Pampa (c. 10th century), called by the honorific Ādikavi ("First Poet") was a Kannada-language Jain poet whose works reflected his philosophical beliefs.[1] A court poet of Vemulavada Chalukya king Arikesari II, was a feudatory of the Rashtrakuta dynasty king Krishna III, Pampa is best known for his epics Vikramārjuna Vijaya or Pampa Bharata, and the Ādi purāṇa, both written in the champu style around c.939. These works served as the model for all future champu works in Kannada.

The works of Jain writers Pampa, Sri Ponna and Ranna, collectively called the "Three gems of Kannada literature", heralded the 10th century era of medieval Kannada literature.[2]

Early life

There are varying opinions about the early life and native language of Pampa. While it is commonly believed Pampa belonged to a Brahmin family that took to Jainism, their actual place of origin and native language (Kannada or Telugu) is debated. According to the trilingual inscription (in Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada) installed by Pampa's younger brother Jinavallabha at Bommalamma Gutta in Kurikiyala village, Gangadharam mandal (in modern day Telangana), his father was Abhimanadevaraya (also known as Bhimappayya) and mother was Abbanabbe. It also indicated that his grandfather was Abhimanachandra who belonged to the Brahmin caste and hailed from Vangiparru in Kammanadu, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.[3][4][5][6] According to the modern Jain scholar Hampa Nagarajaiah ("Hampana"), Pampa was born in Annigeri, spent his early childhood on the banks of the nearby Varada river and his mother Abbanabbe was the grand daughter of Joyisa Singha of Annigeri in the modern Dharwad district of Karnataka state. Frequent descriptions of the beauty of the Banavasi region (in the modern Uttara Kannada district) and even the sprinkling (abhishek) of water from the Varada river on Arjuna's head during his coronation in Pampa's epic Vikramarjuna Vijaya testifies to the poet's attachment to the Banavasi region.[7] However, according to the Sheldon Pollock, Pampa is believed to have come from a Telugu-speaking family or region.[8] Through the lines aarankusamittodam nenevudenna manam banvaasi deshamam and puttidirdode maridumbiyaagi men kogileyaagi nandanavanadol banavaasideshadol he has expressed his deep attachment towards Banavasi.^{[citation needed]}

Poetic life

A well-travelled man, he settled down as the court poet of King Arikesari II. Flattered by his knowledge and poetic abilities, Arikesari (who possessed the title Gunarnava) conferred on him the title Kavita Gunarnava. At the age of 39 he wrote his first masterpiece, Ādi purāṇa, in 941, and a little later he completed Vikramarjuna Vijaya popularly known as Pampa Bharata. These two works have remained unparalleled works of classic Kannada composition.[9]

Adipurana

The Ādi purāṇa, written in the champu style, a mixed form of prose and verse, is a Kannada version of the Sanskrit work by Jinasena and details in sixteen cantos the life of the first Tirthankara of Jainism, Rishabha. The work focuses in his own unique style the pilgrimage of a soul to perfection and attainment of moksha. In the work, Pampa describes the struggle for power and control over the entire world of two brothers Bharata and Bahubali, sons of Rishabha. While Bahubali wins, he renounces the worldly pursuits in favour of his brother. Many Jain puranas of Middle Ages found a role model in this work.^{[citation needed]}

Further reading

• T.K. Tukol. "Jainism in South India" (DOC).
• Amaresh Datta (1988). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti. Sahitya Akademi. p. 1180. ISBN 978-81-260-1194-0.

Notes

Sources

• Kamat, Suryanath U (2002) [1980]. A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present. Bangalore: Jupiter Books. ISBN 81-206-09778.
• Sastri, K.A. Nilakanta (1999). A history of south India : from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar (4. ed., 17 impr. (with introduction). ed.). Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press. ISBN 0-19-560686-8.
• Singh, Upinder (2016), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century, Pearson Education, ISBN 978-93-325-6996-6

External links

Kannada Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Vikramarjuna Vijaya

• Adipurana at the Internet Archive

На других языках

[es] Pampa (poeta)

[fr] Pampa (poète)