Kannada vacanas

[Dr Shivamurthy Swamiji]

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From:   S Krishna[SMTP:mahadevasiva at HOTMAIL.COM]
Sent:   Monday, May 11, 1998 2:45 AM
To:     INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
Subject:        Re: Kannada vacanas

<<As regards etymology, since kUdala= saGgama,
why wasn't this place simply called "sangamEzvara"
or "kUDAlEzvara"...why the doubling of the "kUDala" in samskrt and
kannaDa? Or is that there were so many sangamas in that area that they
came up with this thumb-of-rule to distinguish between the various
dieties and places?>>

The deity is still known as "sangameshvara" and the temple as "sangameshvara temple".  Only the place is called "kuuDala-sangama".  BasavaNNa spent his early days here.  Because of his close association with this place, he selected the term "kuuDala-sangama-deevaa" as the ankita (signature) for his Vacanas.  But this ankita should not be mistaken as referring to the deity in Kudala Sangama.  Though BasavaNNa must have been a worshipper of this deity as an young boy, later he became highly critical of the institution of temple:

"uLLavaru shivaalayava maaDuvaru
naaneena maaDali baDavanayyaa
enna kaalee kambha, dehavee deegula
shira honna kaLashavayyaa
kuuDala-sangama-deeva keLayyaa
sthaavarakkaLivuNTu, jangamakkaLivilla"

My translation:

"The rich construct temples for Shiva
What shall I do? 
A poor man I am
My legs are the pillars, 
My body, the temple
My head, the golden pinnacle
O Lord, kuuDala Sangama
Things standing shall fall,
But the moving ever will remain !"

BasavaNNa was also highly critical of the mediation of priests between the God and devotees:

Indulging in love with one's wife
or eating one's food
Does anybody ever get it done by his deputy?
You yourself should offer prayers to God
Perform the rites and rituals to Linga
And not through the mediation of somebody else
O Lord kuuDala sangama,
How can they know You,
Doing it for mere formality

The term "kuuDala sangama deevaa" used by BasavaNNa refers to the "ishTa-linga" on his palm and not to  the "sthaavara-linga" of the 
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