Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
1. Kannada literature
| Period | Writers and works |
|---|---|
| Earliest | Kavirajamarga (c. 850, Rashtrakuta court) — earliest available literary work |
| Jain classics (10th c.) | Pampa — Vikramarjuna Vijaya (Pampa Bharata), Adipurana; Ponna — Shanti Purana; Ranna — Gadayuddha. Together the Ratnatraya |
| Vachana age (12th c.) | Basavanna, Allama Prabhu, Akka Mahadevi — vachanas (prose-poems) |
| Hoysala age | Harihara (ragale), Raghavanka (shatpadi), Janna |
| Vijayanagara age | Kumaravyasa — Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari (Gadugina Bharata); Kanakadasa, Purandaradasa (Haridasa) |
| Modern | B.M. Srikantaiah ("father of modern Kannada literature"), Kuvempu, Bendre, Masti, Karanth, Gokak, Ananthamurthy, Karnad, Kambara, S.L. Bhyrappa |
Jnanpith Award winners from Kannada (eight)
| Year | Writer | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Kuvempu (K.V. Puttappa) | Sri Ramayana Darshanam |
| 1973 | D.R. Bendre | Naku Tanti |
| 1977 | K. Shivaram Karanth | Mookajjiya Kanasugalu |
| 1983 | Masti Venkatesha Iyengar | Chikkaveera Rajendra |
| 1990 | V.K. Gokak | Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi |
| 1994 | U.R. Ananthamurthy | Contribution to literature (Samskara) |
| 1998 | Girish Karnad | Plays (Tughlaq, Hayavadana) |
| 2010 | Chandrashekhara Kambara | Plays and poetry |
- Rashtrakavi title: M. Govinda Pai (1949), Kuvempu (1964), G.S. Shivarudrappa (2006).
- The state song "Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate" is by Kuvempu.
- Kannada was declared a classical language in 2008.