Kannada literature

The Kannada language belongs to the Dravidian family of languages and is the second oldest language currently spoken in India. Kannada literature is also one of the oldest literary tradition in India. Kannada literature includes early writing dating from 2000 years ago to modern literature.

Early writing

The first example of full length Kannada writing can be found in the Halmidi inscription, dated c. 450 CE. The famous Badami cliff and Mahakuta pillar inscriptions from the 6th century, provide more examples of early Kannada writing. There is an abundance of inscriptions with partial Kannada writing prior to 450CE. However, the first available book in Kannada is the Kavirajamarga, written in the 9th century by King Amoghavarsha I Nrupatunga. The book is a treatise of sorts on Kannada poetry, Kannada language and Kannada speaking people in general. Based on the references that the book makes to earlier Kannada works, historians estimate that literature in Kannada must have begun a couple of centuries earlier, in the 6th-7th centuries CE. In fact Kavirajamarga refers to King Durvinita 505A.D. of Ganga dynasty as one of the early writers in Kannada. However, none of these earlier works have been found. Early Kannada coinage starts with 5th century Kadamba kingdom.

The history of Kannada literature is usually studied under three phases: purva HaleGannada(pre-old Kannada) HaleGannada (Old Kannada), NaduGannada (Middle Kannada) and Hosa Kannada (New Kannada).

Old Kannada (haLegannaDa)

The Old Kannada phase marks the period from the 10th century to approximately the 12th century. This period consists mainly of Jain religious literature. The most famous poet from this period is Pampa (902-975 CE), one of the most famous writers in the Kannada language. His Vikramarjuna Vijaya (also called pampa bharatha)is hailed as a classic even to this day. With this and his other important work Adipurana he set a trend of poetic excellence for the Kannada poets of the future. The former work is an adaptation of the celebrated Mahabharata, and is the first such adaptation in Kannada. Noted for the strong human bent and the dignified style in his writing, Pampa has been one of the most influential writers in Kannada. He is identified as the adi kavi. (First poet)

Ponna (939-966 CE) is also an important writer from the same period, with Shanti-Purana as his magnum opus. Another major writer of the period is Ranna (949-? CE). His most famous works are the Jain religious work Ajita-Tirthankara Purana and the Gada-Yuddham (The Mace fight), a birds' eye view of the Mahabharata, set in the last day of the Battle of Kurukshetra and relating the story of the Mahabharata through a series of flashbacks.

Structurally, the poetry in this period is in the Champu style, essentially poetry interspersed with lyrical prose.

Middle Kannada(naDugannaDa)

The Middle Kannada period gave birth to several genres in Kannada literature, with new forms of composition coming into use, including Ragale (a form of blank verse) and meters like Sangatya and Desi. The works of this period are based on Jain, Hindu principles.

Two of the early writers (13th century) of this period are Harihara and Raghavanka, trailblazers in their own right. Harihara established the Ragale form of composition, and most of his works are based on the Shaiva and Veerashaiva traditions. Raghavanka popularized the Shatpadi (six-lined stanza) meter through his six works, the most famous being Harishchandra Charitre, based on the life of the Hindu mythological character Harishchandra. The work is noted for its intense attention to human ideals. Harishchandra Charitre is a "Darshana Kavya". Ranganna has described in detail about the Style of Raghavanka in his book "Shaili". Raghavanka also wrote "Siddharama Charitha" and "Somanatha Charitha". Siddharama Charitha describes the story of Siddharama and his accomplishments in building a sacred pond and a siva temple at Sonnalige.

A famous Jaina writer of the same period is Janna, who expressed Jain religious teachings through his works, Yashodhara Charite and Ananthanatha Purana. A seminal work on Kannada grammar from the same period is Shabda Mani Darpana by Keshi Raja.

Vachanas

Kannada had poetry similar to haiku in the 12th century! This form of poetry, called vachanas, were three liners which were pithy comments on that period's social, religious and economic conditions. More importantly, they hold a mirror to the seed of a social revolution, which caused a radical re-examination of the ideas of caste, creed and religion. One of the important ideas coming out of this revolution was the view that Work is worship and a path to spirituality.

Some of the important writers of Vachana literature include Basaveshvara (1131-1167 CE), Allama Prabhu and Akka Mahadevi, the first woman-writer in Kannada.

Significant number of vachans in Kannada by Basavanna, Akkamahadevi, Allama, Sarvajna are available at www.vicharamantapa.net

Kumara Vyasa

Arguably, Kumara Vyasa has been the most famous and most influential Kannada writer of all time. His lifetime work, the Karnata Bharata KathaManjari, is a sublime adaptation of the first ten Parvas (chapters) of the Mahabharata. A devotee of Krishna, Kumara Vyasa ends his epic with the passing of Krishna in the tenth chapter of the Mahabharata. The work is easily the most celebrated in Kannada literature. Its fame arises out of the fact that it has appealed to people of all strata of education and intellect right up to the present day. The work is entirely composed in the Bhamini Shatpadi meter, a form of six lined stanza. The range of human emotions that Kumara Vyasa explores and the versatility of his vocabulary are extensive. The work is particularly known for its use of sophisticated metaphors, earning Kumara Vyasa the title Rupaka Samrajya Chakravarti (Emperor of the Land of Metaphors).

Bhakti

Bhakti literature is the literature composed by the Dasas or saints, around 15th century, singing the glory of God through poems. These poems called Padas were usually of 10 to 20 lines. They expressed the desire of the Bhakta or devotee to be one with God. This form of poetry was highly amenable to musical composition and exposition. This music evolved into the highly sophisticated and codified Carnatic music.

The Haridasas spread the message of peace, love and bhakti in their Dasa Sahitya, which are also popularly known as Devaranamas. Important writers of the Bhakti genre are Purandara Dasa (1494-1564) and Kanaka Dasa.

Modern Kannada(hosagannaDa)

Navodaya (New birth)

Navodaya literally means a new birth. This indeed was the reincarnation of Kannada literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after a period of dormancy in the face of British occupation of India. This period saw greats like Srikanthaiah, Kuvempu, Bendre, Shivaram Karanth, Betgeri Krishnasharma. This genre was highly influenced by Romantic English Poetry and Greek theater. It was Srikanthaiah who started this movement of sorts with his translation of a few critically acclaimed English poems of the Romantic period. Many educated Kannadigas, especially those who were in the teaching profession, realised that they needed to express themselves in their mother tongue and started writing in Kannada.

Kuvempu is a case in point who was convinced by his professor (of British origin) that he should write in his mother tongue. Kuvempu went on to become a Rashtrakavi (national poet). His love of nature, realisation of the greatness of man's spirit and the vision to see the blend of nature and God made him more than Kannada's Wordsworth. His most famous work is the Sri Ramayana Darshanam, based on the Hindu epic Ramayana.

Another interesting case is that of Shivaram Karanth who was a man of great intellect, rock-solid convictions and a profound social sense. His powerful social novels include Marali Mannige (Back to the Soil) and Mukajjiya Kanasugalu (A Dumb Granny's Dreams).

Famous poets of the period: Kuvempu, Srikanthaiah, D R Bendre, Pu Ti Narasimhachar, Betgeri Krishnasharma(Anandakanda), K S Narasimha Swamy.

Famous novelists of the period: Shivaram Karanth, Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar, S. L. Bhairappa.

Famous playwrights of the period: T P Kailasam.

Navya (New/Modernist)

Indian independence in 1947 brought with it the promises of freedom and a new genre sprouted in Kannada poetry. The torchbearer of this tradition was Gopalakrishna Adiga. The Navya poets wrote for and like disillusioned intellectuals. The sophistication in the use of language and the importance of technique to poetry reached new heights in this genre.

Famous Writers of the period : U R Ananthamurthy, Girish Karnad, K P Poornachandra Tejaswi, P Lankesh

Navyottara (Postmodernist)

Kannada literature in the last 50 years has been closely related to social aspects. The oppressions of the caste system gave rise to the Bandaaya and Dalita genres of poetry. Feminist movements in Indian society gave rise to the Streevaadi (Feminist) genre of poetry. Short stories have been very popular in the 20th century. Bhavageete (expressionist poetry) is a popular form of poetry in the 20th century.

Kannada literature can get accessed from http://www.kannadasaahithya.com (Both in Kannada Unicode and non-Unicode versions are available along with few translations in to English)

Awards

The fact that holds testament to the greatness of Kannada literature is that it's writers have won seven Jnanpith awards, the highest for any Indian language. As of August 2004, a total of 46 Kannada writers have received the lesser Sahitya Akademi award.

Reaching people

The popularity of literature is gauged in terms of the response that the educated and interested elite give. But the real popularity of poetry is when common people sing it. Popular appeal is not very easy to achieve for any form of poetry; especially when audiences are not kept in mind. Kannada poetry has a few instances of such mass popularity. Kumaravyasa's epic retelling of the Mahabharata is recited in homes even today. Bhavageete (literally "emotion poetry") has popularized many a Kannada poems and has people humming them.

Jnanpith awardees are