'Chammavuge' lies in neglect

It was given as a priceless gift to Basavanna, but is now ignored by govt and mutts

 
Kept in a small glass box in a congested room, where there is no proper ventilation, the footwear may be lost forever, if immediate measures are not taken to preserve them.

According to historians, this very pair of footwear, gifted by a dalit, Samagara Haralayya, was the main cause that instigated ‘Kalyan Kranthi,’ a social revolution in which thousands of Basavanna’s followers were killed. Now, these footwear are looked after, though not in a scientific manner, by Haralayya’s descendants here.

There is an interesting story behind this rare artifact, popularly known as ‘Chammavuge.’
Haralayya, a cobbler by profession decided to present a special footwear to Basaveshwara as a mark of respect for his remarkable social work and human values he promoted.

He prepared the footwear using his and his wife’s thigh skin and took them to Basavanna. Upon hearing the speciality of the footwear, Basavanna instead of wearing put them on his head and said: “Such invaluable footwear can be worn only by gods.”

Historians believe that this incident not only strengthened the bond between Basavanna and Haralayya further, but also resulted in Basavanna helping Haralayya’s son getting married with  Brahmin noble Madhuvaras’ daughter.

This, probably the first ever, inter-caste marriage between a dalit boy and Brahmin girl angered the orthodox caste Hindus and culminated in ‘Kalyan Kranthi’, massacring thousands of Basavanna’s followers to put an end to the social reforms initiated by Basavanna.

However, Basavanna escaped, leaving all his belongings, including the rare footwear.

Having such a historical significance, the priceless antique piece is now lying in a ruinous state.

“I do not know why the government has not noticed this invaluable historical evidence that forms part of the great social revolution in Karnataka. Even the Lingayat Mutts, which boast themselves of champions of Basava principles, have also turned blind eye towards this important relic belongs to Basavanna,” points out well-known scholar and
former vice-chancellor of Hampi University M M Kalburgi.

The ‘Kalyan Kranthi’ represented a socially significant transition period. The ‘Chammavuge’, which had a direct link with the revolution, was a priceless possession the State had. Therefore, the government must consider this as a nationally important antiquity and take immediate measures to preserve it for posterity, asserts Dr Kalburgi.