Boy · Kannada and Sanskrit (Kannada usage) · Hindu
Basavaraj
बसवराजSay it buh-suh-vuh-RAAJ
- Meaning today
- King of bulls, lord of bulls
- Original meaning
- "basava, the bull Shiva rides, with rāja, king" Ferdinand Kittel, p. 1157
- Say it
- buh-suh-vuh-RAAJ
- Written
- बसवराज
- Other spellings
- Basavraj, Basavaraju, Basavaraja
Basavaraj
Stays on your phone. A family name is never required.
Basavaraj meaning
Basavaraj (बसवराज) is a Hindu boy's name of Kannada and Sanskrit origin (Kannada usage).
Basava, the bull Shiva rides, with rāja, king
Also used to mean: king of bulls, lord of bulls
Basavaraj (बसवराज, Kannada ಬಸವರಾಜ) joins Kannada basava and Sanskrit rāja, "king". Kittel's Kannada dictionary defines basava as the bull on which Shiva rides, whose stone image Lingayats worship, and lists it as the name of Basava, the 12th-century founder of the Lingayat movement. Monier-Williams gives rāja as a king or the best of its kind. Name lists translate the name as "king of bulls", which matches the parts, but most families choose it in honour of Basavanna. It is used mainly in Karnataka.
Source: Ferdinand Kittel, A Kannada-English Dictionary (1894), p. 1157 · entry basava · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Kittel, basava, p. 1157 · Monier-Williams, rāja, p. 872 · Wikipedia, Basavaraj Bommai · Wikipedia, Basavaraj Rajguru
Famous namesakes
- Basavaraj Bommai, former Chief Minister of Karnataka
- Basavaraj Rajguru, Hindustani classical singer
Spellings
Basavaraj · Basavraj · Basavaraju · Basavaraja