Basavanna

I have attempted in this book to present a trustworthy biography of Basavanna. What makes the task difficult is the absence of sufficient reliable historical material. This left me with no other alternative but to reconstruct the life of Basava with the help of his own writings and the available semi-historical and folk literature. A good and authentic biography of Basava in English was a long-felt need and this book, I hope, will fulfil that need.

This biography is largely based on a similar work of mine in Kannada. But I ought to say that this is not just an English translation of my original work. Not only have I pressed new material into service here, I have also given new interpretation and have viewed things from a new angle. Since I had non-Indian English readers also in mind, I have tried to explain many Sanskrit words generally understood by almost all Indians.

I am deeply indebted to Shri D.A. Shankar, Assistant Professor of English, Agricultural University, Bangalore who went through the script and made suitable corrections. His criticism of some of the portions of the book has improved my narration in many places.

**Contents and Sample Pages**