Bengaluru: As the statewide caste census is set to begin on Monday, September 22, a significant amount of confusion has emerged within the Lingayat community regarding how to identify themselves. This confusion has led to conflicting instructions from various community leaders, particularly concerning what to write in the ‘religion’ and ‘caste’ columns of the census form.

The Lingayat Mahasabha has advised its followers to write “Veerashaiva-Lingayat” in the ‘Other’ column under the ‘religion’ category. However, a separate meeting of Panchamasali Lingayat leaders in a private hotel in Bengaluru resulted in a different decision, but not without heated debate.

During the meeting, an intense argument broke out over whether to write “Hindu” or “Lingayat” in the religion column. While some leaders argued for “Lingayat Dharma,” others countered that since the community has not yet been granted a separate religious status, it would be more pragmatic to write “Hindu.” Murugesh Nirani, a leader at the meeting, raised a political concern, stating that pushing for a separate religion could lead to a vote split.

Following the contentious discussions, a final decision was announced by the president of the Panchamasali Association, Somanagowda Patil. He stated that the community has decided to write “Hindu” in the religion column and “Panchamasali” in the caste column, with nothing to be entered in the sub-caste column.

Providing further clarification, Vachanandashree, a seer from the Panchamasali Peetha, told TV9 that the decision was made after collecting opinions from members in 16 districts. He specified that for the digital census, the caste code A0868 should be used, and individuals should write “Hindu” for religion and “Lingayat Panchamasali” for caste, in line with their caste certificates.

Amidst the ongoing confusion, a convention of Veerashaiva Lingayats is scheduled to be held in Hubballi on Friday, September 19. It is expected that religious leaders at this convention will discuss the matter further and make a final, unified declaration to provide clear instructions to all members of the community.