Within this tradition, devotion to Shiva is inseparable from a radical rethinking of social hierarchy. Lingayat thought rejects the birth-based caste system and the broader varnashrama framework as incompatible with authentic bhakti. Spiritual identity is grounded in shared faith in Shiva and the wearing of the personal linga, rather than in lineage or inherited status. All who bear the iṣṭaliṅga are regarded as direct devotees of Shiva and thus spiritually equal, whatever their social origins or occupations may be.

This egalitarian vision extends into concrete social and religious practices. Classical Lingayat institutions, such as the Anubhava Mantapa, are remembered as spaces that welcomed people from varied backgrounds, encouraging inter-dining and inter-marriage across caste lines. The movement opposes Brahmanical ritual dominance and does not rest religious authority on a hereditary priestly class, emphasizing instead devotion and knowledge as the true basis of spiritual leadership. Untouchability and caste-based occupational restrictions are explicitly rejected within the community’s self-understanding.

A notable dimension of this ethos is the affirmation of gender equality alongside caste equality. Lingayat literature portrays women as fully capable of the highest spiritual realization, granting them equal spiritual status with men. Women, like men, may serve as religious exemplars and teachers, and the tradition’s vachanas repeatedly stress that Shiva’s grace is not conditioned by gender or social rank. In this way, the path of devotion is envisioned as open to all, without distinction.

Taken together, these elements form a kind of religious democracy centered on Shiva-bhakti. Spiritual authority is ideally derived from inner realization and ethical integrity rather than birth, and leadership roles within the community are, in principle, open to anyone who embodies these qualities. Historically, this has offered a refuge and an alternative social space for those marginalized by the orthodox caste order, shaping a community identity that defines itself through its commitment to equality as much as through its devotion to Shiva.