Kannada Literature and the Eight Jnanpith Awards

A short tour of Kannada literature, from the early Kavirajamarga to modern writers, and the eight Jnanpith Awards won by Kannada authors.

Kannada has one of the richest literary traditions in India. Reading even a few lines helps you see the language's range.

Early literature

ಕವಿರಾಜಮಾರ್ಗ (Kavirajamarga), from around the ninth century, is the earliest surviving work of literary criticism in Kannada.
ಪಂಪ (Pampa), of the tenth century, is called ಆದಿಕವಿ (adikavi, "first poet") and wrote the epic Vikramarjuna Vijaya, also known as Pampa Bharata.
The ವಚನ (vachana) tradition of the twelfth century, led by Basavanna, Akka Mahadevi and others, expressed spiritual and social ideas in short, direct verse.
The ದಾಸ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ (dasa sahitya) of later centuries used devotional songs, with Purandara Dasa as a leading figure.

Modern Kannada writers explored novels, short stories, poetry and drama. Notable names include:

The Jnanpith Award is one of India's highest literary honours. Kannada writers have won it eight times, in these years:

Kuvempu also wrote the poem ಜಯ ಭಾರತ ಜನನಿಯ ತನುಜಾತೆ, which is the state anthem of Karnataka.