Karnataka - Bidar   

‘Anubhava Mantapa’ site eludes researchers

BIDAR: Centuries have passed but the famous Anubhava Mantapa at Basavakalyan in Bidar remains an undiscovered site.

However, there are references to the existence of Anubhava Mantapa in many vachanas written by sharanas who lived during the 12th Century.

Basaveshwara, social reformer of the 12th Century, founded Anubhava Mantapa at Basavkalyan with an aim to provide a platform for philosophical debate leading to a casteless society, bring about equality and to popularise the concept of “dasoha” (eating together).

There is a strong belief that those opposed to Basaveshwara might have destroyed the Anubhava Mantapa after he left the town.

Senior officials of Basavakalyan Development Board, on condition of anonymity, said: “We are on the look out for traces of the existence of Anubhava Mantapa here. But it is believed that the mantapa might have existed in and around Tripuranta tank premises, located in the heart of the town.”

They said that at present cleaning work was going on in the tank bed and till date there were no traces of Anubhava Mantapa there. The officials said that based on the vachanas, a well-known painter Murugeppa Chettiar of Gadag had depicted a picture of the proceedings at Anubhava Mantapa with Allama Prabhu, who was the first person to preside over the mantapa, conducting the proceedings. The paintings throw light on the Anubhava Mantapa but again its existence in physical form was questioned.

Researcher and former Kannada University Vice-Chancellor M.M. Kalburgi told The Hindu that “Anubhava Mantapa might have existed but needs to be discovered.”

He said: “The word mantapa means a platform and it suggests that there might have been a physical structure.”

Siddara Sharanaru Beldal of Koutha Math said: “Vachanas state about mantapa’s existence but its exact location and structure needs to be discovered.”

A couple of doctorates by Kannada lecturers have been published on the existence of Anubhava Mantapa. One of the researchers, Basavraj Ballur, who teaches Kannada at Karnataka College, Bidar, had in his research stated that the mantapa might have been near Tirpuranta tank area but was not sure of its physical existence.

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