Celebrating the Rich Heritage of Yoga in Karnataka

Medha Bhaskar
Nov 25, 2025
8 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

On November 1, 2025, we celebrated the 69th Kannada Rajyotsava. This day commemorates the “ekikarana” or unification of Kannada-speaking regions into a state. Rajyotsava is an opportunity to honour the living heritage of our land that shapes our thought and practice, even today. My own celebrations this year included an exciting workshop on the Concepts and Traditions of Yoga in Karnataka at the Bangalore International Center, part of their 2-day festival: From Krishna to Kaveri.

A Journey of Discovery

This opportunity inspired a deeper inquiry into the philosophy, practice, and poetry of Karnataka. A typical study into the history of Yoga in Karnataka reveals Krishnamacharya of the Mysore Asthana, the “Father of Modern Yoga.” He was patronised by Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV. His teachings popularised yoga worldwide. His mastery was so profound that, in 1935, he is said to have stopped his own heart and pulse through yogic control in the presence of Western physicians. Most of the lineages of modern Hatha Yoga, such as Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Iyengar, trace their origins to his teachings.

As I dug deeper, I discovered that yoga in Karnataka was never confined to the body. It transcended the monoculture of thought, creating space for life’s myriad experiences. Across centuries, many dynasties nurtured the idea that spiritual evolution was not an ornament but a foundation of a meaningful life. Yoga became the pivotal tool supporting this evolution.

As I traversed the stories, paintings, poetry, and architecture of this land, I realised that Karnataka housed a civilisation of inquiry that spans 1800 years. Bhakti (devotion), jnana (knowledge), and tantra (transformative practice) serve as three pillars of a refined culture. From the Kadambas, the Gangas, the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, the Hoysalas, the Vijayanagara emperors, to the Wodeyars, various sects engaged in active dialogue. They built on each other’s wisdom. Ultimately, yoga was a mind-body-breath tool that they employed as they searched for the same experience of oneness with the divine.

A Fertile Landscape for Seeking

Yoga took deep root in Karnataka, perhaps because of both its natural beauty and political stability. From the fertile plains of the Deccan to the forested slopes of the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea’s coastline, the region’s geography brings calmness that nurtures reflection. Historically, extended periods of peace and prosperity enabled people to pursue refined thinking and spiritual exploration.

In Kavirajamarga, written by the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha I, the people of Karnataka are described as kavya prayoga parinathamathigal—“experts in poetry and literature.” The rulers, across dynasties, upheld the ideal that a king’s duty was to foster inclusivity and protect seekers of all paths. Inscriptions from over a thousand years ago record royal mandates to support diverse spiritual communities, regardless of their beliefs or rituals. This nurtured a remarkable culture of pluralism.

Early Currents of Yoga

The earliest mentions of yoga in Karnataka are in the form of Shiva worship in the fifth century CE. Shiva, considered the AdiYogi, was the main deity of the Chalukya Shiva Temple of Aihole. Between the 7th and 14th centuries, Karnataka became an active centre for several ascetic Shaiva traditions. The Lakulishas and Pashupatas emphasised yoga sadhana, meditation, and ritual. Their doctrines inspired later sects like the Mahapashupatas and Kalamukhas, who established monasteries across north and central Karnataka, particularly under the Chalukyas and Hoysalas.

The Kalamukhas were noted for their engagement with Vedanta, Samkhya, and Patanjali Yoga. They also had an inclusive patronage of Buddhist and Jaina mendicants, along with community engagements of feeding the poor and helping the needy. The Natha Sampradaya emerged in Kadri, with reports of Gorakhnath and Matsyendranath having visited there. These Shaiva lineages turned Karnataka into a dynamic landscape of yogic experimentation, especially enhancing Hatha Yoga and Tantra, philosophical debate, and temple-based ascetic communities.

During the Kadamba (325–540 CE) and Western Ganga (325–999 CE) periods, Jainism flourished alongside Vedic traditions. One of the most fascinating expressions of Jain precepts is found in the colossal figure of Gomateshwara, a 57-foot monolithic statue made of granite. This statue is dedicated to Bahubali, a son of one of the tirthankaras of Jainism, who embraced vairagya (detachment from worldly experiences) in favour of kevala jnana (used synonymously with “samadhi” of yoga philosophy—meaning liberation) through deep contemplation and meditation. Carved in 938 AD, it remains one of the most breathtaking symbols of inner stillness.

Around the same time, Buddhist centres existed in Chitradurga, Shimoga, Kohlapur, Koppal, and Paithan. There was also a fascinating educational hub of the Kadambas and Satavahanas, starting in 685 BC: Balligavi. This town, not far from Shikaripura in the Shimoga district, is slated to have housed over 60,000 scholars in 6 mathas (religious institutions), 3 puras (satellite towns), 5 vidyapeethas (learning centres), and 7 brahmapuris (Brahmin settlements for teaching and performing religious rituals). Interestingly, this town also had a Vajrayana Buddhist sect, and Vajrayana Yogini worship that happened there has been evidenced by inscriptions and sculptures housed in the ASI Museum in Balligavi. This town is one of India’s clearest depictions of inter-religious learning and pluralism in practice.

The Golden Age of Spiritual Flowering

Between the 10th and 13th centuries, the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, and Hoysalas made Karnataka a global crossroads of philosophy. The Chennakeshava Temple at Belur (c. 1117 CE), built by the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana, took over 100 years to construct. Artisans, who hailed from Balligavi, were believed to be under shaktipata (divine inspiration) as they intricately carved life into the temple, blurring the lines between art and yoga. The temple, which houses Shaiva, Shakta, and Vaishnava motifs, conveys the deeper sentiments of collaboration between different sects, who were thought to be at odds with each other.

An inscription on the walls of the temple reads:

“The One whom Shaivas worship as “Shiva,” Vedantins as “Brahman,” Buddhists, skilled in the authorities of knowledge, as “Buddha,” the Logicians as “Creator,” those with a mind for the Jaina teachings as “Arhat,” and Mimasakas as “Ritual”—May that One always grant you the results you desire.”

Along with these, the Hoysalas built many temples that reified yoga in temples, such as the Yoga Narsimha Temple in Melkote and Baggavalli (Chikmagalur) and the Yoga Madhava temple in Settikere (Tumkur).

Meanwhile, in Kalyani (today’s Basavakalyana in North Karnataka), the Veerashaiva movement led by Basavanna, Akka Mahadevi, and Allamaprabhu redefined yoga as an inner evolution. They spoke of kayaka (dignity of labour), dasohabhava (the yoga of service), and the yoga of social equality, love, and mystical realization. They began a quiet revolution through “Anubhava Mantapa,” an inclusive space for Shiva-bhaktas that focused on living expressions of yoga grounded in daily life. Their vachanas are meditations that live in poetry and teach inner freedom that is accessible to everyone!

“Those who are rich build temples for Shiva, but what can a poor man like me do? My legs are the pillars, my body is the temple, and my head is the gold finial/dome. Hear me, O Lord Koodala Sangama (Shiva), that which stands in its gross existence can be destroyed, but not that which is subtle and moving within me.”

— Basavanna, 12th century

Akka Mahadevi, the wandering ascetic who renounced a royal life, devoted herself to her inner deity, Chenna Mallikarjuna. Her writings reveal a sophisticated understanding of yoga and Vedanta. Two works attributed to her, Mantrogopya and Yogangatrividha, explore the inner disciplines of mantra, meditation, and the union of body, mind, and consciousness.

During this same period, three great acharyas—Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, and Madhvacharya—anchored the intellectual side of yoga through the development of Vedanta. Adi Shankaracharya (8th century), though from Kerala, travelled widely through Karnataka, establishing centres of Advaita Vedanta that bridged meditation and intellect. The Shringeri Sharada Peetha was the first of the four major monasteries established by Adi Shankaracharya. Ramanujacharya (11th century) spent years in Melkote, infusing Bhakti with the discipline of Vedanta. His vision of surrender (prapatti) and service (seva) became central to the yoga of devotion. Madhvacharya, born near Udupi in the 13th century, articulated Dvaita Vedanta, reconciling intellect and devotion through dualism. For him, yoga was the clear perception of one’s relationship with the Absolute. Together, they bridged intellect, devotion, and discernment.

By the 14th and 15th centuries, under the aegis of the Vijayanagara Empire, yoga reached new heights. The hypnotic temples of Hampi are architectural marvels where yogic symbolism (meditation, cosmic design, tantric imagery) is embedded in the stone. Sculptures of Yogis performing complex asanas are seen in the Virupaksha, Vijaya Vittala, and Achyutaraya temples. The Vijayanagar Empire also patronised the Bhakti poetry of the Dasas. Saints like Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa embodied yoga as lived devotion rather than physical discipline. Their padas and keerthanas, written in Kannada, express bhakti as a merging of the Self with the Divine through humility, music, and surrender. Purandara Dasa’s compositions speak of self-awareness (atma vichara) and detachment amid worldly life, aligning closely with the yogic path of karma sanyasa. Kanaka Dasa’s verses, rich with social critique and spiritual longing, describe devotion as the direct realization of the divine within, echoing the yogic principle of inner transformation. For the Dasa poets, singing and remembrance (nama smarana) were forms of nada yoga (the yoga of sound), turning devotion itself into a meditative practice that transcended ritual and caste.

With the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire, the Deccan Sultanate rose to prominence, bringing with it the Sufi mystics. They often interacted with Yogis and ascetics, as they were interested in the spiritual powers and potential that yoga brings. This cross-cultural exchange led to a blending of spiritual ideas and practices. Yogini portraits in miniature paintings came into prominence, as the idea of a female ascetic with a princess-like appearance who has left her home for a more meaningful life of spirituality captured the fancy of many artists and patrons. The Deccan Sultans were inclined towards the mysticism of Sufism and the Natha cult of Shaivism. The ruler of Bijapur, Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580-1627), was influenced by Shaivite practice so much so that he is portrayed with rudraksha beads around his neck in one of the paintings. It was said that he believed he was the son of Saraswati and spoke Sanskrit better than Persian. Bringing together Hindus and Muslims, Persians, Africans, and Europeans in an atmosphere of heterodox learning, Ibrahim Adil Shah wanted to create a freethinking court of refined expression through art, music, and yoga.

“They speak different languages,” he wrote,

“But they feel the same thing:

The Turk and the Brahmin.”

The Modern Continuum

In recent history, the Wodeyars of Mysore revived yoga heritage by creating a seamless bridge between Karnataka’s ancient spiritual traditions and contemporary global practice. Beginning with the 19th-century Śritattvanidhi, a Mysore Palace compendium illustrating 122 āsanas, the Wodeyars patronised the living, scholarly yoga culture long before its modern revival by Krishnamacharya. Today, Mysuru stands as a vibrant hub of yoga education, attracting students from all over the world and promoting yoga’s timeless wisdom.

A Living Mandala of Traditions

I began this study not to collect facts but to understand how our civilization cultivated its consciousness. What I discovered was that yoga in Karnataka has always been a way of living together while seeking what is eternal.

Karnataka’s plural heritage invites us to see yoga as repeatedly interpreted and redefined over time. Gomateshwara’s stillness, Allamaprabhu’s poetry, and Krishnamacharya’s asana are all equally valid expressions of yoga. Further, yoga, at its essence, is not about self-improvement alone, but about cultivating empathy, resilience, and social intelligence. The Veerashaiva movement and Dasa Sahitya teach us that without these, yoga risks becoming self-centered and isolating. Karnataka’s yogic heritage reminds us that practice cannot be separated from philosophy, community, and care for the world.

As a practitioner, I am grateful to have countless sources of inspiration: art, architecture, music, poetry, paintings, texts, and stories that sustain my practice. That is the enduring legacy of this land where many paths meet.

The story of yoga in Karnataka is far from over. Every practitioner contributes to it in more ways than they know. At Amrutha Bindu Yoga, that is our work: to continue this living lineage of awareness, humility, and wonder.