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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

The Virashaiva Movement of Southern Deccan in the twelfth century was essentially an attempt at social reform. Discuss.

  • UPSC 2022
  • Cultural Traditions in India, 750-1200

The Virashaiva (or Lingayat) movement arose in the Kalyana-Kalachuri Karnataka of the twelfth century as a bhakti sect devoted to Shiva, articulated through vernacular free-verse compositions called vachanas. Whether it is read primarily as theology or as social protest depends on which strand of its programme is foregrounded: its doctrinal core was devotional monotheism, but…

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What the full answer covers

  • Historical Setting
  • Rejection of Caste and Brahmanical Ritual Monopoly
  • Rejection of Temple Ritualism and the Ishtalinga
  • Kayaka and the Dignity of Labour
  • Position of Women
  • The Counter-View: Primarily a Devotional Movement
  • …and 1 more sections, with a conclusion

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