Lingayat
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.Lin·ga·yat
noun \liŋ-ˈgä-yət\Definition of LINGAYAT
: a member of a Saiva sect of southern India marked by wearing of the lingam and characterized by denial of caste distinctions
Origin of LINGAYAT
Kannada lingāyata
First Known Use: 1901
Lingayat
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)Member of a Hindu sect that worships Shiva as the only deity. It has a wide following in southern India. Its followers take their name (“linga-wearers”) from the small lingas that both men and women wear on a cord around the neck. The Lingayats' belief in a single deity and their concept of bhakti (devotion) as an intuitive and loving knowledge of God show the influence of Ramanuja. They reject Brahma and the authority of the Vedas; their opposition to child marriage and the ill-treatment of widows anticipated the social reform movements of the 19th century.
Learn More About LINGAYAT
Browse
Seen & Heard 
What made you want to look up Lingayat? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
