Lingāyat community is dealt with by Mr. C. P. Brown under the name Jangam, and his essay speaks of Vishesha and Sāmānya Jangams. This is incorrect, for no Sāmānya Vīra Saiva can be a Jangam, and all Jangams are Vishesha Vīra Saivas.
The Jangams are mostly literate, and the members of the Banjig or trader class are frequently literate. The other classes of men, and the women of all classes are practically illiterate. Canarese is the common language of Lingāyats, and it is usually preserved as a house language where Canarese is not the language of the locality. In Bellary the teachers in several of the board schools (primary standard) are Jangams. Very few Lingāyats have as yet competed for University honours, and the number of Lingāyat graduates is small.
The common termination for males is Appa, and for females Amma or Akka, or Avva. In the case of Jangams the male termination is Ayya. The names commonly in use are as follows: —
- Basappa or Basamma, after Basava, the founder of the religion.
- Chennappa or Chennava, after Chennabasava, nephew of Basava.
- Sugurappa or Suguravva, after Sugur, where there is a temple of Vīrabhadra.
- Revanna or Revamma, after Revana Sideswara, the founder of the Balehalli mutt.
- Mallappa or Mallava, a localised name of Siva.
- Nāappa or Nāganna, after a snake.
- Bussappa or Bussavva, after the hiss of a snake.
Basappa is the most common name of all, and it is said that in Kottūr, a town of 7,000 inhabitants, not far from Ujjini, one half of the male Lingāyats are styled Kottūr Basappa.
