The rich
will make temples for Siva
What shall I,
a poor man do?
The rich
will make temples for Siva
What shall I,
a poor man do?
My legs are pillars,
the body the shrine,
the head a cupola
of gold.
Listen, O lord of the meeting rivers,
things standing shall fall,
but the moving ever shall stay.
Basavanna
Basavanna was one of the leaders of the 12th Century Bhakti movement, Virasaivism, of which the Kannada “Vachanas” are the most important texts. “Vachanas” or poems are typical expressions possessing an appeal which is timeless and universal. They mirror the urge to bypass tradition and ritual, to question authority and to express kinship with all living things in moving terms. This poem characterises this protest movement.