Sant Haralayya or Guru Haralayya was a 12th-century great saint and poet of

Vachana sahitya Vachana sahitya is a form of rhythmic writing in Kannada (see also Kannada poetry) that evolved in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th century, as a part of the Sharana movement. The word "vachanas" literally means "(that which is) sa ...

in India. He joined

Anubhava Mantapa Anubhava Mantapa, established by Basavanna in the 12th century C.E., is a religious complex located in Tipranth, Basavakalyan, in the Bidar district of Karnataka. It is the first religious parliament in the world, whose name is literally transl ...

, the hall created by

Basava Basava (1131–1196), also called and , was an Indian philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focused bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya and the Kalachuri dynas ...

, where every caste was welcome.

History

Haralayya was born in Chamar Community

Kalyan Kalyan (Pronunciation: əljaːɳ is a city on the banks of Ulhas River in Thane district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is governed by Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. Kalyan is a subdivision (Taluka) of Thane district ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. He was a

cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who repairs shoes * Cobbler (food), a type of pie Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * ''The Cobbler' ...

and an ardent follower of

, who founded

Lingayatism The Lingayats are a Monotheism, monotheistic religious denomination of Hindu denominations, Hinduism. Lingayats are also known as , , , . Lingayats are known for their unique practice of Ishtalingam, Ishtalinga worship, where adherents carry a ...

. He married Kalyanamma, who was also a follower of Basava. Once he met Basava on the streets and greeted him, eliciting a polite reply Basava. Haralayya was dumb struck that he was greeted so courteously by the king's treasurer. Later he regretted that he did not answer Basava's greeting and failed to show humility. So he and Kalyanamma decided to offer footwear made from their own skin to Basava. But Basava refused to accept the gift, because he did not regard himself worthy. On his way back home, Haralayya met Madhavarasa, a Brahmin minister of Kalchuris, who tried to snatch the shoes and take them with him, but because of this misdeed, he contracted

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

. His maid took him to Haralayya to cure him, and after bathing in water from Haralayya's tank, he healed. Madhavarasa apologized to him and took 'Istalingadiksha' and became a follower of

. Basava arranged the marriage of Madhavarasa's daughter, Lavanya, to Haralayya's son, Sheelavantha, which resulted in strong opposition by

Bijjala II Bijjala II (1130–1167 CE) was the Mahamandaleshwara of the Kalyani Chalukyas. He was the most famous of the southern Kalachuri kings who ruled initially as a vassal of Chalukya Vikramaditya VI. He ruled as the ''Mahamandalesvara'' (chief or ...

, the ruler of Southern Kalachuris. Offended by the decision, he killed both Madhavara and Haralayya's family.

In popular culture

In 2014,

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

film director Purushottam directed the movie ''Mahasharana Haralayya'', chronicling the story of Haralayya's life. Haralayya Tirth was built at the entrance of

Basavakalyan Basavakalyana is a historical city and municipal council in the Bidar District of the Indian state of Karnataka. It was the capital of Western Chalukya Empire, Kalyani Chalukya and Kalachuris of Kalyani two dynasties. It is famous for the world ...

by Basava Dharma Peetha Charitable Trust.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haralayya 12th-century Indian poets Lingayat saints Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown