In the 12th century Guru Basavanna lit the flame called dharma, saying “Let the people live, let the world live.” Poojya Lingananda Appaji was the oil that came in the 20th century to keep that flame burning. When people did not come to dharma, he took dharma to the doors of their homes and sowed Appa Basavanna’s teaching in their minds — Lingananda Appaji, the Pravachana Purusha. The credit for establishing the Akkamahadevi Anubhava Peeta, for the first time in the history of Basava Dharma, and for upholding the freedom of women that was Basavanna’s original aspiration, goes to Poojya Appaji. As the first pontiff of Basava Dharma Peeta, Poojya Lingananda Appaji was one of the restorers of the Lingayat faith.
For the protection of the nation and of dharma, he built the great organisation Rashtreeya Basava Dala. As the saying goes — he came, he saw, he conquered — he completed the mission for which he came to the mortal world, and merged into Linga Deva.