

Sir Charles Eliot - Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2