Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Yoga / Hindu : Shaivite (Shiva)

12th Century

India
(Indian Subcontinent)

Allama Prabhu

Timeline (12th Century)

Poems by Allama Prabhu
Books - Links

Allama Prabhu, Allama Prabhu poetry, Yoga / Hindu, Yoga / Hindu poetry, Shaivite (Shiva) poetry, poetry, poetry

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Allama Prabhu was a contemporary of Basavanna and Mahadevi in the Shiva bhakti movement of the Kannada-speaking regions in southern India. While Basavanna was considered the primary organizer of the community, Allama was in many ways thought of as the spiritual leader, the most realized of these realized poet-saints.

Many of his poems are addressed to Shiva as Guhesvara or "the Lord of Caves." A popular story is told about the life of Allama Prabhu to explain this name: Allama was said to have been a temple drummer when he fell in love with a beautiful young woman. But the woman caught fever and died. In his grief, Allama abandoned everything and began to wander. One day, he was sitting desolate in a field and noticed something strange -- the golden cupola of a buried temple. He began to dig about it until he found the doorway and managed to enter the excavated temple-cave. There he found a yogi absorbed in deep meditation. The yogi handed Allama a linga, the symbol of Shiva, and then the yogi expired. In that very instant, Allama was enlightened.

Poems by Allama Prabhu

	For all their search
	If it rains fire
	Light
	Looking for your light,
	When the toad

Recommended Books

Speaking of Siva, by A K Ramanujan

Amazon.com

Related Links:

	Veera Shaivism http://members.tripod.com/~lingayat/veerashaiva.html An article on the Virashaiva movement, with mention of Allama Prabhu, Basavanna, and others.
	Udbhava.com - Kannada Music http://www.udbhava.com/udbhava/songs.jsp?id=609 Audio files of several lyrics by Allama Prabhu sung in the original Kannada language.

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Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Allama Prabhu

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Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World