Literature and Culture Literature Kannada Literature Has a Has Literature Kannada
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AND CULTURE Chapter XIII LITERATURE LITERATURE AND CULTURE Saigotta Sivarama’s ‘Gajashtaka’ which is cited The cultural heritage of Karnataka is rich and as an example of early folk literature. The oldest variegated. The Kannada words saw their entry available work in Kannada is however, a book on through Halmidi inscription of 450 A.D. But prior poetics, called ‘Kavirajamarga’ of 850 A.D. Some to it, a Kannada word “Isila” occur in Ashoka’s controversy regarding its authorship however is HISTORY Brahmagiri inscription of third century B.C. It ended and it is attributed to the court poet Srivijaya is curious to note that the Sittanvasal inscription of Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha Nripathunga. st from Tamil Nadu of 1 century A.D. also has few The work not only discusses figures of speech like Kannada words. The Kannada literature saw its ‘rasa’ and ‘dhwani’, but also gives descriptions first work entitled ‘Kavirajamarga’ during 850 about the geographical boundaries of Karnataka, A.D. and in modern times it is blessed with eight as well as its dynamic life and culture. Jnanapeetha Awardees. Literary activity in other languages of neighbouring areas and purely local Even before the existance of ‘Saigotta languages like Tulu and Kodava is also considerable. Shivamara’s Gajastaka’, folk literature was very PEOPLE Journalism in Kannada has its history dating much in existance in Karnataka. We can find concomitant indications in Sangam literature and back to 1843 and has many achievements to its Agastya-Kaveri episode in Kaveripuranam. credit. Karnataka has outstanding personalities of historical significance. In the musical map of India, Even before Halmidi inscription which has the State has bright spots, whether it is Hindustani only about 27 kannada words and being greatly or Karnatak, the latter having originated in this influenced by Sanskrit and still has some folk land. In the field of dance and art too Karnataka oriented words like Balgalchu, Kurumbidi and INTRODUCTION has creditable achievements. Yakshagana, both a Sanskrith-Kannada mixed words like petta jayan folk and elite art is flourishing here. The State’s etc,. At Halmidi even today the circular pre-historic tradition in folk arts is also colourful.When one tomb is worshipped with all asterity as ‘Hirade thinks of the cultural scene, Shivaram Karanth, lingana habba,’ a complete folk festival. Kuvempu, D.R.Bendre, Cine star Rajkumar, In Sangam literature we find the word Maya Rao, Mallikarjuna Mansur, T.Chaudiah, ‘Erumainat’ whose Kannada version is ‘Eruminad’. K.K.Hebbar, Pandit Bheemasen Joshi, Gangubai This eruminad include Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Hangal, U.S.Krishna Rao and Chandrabhagadevi AND POWER Mysuru and some portions of Northern Kerala. INDUSTRIES the dance couple, B.V. Karanth, U.R. Anantha The oldest Karnataka tribal royal dynasties were Murthy, Girish Karnad, Chandrashekhar Kambar supposed to be ‘punnatas’ which is recognised in are a few bright faces that shine forth. Recently, 2nd century, by Ptolemy, who also refers to punnata the Central Governement has accorded the along with banouse(Banavasi), patrigal(Pattadakal), Classical language status to Kannada language and maise (mahisha mandala). The people of these also. Samskrit, Tamil, Malayalam, Telgu and races were adept in royal folk varities [heterogenity] Odia are the other five India languages, who have prior to kavirajamarga. Of course only Kannada TRADE AND COMMERCE BANKING, CO-OPERATION, BANKING, CO-OPERATION, also obtained this status. An attempt is made to could find its script and hence became prominent survey the cultural pageant of Karnataka in this among scriptless languages like tulu and kodava. chapter. These languages used Kannada script for writing. LITERATURE As cited by Dr.S.Shetter, ‘Iravathan Mahadevan has said that the oldest Kannada during the early Kannada Literature: Kannada literature has a history dating back to at least 1500 years. This phase of old tamil has wielded influence on Tamil language; This is clearly indicated from Jaina apart, the folk literature which began earlier, still Tamil-Brahmi cave inscription of 1st century A.D runs parallel to the written form of Ganga king 659 of Sittanvasal at Eladipattam hills in Pudukoti works in Kannada might have been there but district. For this, the words cited are natu>nadu, not confirmed. Anyhow from the instances in and posil (hosil) (threshold). As a matter of fact we Sangam Literature, Sittalvassal inscription and find ‘Isila’, said to be a Kannada word in Ashokan ritual practises at Halmidi (16th line is entirely inscription. Moreover, Iravathan Mahadevan also in Kannada language], We can deduce that folk recognised the influence of Kannada that wielded music songs were in vogue in Karnataka during influence during 1st century B.C. to 4th century first century B.C. and 3rd century A.D. Moreover it A.D. Apart from the word, ‘eruminadu; kavudi, the has inspired later poets to engage in folk literature A HAND BOOK OF KARNATAKA name of the person and of the family, equivalent also in Karnataka. to the word gaundi; poshil-hosilu; ‘tayiyar’ of Tamil Thumbalacharya is credited with having written inscription are definitely from Kannada and was ‘Chudamani’, a philosophical work, much earlier in vogue in spoken form of colliquial speech. to kavirajamarga. But the earliest Kannada prose The Kulagana inscription of 7-8th century work is Sivakotyacharya’s ‘Vaddaradhane’ which records that Terakanambi and Bayalnadu [vynadu even to this day is considered a masterpiece. It is a of Kerala] was in kodagoor vishaya, of eruminad. collection of 19 Jaina stories, seems to have been Even today in Vynad temples ‘Kannada setties’ based on an earlier Prakrit commentary called are the first heirs in receiving Hutturi spike- ‘Bhagavathi Aradhana’ of Acharya Shivaraya. corn [Bendrukoleappa temple in Kerala]. One Pampa’s ‘Vikramarjuna Vijaya’ based on Nannan belonging to Erumai velir race was ruling ‘Mahabharatha’ and written in Champu style, (a st in 1 century A.D, the Mysuru area, to Kodagu mixture of prose and poetry), unique to Kannada, and Konkan. This has been quoted by the poets is the earliest epic work in Kannada. Pampa’s of Sangam period. The people of this Eruminad influence on Kannada literature is so deep that were adept in writing folk musical poems in Tamil T.N.Srikantaiah speaks of him as the Kalidasa since they were patronized by the Kings of that of Kannada. Being a Jaina poet, he also wrote area. They have also written heroic poems and ‘Adipurana’ based on Jinasena’s ‘Mahapurana’. poems pertaining to ‘turugol’ which is indicated It may also indicate that some Mahabharata in purunanooru, a poetic collection in Sangam text was available in poetic form, and Bhishma’s literature [S.Settar: Shangam Tamilagam., incidence pictured there might have impressed p.190]. both the poets. It is also possible that similar ideas The poets of Eruminand, if they were adept in and style flash to the creative writers but with a writing poems in Tamil language, they must have different mode of presentation. also creative genius in writing folk songs etc, in their respective mother tongue. This Eruminad Ponna’s ‘Shanthipurana’ and Ranna’s people seems to have hailed from Velir families ‘Gadayuddha’ have made them immortal as poets. They were Jains and lived in 10th and Aruvalar tribal sect, who migrated with Century. Nagavarma II, also a Jain poet, who Agastya to the western parts of South India and Agastya established them in different parts of wrote ‘Kavyavalokana’, a book on poetics, and the ghats, is indicated in Kerala works [K.Menon: ‘Karnataka Bhashabhushana’ a Kannada grammar Kerala Culture,P.80]. Nannan is adressed as in Sanskrit. His ‘Vardhamanapurana’ was discovered only recently. Janna, a Jain poet again, Nannan velir konkana’ in Natrinai by Sangam poets. His valour also has been praised. Even the wrote ‘Yashodhara Charithe’, a romantic story. Durgasimha, in llth century, wrote ‘Panchatantra’ Kaviraja Marga’s author has recognised the strong based on Vasubhaga’s Sanskrit work, and it is a influence of ‘Bedande and Chattana’ which belong classic example of the ancient art of story telling. to the category of musical poems. Nannan was also adept in using Elephants in the war against Rudrabhatta wrote ‘Jagannatha Vijaya’ based the decendents of Muvendars [Chola, Chera on ‘Vishnu Purana’, the last two were Brahmin poets. and Pandyas]. This tradition probably has given stimulus or inspiration to Saigotta Shivamara to Nagavarma who wrote ‘Chandambhudhi’ write Gajashtaka. prosody i.e. a metrical science in Kannada, was in the court of Rakkasaganga in about 990 A.D. An 660 Samanta Bhadra of about 400 A.D. seems to have written Sanskrit and Prakrit works. His inscription containing ‘Ele’ a metrical form which suits to that kind of poems is found on the Shiva is credited with several Keertanas, apart from temple at Balale-palpare in Kodagu district. Its authorship of Mohanatarangini and Ramadhanya script is 17th century A.d. charite. AND CULTURE The 12th century saw a sea of change in The Karnataka culture reached its zenith LITERATURE Kannada literature both in content and style, during the Vijayanagara Empire. Naranappa’s due to the rise and growth of Veerashaivism. It (Kumaravyasa) ‘Karnataka Bharatha Kathamanjari’ de-recognised un-touchability and saw women as or ‘Gadugina Bharatha’ as it is popularly known is equals. It liberated Kannada from the clutches of the finest example of the literature of this period. Sanskrit. The moving spirit behind this movement This was followed by Lakshmisha’s ‘Jaimini was Basaveshwara, who was a minister in the court Bharatha’ which is also an immensely popular of King Bijjala. His Vachanas which can be called work. Chamarasa’s ‘Prabhulingalile’ is another prose-poems, have their origin in folk-literature excellent work of this period. HISTORY and folk-culture, aims to liberate man from the Post-renaissance movement saw a four- bondage of untruth and ignorance.