22 Facts About Kannada literature

Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script.

The Kannada literature language is usually divided into three linguistic phases: Old, Middle and Modern ;and its literary characteristics are categorised as Jain, Lingayatism and Vaishnava—recognising the prominence of these three faiths in giving form to, and fostering, classical expression of the language, until the advent of the modern era.

Kannada literature moved closer to the spoken and sung folk traditions, with musicality being its hallmark, although some poets continued to use the ancient champu form of writing as late as the 17th century.

The topics of Kannada literature included grammar, philosophy, prosody, rhetoric, chronicles, biography, history, drama and cuisine, as well as dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Venkatachala Sastry, the book Karnataka Kavicharitre compiled by Kannada scholar R Narasimhachar lists over one thousand anonymous pieces of Kannada literature that cover an array of topics under religious and secular categories.

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Works of Jain writers Adikavi Pampa, Sri Ponna and Ranna, collectively called the "three gems of Kannada literature", heralded the age of classical Kannada in the 10th century.

Kannada literature earned the title Ubhaya Kavichakravathi for his command of both Kannada and Sanskrit.

Kannada literature is credited with more than 100 poems in ragale metre, called the Nambiyanana ragale praising the saint Nambiyana and Virupaksha .

Kannada literature was particularly known for his sophisticated use of metaphors and had even earned the title Rupaka Samrajya Chakravarti .

Some followers of this faith wrote Kannada literature called Vachana Sahitya or Sharana Sahitya consisting of a unique and native form of poetry in free verse called Vachana.

Kannada literature's songs were reflective, philosophical and concerned with Yoga.

Vaishnava Bhakti movement involving well-known Haridasas of that time made an indelible imprint on Kannada literature starting in the 15th century, inspiring a body of work called Haridasa Sahitya .

Kannada literature devised a system by which the common man could learn Carnatic music, and codified the musical composition forms svaravalis, alankaras and geethams.

Kannada literature was not patronised by royalty, nor did he write for fame; his main aim was to instruct people about morality.

Kannada literature is credited with the earliest Yakshaganas that included sangeeta, nataka and natya .

Kannada literature's reign signalled the shift from classical genres to modern literature which was to be complemented by the influence of colonial period of India.

Development of modern Kannada literature can be traced to the early 19th century when Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III and his court poets moved away from the ancient champu form of prose toward prose renderings of Sanskrit epics and plays.

Kannada literature's plays mainly focused on problems affecting middle class Brahmin families: the dowry system, religious persecution, woes in the extended family system and exploitation of women.

Kannada literature's poems covered a wide range of themes including patriotism, love of nature, conjugal love, transcendental experiences and sympathy for the poor.

The essay, another form adopted from western Kannada literature, was richly served by A N Murthy Rao, Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar's humorous Halliya Chitragalu and Karanth's Hucchu manassina Hattu mukhagalu .

Kannada literature continued to write poems in the same vein, although in his later poems there is a gradual shift to social issues with a streak of admiration for god's creation.

Kannada literature writers have been presented with 8 Jnanpith awards, 63 Sahitya Akademi awards and 9 Sahitya Akademi Fellowships in India, and numerous other national and international awards since India's independence.