Basaveshwara's Concept of Democracy: An Explanatory Study

Basaveshwara was the prime minister of King Bijjala (1157-1167 CE) of the Kalachuri dynasty in Karnataka. Basaveshwara has immensely contributed to upholding democratic principles such as freedom of speech, social justice, equality and fraternity during the 12^th century through his unique concepts like Kalyana Rajya, Kayaka, Anubhava Mantapa, and Ishtalinga. Therefore, this paper aims to explain Basava’s concept of democracy. This research is explanatory in nature and dependent on secondary data. The outcome of the paper is that it has attempted to highlight the contemporary relevance of Basaveshwara’s concept of democracy.