A Shivasharana is a devotee of Shiva who's maxim was surrender to Shiva, inner-purity and simple living. The Shivasharana revolution of XII Century CE led by eminent Shivasharana like Akka Mahadevi, Allama Prabhu and Basavanna was aimed at achieving social equality, casteless society and devotion through Vachana Sahithya. Vachanas are poetry with profound message in simple language composed by Shivasharana. The epicenter of Shivasharana revolution was Kalyana the capital of Bijjala's kingdom, present day Basava Kalyana in Bidar district. Every revolution faces resistance, and Shivasharanas too had to face the ire of powerful upper caste leaders which eventually caused the king to turn against the revolution. The conflict exploded after Bijjala's assassination. The Shivasharanas were expelled from the kingdom, pursued by army they fled in all directions, majority went southwards. Shivasharanas though peaceful at heart were fighters when it came to self defense, more so to protect Vachana Sahitya. Many of the Shivasharanas were martyred but their legacy was kept alive by the followers. Their places have burial have become religious places. To this day people visit Shivasharanas Aikyasthala as a mark of respect to their contribution and to get inspired by their philosophy.
Here's a map which has pins marking locations of Aikyasthalas. The map will be updated as and when a discovery is made. In case readers know of Aikyasthala not marked in this map, please do share the info in comment section. Your info will be added to the map.
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