 He was adept in the Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada languages.He was a devotee of Basavanna (the founder of the Veerashaiva movement), and all his writings propagate that faith.It is generally accepted that he was born a brahmin and later adopted the Shaiva faith, although according to the scholar Bandaru Tammayya he was born a "Jangama" (follower of the Shaiva faith).