Beeralingeswara / Biroba / Birappa, a form of the Hindu god Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

, is the main deity worshiped by the Dhangar

Dhangar

The Dhangar caste is primarily located in the Indian state of Maharashtra...

/Kuruba Gowda caste.

Most villages in Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

 has a Berappa temple, the deity is not only worshipped by Kuruba Gowdas but also people from other caste and communities. Dr Rajkumar the Kannada icon was the most famous worshipper of the deity as portrayed in many of his popular movies. In the movie Kaviratna Kalidasa

Kaviratna Kalidasa

Released in 1983, Kaviratna Kalidasa is one of the all-time top money-grossing films in the history of Kannada Movies. Dr Rajkumar, a prominent actor in the Kannada film industry starred in the film, portraying the role of Kalidasa, along with Jaya Pradha in the role of Vidyadhare and Srinivasa...

, the Berappa temple of Dr Rajkumar's native village is shown in a song.