The Emblem that the “Karnataka Lingayat Education Society” has adopted officially is cautiously designed, beautifully and meaning fully carves out and symbolizes the ideology that the K.L.E Society stands for.  It truly reflects the aims, objectives and the aspirations of the Society.

The sacred bull is symbolic of service; the ‘Flying Bird’ of awakened youth raising with great powers and ready to take up any challenge; the ‘hexagram’ of Veershaiva Dharma points towards its secular outlook in the service of the people; the ‘Ishtalinga’ in the palm and the halo around it are suggestive of the knowledge to remove ignorance of the people in the fulfillment of the Veershaiva Philosophy.  Therefore, the idea of the Emblem is that by the union of Dharma, Knowledge, Service and Sacrifice, the K.L.E. Society has a vision of giving excellent educational service to the people of all castes, creeds, religions and region.
            People who take responsibility do not pray and those who pray do not take responsibility. Spirituality brings both together simultaneously. The combination of prayer and responsibility has inspired millions across the world resulting in a global phenomenon of caring, sharing and selfless service.
           
   The animate and contemporary specimen of this combination is the Karnataka Lingayat Education Society. Established in 1916, by the dedicated, radical and committed congregation of seven young persons of great vision and perceptivity, rightly remembered as “saptarishis”, this society has turned out today as one of the Banyan Institutions in the country. The three great selfless visionary Founder members Sri. Sardar Veerabhadrappa Gunappa Naik, Rao Bahadur Desai Sahed of Chachadi, Sri. Rao Bahdur R.C. Artal, Sri. Vaijappa  A. Angol  and the seven dedicated teachers and Founder life members Sri. M.R. Sakhare, Prof S.S. Basavanal, Sri. H.F. Kattimani,  Sri. B.B. Mamadapur, Sri. B.S. Hanchinal, Sri. Panditappa Chikodi and Sri. V.V. Patil who are the Founding – Fathers (the Saptarishis) of this mighty Society envision aged the mounting importance of Education in realizing the ideals they cherished.  This ultimately led to the founding of the K.L.E. Society.
            These seven young charismatic personalities educated from “Deccan Institute” Pune, brushed aside and renounced the scintillating future prospects waiting for them and sacrificed their lives and energies for bringing up the Lingayat Community which was totally devoid of education and enlightenment in those days. When education was beyond the reach and just a mere contemplation of the people during the dark days of Britisher’s rule, it was then that the Saptarishis pioneered the dream of making education available to all irrespective of their status or financial constraints in the region of North Karnataka. These seven teachers, who laid the pillars of this Institution, toiled day and night in their venture to bring the light of literacy and knowledge the this region.
An Anglo-vernacular school at Belgaum, the first institution was established in 1916.  The School named ‘GILGANCHI ARTAL High School”, after the two well known social workers, Shri Gurusidappa Gilganchi and Rao Bahadur R.C. Artal.  The year 1963 witnessed the most significant events in the history of K.L.E Society, Belgaum, with the emergence of the three most important hemisphere of quality Institutions,  namely,  The Jawaharal Nehru Medical College at Belgaum, G.H. College at Haveri and the college of Arts and Science in the cosmopolitan city of  Bangalore.  In the year 1966, this infant institution at Bangalore got it’s own building in Rajajinagar. In 1968, the college was named after Shri S. Nigalingappa, to honour the illustrious son of Karnataka as a token of gratitude for his invaluable service. In  June  1993 the foremost college, the Lingaraj college was started in Belgaum, since then the society has grown into a vast institution with the active co-operation and contribution of its founders, donors, the public, the teachers and the student community.
The society caters to may diverse fields starting from kindergarten level to post doctoral research, in various streams like engineering, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry, physiotherapy, polytechnic, hotel management, ayurveda, science, arts, commerce, law, job oriented courses, teachers training and agriculture.  The Board of management comprising of eminent people under the patronage of the chairman, Shri. Prabhakar B. Kore has set higher goals.  Shri Prabhakar B. Kore Chairman of K.L.E Society is the first Kannadian to receive “Gaints International Award: 2004” for his tremendous service in educational field.
With a strong network of over 162 educational institutions spread in Karnataka, part of Maharashtra and even in Delhi, the K.L.E. Society enjoys an unrivalled status in India, specially in the South.  To advance the cause of education, the society has employed over 6,000 men and women committed to academic excellence, and have over 60,000 students on its roll and Rs. 5 Billion in assets.  Obviously, the K.L.E Society today, stands second to none. 
  Apart from quality educational institutions, health care institutions and other community support programs, the K.L.E Society has earned its recognition outside the boundaries of India. It has entered into collaboration with Universities abroad in the USA, UK and Malaysia. This has added to the rich heritage of The K. L. E. Society.
            The Society with an affluent heritage of 90 years of selfless services is setting ahead in its mission of spreading and widening the luminescence of knowledge and is endeavoring to cater to the metamorphic needs of the high-powered and high-seeded Indian society. The present highly dedicated and eminent members of the Board of Management under the patronage of the great visionary personality, educationist Sri Prabhakar .B. Kore has been realizing the dreams of the founding fathers continuously and is setting still higher goals of aspirations and ambitious. The Chairman has been taking the society at the optimum heights of success in the areas of education, service and selfless wisdom. This giant body has withstood the test of time and space and is realistic example for the truth “Work is worship.”