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{{short description|7th to 16th centuries Kannada literature}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
'''[[Medieval]] [[Kannada literature]]''' covered a wide range of subjects and genres which can broadly be classified under the [[Jain]], [[Virashaiva]], [[Vaishnava]] and secular traditions. These include writings from the 7th century rise of the [[Chalukya dynasty|Badami Chalukya]] empire to the 16th century, coinciding with the decline of [[Vijayanagara Empire]]. The earliest known literary works until about the 12th century CE were mostly authored by the Jainas along with a few works by Virashaivas and [[Brahmin]]s and hence this period is called the age of Jain literature, . The 13th century CE, to the 15th century CE, saw the emergence of numerous Virashaiva and Brahminical writers with a proportional decline in Jain literary works. Thereafter, Virashaiva and Brahmin writers have dominated the [[Kannada]] literary tradition.<ref name="write1">Narasimhacharya (1988), p17</ref> Some of the earliest metres used by Jain writers prior to 9th century include the ''chattana'', ''bedande'' and the ''melvadu'' metres, writings in which have not been discovered but are known from references made to them in later centuries.<ref name="write1"/> Popular metres from the 9th century onwards when Kannada literature is available are the ''champu-kavyas'' or just ''[[champu]]'',<ref name="write2">Poems in verse of various metres interspersed with paragraphs of prose (Narasimhacharya 1988, p12)</ref> ''[[vachana]]''<ref name="wite5">Virashaiva poetic prose in simple and lucid Kannada from the 12th century (Narasimhacharya 1988, p17)</ref> ''sangatya'',<ref name="write3">sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument and introduced in 1232 by Sisumanayana (Sastri 1955, p359)</ref> ''shatpadi'',<ref name="write4">Six liners popular in later Jain, Brahminical and Virashaiva works (Narasimhacharya 1988, p17)</ref> ''ragale'',<ref name="lyr">lyrical poems with refrain (Sastri 1955, p361)</ref> ''tripadi'',<ref name="lyric">Three line poetry (Sastri 1955, p361)</ref> and ''kavya''.<ref name="kav">A poem in classical style. {{cite web|title=Kanaka Dasa-Poet among saints|url=http://www.kamat.com/indica/faiths/bhakti/kanakadasa.htm|author=Dr. Jytosna Kamat|publisher=Kamats Potpourri|access-date=2006-12-31}}</ref>

The Jain scholars wrote mostly about the life of [[Tirthankar]]s and about princes and persons who attained sainthood. These writings are called Jain ''[[purana]]s''. Virashaiva works centered on the Hindu god [[Shiva]], his various forms and his saintly devotees. A unique and native form of poetry called [[Vachana]] ''sahitya'' was born in the 12th century CE, as a reaction to the rigid social customs prevailing at that time. This form of poetry in pithy prose was heralded by the Virashaiva saints and remains popular even today.<ref name="vir">{{cite web|title=Veerashaivism and The Vachanas|url=http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/kar/literature/history4.htm|author=Kamat, Jyotsna|publisher=Kamat's Potpourri|work=History of Kannada literature-IV|access-date=2007-05-31}}</ref> Brahminical writings were on the [[Vaishnava]] Hindu epics, the [[Ramayana]], the [[Mahabharata]], the [[Bhagavata]], the [[Purana]]s and subjects bearing on the [[Vedas]].<ref name="write6">Narasimhacharya (1988), p61</ref> Another devotional movement, inspired by the teachings of [[Madhwacharya]] heralded by Vaishnava saints ushered in a form of Kannada literature called the [[Haridasa]] ''sahitya'' (literature of slaves of god) in the 14th century CE, and resulted in the production of a vast corpus of devotional compositions over the next four centuries.<ref name="vai">{{cite web|title=Dasa Sahitya or Slave Literature|url=http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/kar/literature/dasa.htm|author=Kamat, Jyotsna|publisher=Kamat's Potpourri|work=History of Kannada literature|access-date=2007-05-31}}</ref> A vast amount of literature came to be written on non-religious subjects generally classified as secular literature. Secular literatures were on such subjects as [[grammar]] (''sabdagama''), [[logic]] (''yuktyagama''), [[philosophy]] (''paramagama''), [[poetry]], [[Romanticism|romance]], [[drama]], [[rhetoric]], [[Prosody (linguistics)|prosody]], [[lexicon]], [[biography]], [[history]], [[medicine]], [[veterinary science]], [[mathematics]], poetic inscriptions called ''kavya'', [[cookery]], [[fiction]], [[astrology]], [[meteorology]], [[toxicology]], [[eroticism]] etc.<ref name="write7">Narasimhacharya (1988), pp61-65</ref>

== Early literature ==
The verse form of inscriptions were popular in the 7th century and the [[Shravanabelagola inscription of Nandisena]] (7th century),<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.classicalkannada.org/DataBase/KannwordHTMLS/CLASSICAL%20KANNADA%20INSCRIPTIONS%20HTML/SHRAVANABELAGOLA%20INSCRIPTION%20HTML.htm
|title = Inscriptions
|work = Official website of CIIL, Government of India
|publisher = Classicalkannada.org
|access-date = 2012-02-29
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130624002227/http://www.classicalkannada.org/DataBase/KannwordHTMLS/CLASSICAL%20KANNADA%20INSCRIPTIONS%20HTML/SHRAVANABELAGOLA%20INSCRIPTION%20HTML.htm
|archive-date = 2013-06-24
}}</ref> and the [[Kappe Arabhatta]] record of 700 in ''tripadi'' metre is considered the earliest available [[:wikt:lithic|lithic]] records of Kannada poetry.<ref name="lithic">Kamath (2001), p67</ref> The ''Karnateshwara Katha'', which was quoted later by Jayakirti, must have belonged to the period and was a eulogy of [[Pulakeshin II]].<ref name="karnateshwara">Chidananda Murthy in Kamath (2001), p67</ref> Other Kannada writers of this time whose works are considered extinct are Syamakundacharya (650) who wrote ''Prabhrita'' and Srivaradhadeva, also called Tumubuluracharya (650) who wrote the ''Chudamani'' (Crest Jewel), a 96,000 verse commentary on [[logic]] (''Tattvartha-mahashastra'').<ref name="tumbu">Sastri (1955), p355</ref><ref name="tumbu2">Narasimhacharya (1988), p4-5</ref><ref name="tumbu1">{{cite web|title=History of Kannada Literature|url=http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/kar/literature/history1.htm|author=Dr. Jyotsna Kamat|publisher=Kamat's Potpourri|work=Kamat's Potpourri, November 04,2006|access-date=2006-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050403213846/http://kamat.com/kalranga/kar/literature/history1.htm|archive-date=3 April 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other sources date the ''Chudamani'' to the 6th century or earlier.<ref name="chu">B.L. Rice (1897), p497</ref><ref name="dandin">6th century Sanskrit poet Dandin praised Srivaradhadeva's writing as "having produced [[Saraswati]] from the tip of his tongue, just as [[Shiva]] produced the [[Ganges]] from the tip of his top knot (Rice E.P., 1921, p27)</ref> Bhattakalanka, a 17th-century Kannada grammarian, wrote of the ''Chudamini'' being a milestone which demonstrated that Kannada was well suited for [[scientific]] works.<ref name="scintific">Narasimhacharya (1988), pp4-5</ref> ''Gajashtaka'', a rare work on elephant management was written by the Western Ganga King [[Shivamara II]] around 800 but is now considered extinct.<ref name="shiv">Kamath (2001), p50</ref> Around 900, Gunavarma I authored the ''Shudraka'' and ''Harivamsha''. His writings are considered extinct but references to these writings are found in later years. He is known to have been patronised by King Ereganga Neetimarga II. In ''Shudraka'', he has favourably compared his patron to King Shudraka of ancient times.<ref name="shiv"/><ref name="ponn1">Narasimhacharya (1988), p18</ref> Sri Vijaya, court poet of [[Rashtrakuta]] King [[Amoghavarsha I]] wrote ''Chandraprabha-purana'' in the early 9th century.<ref name="ubhaya1">The author and this work were praised by later day poet Durgasimha of 1025 CE (Narasimhacharya 1988, p18)</ref> A prosody called ''Guna-gankiyam'' has been referenced in a Tamil work called ''Yapparungalakkarigai'' by Amritasagara and has been dated to the middle of the 9th century.<ref name="guna">Historians propose the name of the author to be Gunaga (or Gunaganka, Gunakenalla) (Narasimhacharya 1988, p29)</ref>

''[[Kavirajamarga]]'' (850) written by King [[Amoghavarsha I]] and [[Sri vijaya]] is the earliest available book on [[rhetoric]] and [[poetics]],<ref name="tumbu"/><ref name="rhet">Kamath (2001), p90</ref> though it is evident from the book that several works and metres of Kannada literature and poetry had existed in previous centuries. ''Kavirajamarga'' is a guide to poets (''Kavishiksha'') that aims to standardize these various styles. The book refers to early Kannada writers such as the 6th century [[Western Ganga Dynasty]] King [[Durvinita]], a writer of prose. Hence it is proposed that a considerable volume of prose and poetry must have come into existence prior to 850.<ref name="tumbu"/><ref name="volume">Narasimhacharya (1988), p2, p17</ref> Other writers mentioned in ''Kavirajamarga'' are Vimala, Udaya, Nagarjuna, Jayabhandu for Kannada prose and [[Ravikirti]] (636), Kavisvara, Pandita, Chandra and Lokapala in Kannada poetry.<ref name="chu"/><ref name="earlypro1">Narasimhacharya, 1988, p2</ref><ref name="earlypro2">{{cite web|title=Kannada Literature under the Rashtrakutas|url=http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/deccan/rashtrakutas/literature_kannada.htm|author=Kamat, Jyotsna|publisher=Kamat's Potpourri|work=The Rashtrakutas|access-date=2007-02-03}}</ref>

== Jain literature ==
[[File:Chavundaraya.jpg|thumb|right|10th century Kannada writer [[Chavundaraya]] with Nemichandra, © Kamat's Potpourri]]
[[File:Poetic old Kannada inscription of Bopanna dated 1180 CE at Shravanabelagola.jpg|thumb|right|Poetic Inscription in old Kannada by Jain poet Boppana (1180 CE) at [[Shravanabelagola]]]]
The Jain age of literature in Kannada has been called as the "Augustan age" of Kannada literature with writings of nearly 200 authors considered important. Jain authors in Kannada are far more than in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] or [[Telugu language]]s.<ref name="version"/> Kannada is the only language in which a Jain version of Ramayana and Mahabharata exists, in addition to Brahminical version of the same epics.<ref name="version">Narasimhacharya (1988), p66</ref> Famous among Jain writers were [[Adikavi Pampa]], [[Sri Ponna]], [[Chavundaraya]], [[Ranna (Kannada poet)|Ranna]], Gunavarma I, Nagachandra, Nayasena, [[Nagavarma I]], Aggala, [[Janna]] etc.<ref name="jain">Narasimacharya (1988), p65</ref> [[Adikavi Pampa]], widely regarded as one of the greatest Kannada writers, became famous for his [[purana]], ''[[Adipurana]]'' (941). Written in ''champu'' style, it is the life history of the first Jain thirtankar [[Rishabhadeva]]. Pampa's other notable work was ''[[Vikramarjuna Vijaya]]'' (941), is a Jain version of the Hindu epic, [[Mahabharata]], with [[Arjuna]] as the hero.<ref name="bharata">Sastri (1955), p356</ref> Also called ''Pampa Bharata'', it praises the writer's patron, King [[Chalukyas of Vemulavada|Chalukya]] Arikeseri of [[Vemulwada, Karimnagar District|Vemulavada]] (a [[Rashtrakuta]] feudatory), comparing the king's virtues favorably to those of Arjuna. Pampa demonstrates such a command of classical Kannada that scholars over the centuries have written many interpretations of his work.<ref name="earlypro2"/>

Pampa's contemporary was [[Sri Ponna]], the court poet of Rashtrakuta king [[Krishna III]]. He received the title ''Kavichakravarthi'' (poet laureate) and ''Ubhaya-Chakravarthi'' (imperial poet in two languages, for his command over Sanskrit as well) from his patron. He became famous for his ''Santipurana'' written around 950, narrating the life history of the 16th tirthankar Santinatha. Other classics by Sri Ponna are ''Jinaksharamale'', a poem in praise of Jainas and ''Bhuvanai-karamabhyudaya'', the later considered extinct but known from citations in later works.<ref name="ponn1"/><ref name="bharata"/> Ranna was the court poet of Western Chalukya kings [[Tailapa II]] and [[Satyashraya]]. He along with Pampa and Sri Ponna are called the "three gems of Kannada literature". Ranna wrote ''[[Ajitha purana|Ajitapurana]]'' in 993, a ''champu'' writing in 12 chapters on the life of the second tirthankar. His other classics are ''Sahasabhimavijaya'' (or ''Gadayuddha'') written in 982, a ''champu'' writing in 10 chapters which narrates the story of the epic Mahabharata with particular reference to the duel with clubs between [[Pandava]] [[Bhima]] and [[Kaurava]] [[Duryodhana]]. In this writing, the poet favourably compares his patron king Satyashraya to ''Sahasabhima'' (daring Bhima). Earlier to this, Ranna was patronised by Western Ganga minister [[Chavundaraya]] when he wrote ''Parashurama charita'', in which he compares his patron to [[Parashurama]].<ref name="ponn1"/><ref name="bharata"/><ref name="paras2">Kamath (2001), p45</ref>

In 1105, Nagachandra, a poet and builder in the court of Hoysala [[Veera Ballala I]] who was responsible for the consecration of important Jain temples (''Jainalaya'') wrote the Jain version of Ramayana called ''Ramachandra-charitapurana''. The story which deviates from the [[Valmiki]] Ramayana narrates the legend of [[Rama]] in a ''champu'' of 16 sections. In this work, Rama becomes a Jain ascetic and attains ''[[nirvana]]'' at the end. A complement to ''Pampa Bharata'' by Adikavi Pampa, the effort earned Nagachandra the title ''Abhinava Pampa''.<ref name="nirvana">Sastri (1955), pp357-8</ref><ref name="bal">Kamath (2001), p133</ref> The earliest available [[prose]] in Kannada is ''[[Vaddaradhane]]'' (900) by [[Shivakotiacharya]]. The title means "worship of elders". The writing contains 19 stories mostly borrowed from the Sanskrit book ''Brihatkatha-Kosha'' and is about Jain tenets. The writing describes issues such as rebirth, ''[[karma]]'', plight of humans on earth, social issues of the time such as education, trade and commerce, magic, superstitions and condition of women in society.<ref name="bharata"/> Janna who was given the title ''Kavichakravarti'' (poet laureate) in the court of Hoysala Veera Ballala II was also a minister, builder of many Jain temples and came from a family of such famous writers of the Hoysala court as Sumanobana and Mallikarjuna. His ''Yasodhara charita'' (1209) and ''Ananthanathapurana'' (1230) are considered to be enduring classics. The former work narrates the story of a king who was about to sacrifice two boys to a local deity called Mariamma. On hearing their story, the king releases the boys and gives up the practice of sacrificing live victims.<ref name="cupid">Sastri (1955), p359</ref><ref name="kesi">Narasimhacharya (1988), p20</ref>

In the early 13th century, [[Andayya]] wrote the ''Madana Vijaya'' (also known as ''Kavana Gella'' – victory of [[Kama]] or ''Kabbigara Kava'' – poets defender or ''Sobagina Suggi'' – harvest of beauty). In this unique work, Andayya used only indigenous Kannada words (''desya'') and naturalised Sanskrit words (''tatbhava'') totally avoiding assimilated Sanskrit words (''tatsamas''). In the story, Shiva imprisons the [[moon]] and [[cupid]] (Kama) in his anger assails Shiva with his arrows. An angry Shiva curses cupid to be separated from his bride, when cupid contrives to free himself of the curse.<ref name="cupid" />

== Virashaiva literature ==
[[File:Basava statue crop.png|thumb|150px|right|Statue of [[Basavanna]] in Bangalore]]
Among early Shaiva writers Durgasimha who wrote ''Panchatantra'' in 1025. He was a minister in the court of [[Western Chalukya]] King [[Jayasimha II (Western Chalukya dynasty)|Jayasimha II]]. Here he mentions many of his predecessors and contemporaries.<ref name="durga">Narasimhacharya (1955), pp18-19</ref><ref name="cont">Sastri (1955), p357</ref> [[Harihara (poet)|Harihara]], (also known as Harisvara) was patronised by [[Hoysala]] King [[Narasimha I]] and wrote the ''Girijakalyana'' (1165) in the old ''champu'' style describing the marriage of [[Shiva]] and [[Parvati]] in ten sections. He came from a family of accountants (''karanikas'') from [[Halebidu]] and spent many years in [[Hampi]] writing more than one hundred ''ragales'' (poems in blank verse) in praise of Virupaksha (a form of Shiva).<ref name="Parvati">Sastri (1955), pp361-2</ref><ref name="Parvati1">Narasimhacharya (1988), p20, p52</ref> [[Raghavanka]] was the first to introduce the ''Shatpadi'' metre into Kannada in his ''Harishchandra kavya'' (1165) which is considered a classic even though it occasionally violates strict rules of Kannada grammar.<ref name="hari">Sastri (1955), p362</ref>

Prose was the medium chosen by the Virashaiva poets (also known as [[Lingayat]]) to write devotional poetry called ''Vachana Sahitya'' in the 12th century. They were led by such great saints as [[Basavanna]] (a minister in the court of [[Kalachuris of Kalyani|Southern Kalachuri]] King [[Bijjala II]]), [[Akka Mahadevi]] and [[Allama Prabhu]]. Over 200 ''Vachana'' poets (''Vachanakara'') have been recorded from this period, more than 30 of whom were woman poets.<ref name="vac_rec">Sastri (1955), p361</ref> ''Vachanas'' are characterized as brief disconnected passages, each ending with one or more names of Shiva. The style was epigrammatical, parallelistic and elusive, dwelling on the vanity of riches and spiritual benefits of the worship of Shiva.<ref name="epi">E.P.Rice in Sastri (1955), p361</ref> These poems are still recited by Lingayat ''acharyas'' (priests). The poems have a section called ''Kalanjnana'' with a messianic forecast of the future mentioning the arrival of the ideal King Vira Vasanta Raya who would rebuild [[Basavakalyan|Kalyani]], the geographical centre of the Lingayat movement and restore the Lingayat sect to its full glory. Other famous teachers were Sivalenka, Sripati Pandita, [[Mallikarjuna Panditaradhya]]. The five famous ''acharyas'' were Revanna Siddha, Marula Siddha, Panditaradhya, Ekorami Tande and Visvesvaracharya.<ref name="vac_rec"/> Well-known ''vachana'' writers of the time were Chennabasava, Prabhudeva, Siddharama, Kondaguli Kesiraja etc.<ref name="kesi"/>

==Vaishnava literature==



[[Rudrabhatta]], a [[Smartha]] Brahmin (believer of monistic philosophy), was an early [[Vedic Brahmanism|Brahminical]] writer whose patron was Chandramouli, a minister of Hoysala King [[Veera Ballala II]]. Based on the earlier work of ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'', he wrote ''Jagannatha Vijaya'' (1180) in the ''champu'' style relating the life of [[Krishna]] leading up to his fight with the demon [[Banasura]].<ref name="brahmin">Sastri (1955), p364</ref><ref name="ratna"/> Famous among Brahmin writers from the 15th century was [[Kumara Vyasa]]. His real name was Naranappa and hailed from modern [[Gadag district]] in Karnataka. He wrote the first ten chapters of ''Gadugina Bharata'' (1430), a Kannada adaptation of epic Mahabharata in the court of [[Deva Raya II]]. The work was later completed by Thimmanna in the court of King [[Krishnadevaraya]]. Dedicating the work to his patron king, Thimmanna called it ''Krishnaraya Bharata''.<ref name="brahmin"/> In the 15th century, Narahari wrote the earliest brahminical rendering of the epic Ramayana in Kannada called ''Torave Ramayana''. It is called so because it was written in Torave, [[Sholapur District]], modern [[Maharashtra]].<ref name="madwa1"/>

The Vaishnava ''[[Bhakti]]'' (devotion) influence on Kannada literature was acute from the time of [[Vijayanagara Empire]], a direct impact of the [[dvaita]] philosophy propounded by [[Madhwacharya]] of [[Udupi]] in the 13th century.<ref name="madwa1">Sastri (1955), p365</ref> Over 150 well-known ''bhakti'' saints who wrote thousands of compositions are known. These compositions are broadly classified as general compositions, ''kavya'' (poetic compositions) and ''tatva'' (philosophical compositions). General compositions are further classified as ''keertanas'', ''ughabhogas'', ''suladis'', ''vruttanama'', ''dandaka'', ''tripadi'', ''pattadi'', ''sangathya'' and ''ragale''.<ref name="comp">{{cite web|title=Compositions and styles of Haridasas|url=http://www.dvaita.org/haridasa/overview/style.html|author=Rao, Madhusudana C.R.|publisher=www.dvaita.org, Haridasa homepage|work=Haridasas of Karnataka|access-date=2007-02-03}}</ref> The period between the 14th century to 16th century produced the first wave of devotional literature called the ''[[Haridasa]] sahitya'' (literature). [[Vyasatirtha]] who composed songs in praise of [[Krishna]], [[Purandara Dasa]] whose compositions marked his devotion to Purandara Vittala (a form of Vishnu) and [[Kanaka Dasa]] who praised Adikeshava (a form of Krishna) in his poems were the great trinity of Vaishnava composers in Kannada.<ref name="trin">{{cite web|title=Dasa Sahitya or Slave Literature|url=http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/kar/literature/dasa.htm|author=Kamat, Jyotsna|publisher=Kamat's Potpourri|work=History of Kannada literature|access-date=2007-02-03}}</ref> The contribution of Purandara Dasa to [[Carnatic music]] is immeasurable, and he is called the "Karnataka sangeeta pitamaha" (Father of Carnatic Music). Historians propose the number of his compositions were as many as 75,000–475,000 songs in Kannada and Sanskrit language, though only few hundreds are available today.<ref name="sanskrit_composition">{{cite book
|last = Moorthy
|first = Vijaya
|title = Romance of the Raga
|publisher = Abinav publications
|year = 2001
|pages = 67
|isbn = 81-7017-382-5
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2s2xJetsy0wC&q=Romance+of+the+Raga&pg=PP1}}</ref> He codified and consolidated the school of Carnatic music by evolving several steps like ''sarali'', ''jantai'', ''thattu varisai'', ''alankara'' and ''geetham'' and laid down a framework for imparting formal training in this art form.<ref name="tattu">Iyer (2006), p93</ref> He became an inspiration to later day Carnatic composers.<ref name="father">{{cite web|title=Purandara Dasa|url=http://www.kamat.com/indica/faiths/bhakti/purandara.htm|author=Dr. Jytosna Kamat|publisher=Kamats Potpourri|access-date=2006-12-31}}</ref><ref name="father1">{{cite web|title=Sri Purandara Dasaru|url=http://www.dvaita.org/haridasa/dasas/purandara/purandara.html|author=Madhusudana Rao CR|publisher=Dvaita Home Page|access-date=2006-12-31}}</ref><ref name="father2">{{cite web|title=History of Music|url=http://carnatica.net/origin.htm|author=S. Sowmya, K. N. Shashikiran|publisher=Srishti's Carnatica Private Limited|access-date=2006-12-31}}</ref>

Saint Kanaka Dasa of Kaginele in modern [[Haveri district]], who from various accounts belonged either to the community of shepherds (''kuruba'') or hunters (''beda'') or warriors (''kshatriya'') is an example of a non-Brahmin composer who made significant contribution to the ''bhakti'' (devotion) movement. Apart from his 200 compositions, he authored important works namely; ''Nalacharitre'' (story of Nala) and ''[[Haribhaktisara]]'' (devotion to Krishna in a book of morals for children) in ''shatpadi'' metre, ''Nrisimhastava'' (compositions in praise of Narasimha, an [[Avatar]] of Vishnu), ''Ramadhanyacharite'' (which narrates the superiority of the [[Finger millet|ragi]] [[millet]] over other grains in a book meant to address class inequalities) and ''[[Mohanatarangini]]'' (river of delight) which is a poem in ''kavya'' (poetic) style narration of stories of Krishna in ''sangatya'' metre.<ref name="madwa1"/><ref name="nala">{{cite web|title=Kanaka Dasa-Poet among saints|url=http://www.kamat.com/indica/faiths/bhakti/kanakadasa.htm|author=Dr. Jytosna Kamat|publisher=Kamats Potpourri|access-date=2006-12-31}}</ref>

== Secular literature ==

Kannada literary works treating [[algebra]], [[arithmetic]] and [[geometry]] have been written by Rajaditya, [[Bhaskaracharya]] of [[Bijapur, Karnataka|Bijapur]], Thimmarasa and others.<ref name="keladi">Narasimhacharya (1988), p64</ref> The 9th century mathematician [[Mahavira (mathematician)|Mahaviracharya]], a native of [[Gulbarga]], was patronised by the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha I.<ref name="math1">Kamath (2001), p89</ref> Commentaries on the theories in his ''ganitasarasangraha'' (a [[Sanskrit]] work) were later translated to Kannada.<ref name="math1"/> Rajaditya (1190) showed skill in reducing to easy verse the mathematical subjects (''ganita'') in his writings called ''Vyavahara-ganita'', ''Kshetraganita'' and ''Lilavati''.<ref name="lila">Sastri (1955), p358</ref> In the court of Hoysala [[Veera Ballala III]], Ratta Kavi (1300) wrote ''Rattamala'' and ''Rattasutra'' bearing on the subjects of natural phenomena such as [[rain]], [[lightning]], [[earthquake]]s, [[planets]] and [[omen]]s.<ref name="cupid" /> The earliest available writing on [[astrology]] is ''Jatakatilaka'' by Sridharacharya (1049), a Jain who also authored a work on general [[science]] called ''Sastrakavita'' and was patronised by Western Chalukya King [[Someshvara I]].<ref name="cont"/> In the field of [[medicine]], Jagadalla Somanatha's ''Karnataka-Kalyanakara'' of 1150 prescribing a totally vegetarian and non-alcoholic diet, a translation of Pujyapada's Sanskrit ''Kalyanakaraka'' is the earliest available and is in ''champu'' style.<ref name="lila"/><ref name="med">Narasimhacharya (1988), p63</ref> Gajanakusha (also known as Gajaga or Narayana) who wrote on erotics in the mid 10th century was a minister in the court of Rashtrakuta King [[Krishna III]], though his works have not come down to us.<ref name="er">Sitaram Jagirdar in Kamath (2001), p90</ref> Chandraraja (1025), who was patronised by Machiraja, a feudatory of Western Chalukya Jayasimha II wrote the earliest available book on erotism called ''Madanakatilaka'', in ''champu'' metre in 18 chapters. The writing dwells on the subject as a conversation between the author's patron and his wife.<ref name="cont"/>

''Govidya'' is the earliest available writing on [[veterinary science]]. It was authored by prince Kirtivarma in 1100 in the court of his brother and the famous Western Chalukya King [[Vikramaditya VI]].<ref name="vet">Kamath (2001), p115</ref> [[Nagavarma I]] (980), a Brahmin scholar from [[Vengi]] in modern [[Andhra Pradesh]] who was patronised by [[Chavundaraya]], a Western Ganga minister wrote ''Chandombudhi'' (ocean of prosody) addressed to his wife. This is considered the earliest available Kannada writing in [[Prosody (linguistics)|prosody]]. He also wrote one of the earliest available [[Romanticism|romance]] classics called ''Karnataka Kadambari'' in sweet and flowing ''champu'' (mixed verse and prose). It is based on an earlier [[Romanticism|romance]] work in Sanskrit by poet Bana and is popular among critics.<ref name="ponn1"/><ref name="cont"/> The earliest known [[Linguist|grammarian]] in Kannada is Nayasena (1112) but his works are considered extinct. Among existing literature, [[Nagavarma II]]'s ''Karnataka-bhashabhushana'' is from 1145. Nagavarma II was the poet laureate in the court of Western Chalukya King [[Jagadhekamalla II]].<ref name="lau">Narasimhacharya (1988), p19</ref> In this book, the ''sutras'' and short explanation are in Sanskrit and the illustrations are from Kannada literature. In 1260, [[Kesiraja]] wrote a comprehensive book on Kannada grammar called ''[[Sabdamanidarpana]]'' (mirror of word jewels). The rules here are set forth in ''kanda'' metre and followed by a prose commentary by the author and is considered a writing of high value.<ref name="cupid"/>

Sisumayana introduced the earliest writings in the ''sangatya'' metre in his works ''Anjanacharita'' and ''Tripura-dahana'', the later being a poem on the destruction of the triple fortress of birth, decay and death.<ref name="cupid"/> The earliest known [[lexicon]] in Kannada is the ''Ranna Kanda'' (990) by the great poet [[Ranna (Kannada poet)|Ranna]] with each verse ending with ''kaviratna''. Ranna was the poet laureate (''Kavichakravarti'') of Western Chalukya kings [[Tailapa II]] and [[Satyashraya]] and was bestowed the royal attributes of golden rod, royal umbrella and an elephant by his patrons.<ref name="bharata"/> The earliest books on [[cookery]] were written by Jayabandhunandana, Mangarasa.<ref name="med"/> A book on [[toxicology]] was written by Mangaraja I in 1360 called ''Khagendramani-darpana''.<ref name="cupid"/> Among [[fiction]] writers, Nemichandra who was patronised by Hoysala [[Veera Ballala II]] wrote ''Lilavati'' in 1170. This story is a romance fiction based on an earlier work in 610 called ''Vasavadatta'' by Subhandu with the scene of action in [[Banavasi]]. A Kadamba prince and a princess dream of each other, meet after many delays and are finally wedded to live happily ever after.<ref name="lila"/><ref name="vasu">Rice (1982), p43</ref> [[Drama]]s make their arrival into Kannada literature with ''Malavi-Madhava'' by Karnaparya (1140) and ''Subhadraharana'' and ''Prabodhachandra'' by [[Kesiraja]] (1260) being the earliest dramas now considered extinct. Of the once that are available, ''Mitravinda-govinda'' by Singararaya (1680) is a Kannada version of Sriharsha's ''Ratnavali''.<ref name="ratna">Narasimhacharya (1988), p62, p38</ref> Writings of local history made their appearance after the fall of Vijayanagara Empire. Some well-known works of [[history]] are ''Maisururajara-charitre'', ''Chikkadevarajavamsavali'' (17th century), ''Keladinripavijaya'' by Linganna, the last book being an important source of information on the origin of Vijayanagara Empire, etc.<ref name="keladi"/><ref name="keladinripa">Kamath (2001), p157</ref> Among [[Biography|Biographies]], ''Rajanripa-vijaya'', ''Kanthiravanarasaraja-vijaya'', ''Chikkadevaraja-vijaya'' (17th century) and ''Bijjalaraya-charite'' etc., are well-known works.<ref name="keladi"/>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==

'''Book'''

*{{cite book |last= Nilakanta Sastri|first= K.A.|title= A history of South India from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar|orig-year=1955|year=2002|publisher= Indian Branch, Oxford University Press|location= New Delhi|isbn= 0-19-560686-8}}
*{{cite book |last= Narasimhacharya|first= R|title= History of Kannada Literature|url= https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.489059|orig-year=1988|year=1988|publisher= Asian Educational Services|location= New Delhi, Madras|isbn= 81-206-0303-6}}
*{{cite book |last= Kamath|first= Suryanath U.|title= A concise history of Karnataka : from pre-historic times to the present|orig-year=1980|year= 2001|publisher= Jupiter books|location= Bangalore|oclc= 7796041 |lccn= 80905179}}
*{{cite book |last= Iyer|first= Panchapakesa A.S.|title= Karnataka Sangeeta Sastra|orig-year=2006|year=2006|publisher= Zion Printers|location= Chennai}}
*{{cite book |last= Rice|first= E.P.|title= Kannada Literature|orig-year=1921|year=1982|publisher= Asian Educational Services|location= New Delhi|isbn= 81-206-0063-0}}
*{{cite book |last= Rice|first= B.L.|title= Mysore Gazetteer Compiled for Government-vol 1|orig-year=1897|year=2001|publisher= Asian Educational Services|location= New Delhi, Madras|isbn= 81-206-0977-8}}

'''Web'''
*{{cite web|author=Rao, Madhusudana C.R.|title=History of Haridasas|url=http://www.dvaita.org/haridasa|work=Haridasas of Karnataka|access-date=2007-05-30}}
*{{cite web|author=Arthikaje|title=The Haridasa Movement — Part 2|url=http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka38.htm
|publisher=OurKarnataka.Com|work=History of karnataka|access-date=2006-12-31}}

==External links==
*[http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/kar/literature/history3.htm Medieval Kannada] by Dr. (Mrs) Jyotsna Kamat

{{Karnataka topics}}

[[Category:Kannada literature]]
[[Category:Literature of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Medieval Indian literature]]
[[Category:History of literature in India]]
[[Category:Cultural history of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Medieval Karnataka]]

Medieval Kannada literature - Revision history

Haresh Kathrotiya at 16:59, 20 September 2025