Janna

For other uses, see Janna (disambiguation).

For the given name, see Jana (given name).

Not to be confused with Jannah, meaning an eternal place, the Islamic conception of paradise.

13th century Kannada poet

Janna

Old Kannada poetic inscription (1196 AD) composed by Janna in the Amrutesvara temple at Amruthapura

Janna (Kannada : ಮಹಾಕವಿ ಜನ್ನ) was one of the well-known Kannada poets of the early 13th century who also served in the capacity of a minister and a builder of temples. He graced the court of Hoysala empire King Veera Ballala II and earned the title Kavichakravarthi ("Emperor among poets"). His noteworthy writings include Yashodhara wazowski  (c.1209) which deals with Jain tenets, Ananthnatha Purana (c.1230) which deals with the teachings of the 14th Jain tirthankara, Anantanatha and a short piece called Anubhava Mukura. Although all his works are known for the grace and style, Yashodhara Charite is his magnum opus and one of the classics of Kannada literature.[1][2]

Janna finds an important place in Kannada literature, though he is not as famous as Adikavi Pampa. He came from a family of Kannada writers; Mallikarjuna, the well known anthologist was his brother-in-law and Kesiraja the grammarian, was his nephew.[3] Janna's style essentially belonged to the classical marga (mainstream) brand of Kannada writers and his works were primarily meant to propagate the Jain philosophy.[4]

## Magnum opus

[edit]

Close up of Poetic Kannada inscription composed by Janna on a Hero stone at the Amrutesvara Temple, Amruthapura, Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka state, India Noted Kannada poets and writers in Hoysala Empire
(1100-1343 CE)

Nagachandra | 1105
Kanti  | 1108
Rajaditya  | 12th. c
Harihara | 1160-1200
Udayaditya  | 1150
Vritta Vilasa  | 1160
Kereya Padmarasa  | 1165
Nemichandra  | 1170
Sumanobana  | 1175
Rudrabhatta | 1180
Aggala  | 1189
Palkuriki Somanatha | 1195
Sujanottamsa(Boppana)  | 1180
Kavi Kama  | 12th c.
Devakavi  | 1200
Raghavanka | 1200-1225
Bhanduvarma  | 1200
Balachandra Kavi  | 1204
Parsva Pandita  | 1205
Maghanandycharya  | 1209
Janna | 1209-1230
Puligere Somanatha  | 13th c.
Hastimalla  | 13th c.
Chandrama  | 13th c.
Somaraja  | 1222
Gunavarma II  | 1235
Polalvadandanatha  | 1224
Andayya | 1217-1235
Sisumayana  | 1232
Mallikarjuna  | 1245
Naraharitirtha | 1281
Kumara Padmarasa  | 13th c.
Mahabala Kavi  | 1254
Kesiraja | 1260
Kumudendu  | 1275
Nachiraja  | 1300
Ratta Kavi  | 1300
Nagaraja  | 1331
Noted Kannada poets and writers in the Seuna Yadava Kingdom

Kamalabhava  | 1180
Achanna  | 1198
Amugideva  | 1220
Chaundarasa  | 1300

Yashodhara Charite, an epic written in the kandapadya metre is a unique set of stories in 310 verses dealing with perverted sex and violence and contains cautionary morals on the issue of extreme desires.[5] Inspired by the Sanskrit writing of the same name by Vadiraja, the Janna transcreates stories of king Yashodhara and his mother and their passing from one life to the next without attaining moksha (liberation from cycle of death and rebirth).[4] In one of the stories, the king intends to perform a ritual sacrifice of two young boys to a local deity, Mariamma. Taking pity on the boys, the king releases them and gives up the practice of human sacrifice.[6][7] In another story, the poet narrates the infatuation of the king for his friends wife. Having killed his friend, the king abducts the wife who however dies of grief. Overcome by repentance, he burns himself on the funeral pyre of the woman.[8] The stories of infatuation reaches a peak when Janna narrates the attraction of Amrutamati, the queen, to the ugly mahout Ashtavakra, who pleases the queen with kicks and whip lashes—a story that has piqued the interest of modern research.[4] To expiate the queen from her sinful act, King Yashodhara takes his mothers advice and decides to perform a symbolic sacrifice of a cock made of flour, to please the gods. But the cock comes to life and crows at its time of death. For committing the sin of violence, Yashodhara and his mother are reborn as animals. After much suffering, they are eventually born as the children of Yashodhara's son in their seventh rebirth. The writing powerfully narrates the consequences of passion gone awry and the terrible suffering it brings in human life.[9]

## Other writings

[edit]

Janna's Anubhava Mukhura is a treatise on erotics and the science of lovemaking, a topic that was well established as a genre of Kannada literature by his time.[10]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Sastri (1955), pp. 358–359
2. ^ Kamath (2001), p. 133
3. ^ Nagaraj in Pollock (2003), p. 364
4. ^ a b c Shiva Prakash (1997), p. 204
5. ^ Nagaraj in Pollock (2003), p. 377
6. ^ Sastri (1955), p. 359
7. ^ E.P. Rice (1921), pp. 43–44
8. ^ Sahitya Akademi (1988), p. 1181
9. ^ Sahitya Akademi (1992), p. 4629
10. ^ Nagaraj in Pollock (2003), p. 375

## References

[edit]

* Sastri, K.A. Nilakanta (2002) [1955]. A history of South India from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar. New Delhi: Indian Branch, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-560686-8.
* Shiva Prakash, H.S. (1997). "Kannada". In Ayyappapanicker (ed.). Medieval Indian Literature:An Anthology. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 81-260-0365-0.
* Various (1988) [1988]. Encyclopaedia of Indian literature – vol 2. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 81-260-1194-7.
* Nagaraj, D.R. (2003) [2003]. "Critical Tensions in the History of Kannada Literary Culture". In Sheldon I. Pollock (ed.). Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia. Berkeley and London: University of California Press. Pp. 1066. pp. 323–383. ISBN 0-520-22821-9.
* Kamath, Suryanath U. (2001) [1980]. A concise history of Karnataka : from pre-historic times to the present. Bangalore: Jupiter books. LCCN 80905179. OCLC 7796041.
* Various (1992) [1992]. Encyclopaedia of Indian literature – vol 5. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 81-260-1221-8.

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

* v
* t
* e

State of Karnataka

Capital: Bengaluru

State symbols|

* Emblem: Emblem of Karnataka
* Song: Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate

* Animal: Asian elephant
* Bird: Indian roller
* Flower: Lotus
* Tree: Sandalwood
* Fruit: Mango
* Fish: Carnatic carp
* Insect: Southern birdwing

Overviews|

* Architecture
* Cinema
* Climate
* Cuisine
* Demography
* Economy
* Education
* Folk arts
* Geography
* History
* Media
* People
* Sports
* Transportation
* Wildlife

History|

* Aihole
* Alupa dynasty
* Amoghavarsha
* Badami
* Banavasi
* Balligavi
* Belur
* Chalukya dynasty
* Chitradurga Nayakas
* Deva Raya II
* Durvinita
* Halebidu
* Kingdom of Coorg
* Halmidi
* Hampi
* Hoysala Empire
* Kadamba dynasty
* Kalyani Chalukyas
* Keladi Nayakas
* Shivappa Nayaka
* Kittur Chennamma
* Kingdom of Mysore
* Mayurasharma
* Pattadakal
* Pulakeshin II
* Rashtrakuta dynasty
* Sringeri
* Srirangapatna
* Tipu Sultan
* Unification of Karnataka
* Vijayanagara Empire
* Vijayanagara
* Vishnuvardhana
* Veera Ballala II
* Vikramaditya II
* Vikramaditya VI
* Western Ganga dynasty

Districts and divisions|

| Bangalore division|

* Bangalore Urban
* Bangalore Rural
* Chitradurga
* Davanagere
* Kolar
* Shimoga
* Tumakuru
* Ramanagara
* Chikkaballapura

|

Belagavi division|

* Bagalkot
* Belagavi
* Bijapur
* Dharwad
* Haveri
* Gadag
* Uttara Kannada

Kalaburagi division|

* Ballari
* Bidar
* Kalaburagi
* Koppal
* Raichur
* Vijayanagara
* Yadgir

Mysore division|

* Chamarajanagar
* Chikmagalur
* Dakshina Kannada
* Hassan
* Kodagu
* Mandya
* Mysore
* Udupi

Geography|

* Cities and towns
* Districts
* Rivers
* Dams and reservoirs
* Taluks
* Villages
* Highest point
* Bayalu Seeme
* Malenadu
* Kanara
* Western Ghats

Culture|

* Bharatanatyam
* Buta Kola
* Bidriware
* Channapatna toys
* Chitrakala Parishat
* Gaarudi Gombe
* Ilkal sari
* Kamsale
* Kannada
* Karnatik music
* Kasuti
* Khedda
* Mysore Dasara
* Togalu gombeyaata
* Udupi cuisine
* Veeragase
* Yakshagana
* Mysore musicians

Literature|

* Kannada
* Milestones
* Epics
* Medieval
* Rashtrakuta
* Western Ganga
* Western Chalukya
* Hoysala
* Vijayanagara
* Vachana
* Haridasa
* Mysore
* Play
* Modern
* Kannada Sahitya Parishat
* Kannada Sahitya Sammelana
* Karnataka

Noted poets|

* Asaga
* Gunavarma I
* Adikavi Pampa
* Sri Ponna
* Ranna
* Devar Dasimayya
* Basava
* Akka Mahadevi
* Allama Prabhu
* Siddharama
* Harihara
* Raghavanka
* Rudrabhatta
* Janna
* Kumara Vyasa
* Chamarasa
* Nijaguna Shivayogi
* Ratnakaravarni
* Purandara Dasa
* Kanaka Dasa
* Vijaya Dasa
* Gopala Dasa
* Jagannatha Dasa
* Lakshmisa
* Sarvajna
* Shishunala Sharif
* Krishnaraja Wadiyar III
* D. R. Bendre
* Gopalakrishna Adiga
* V. Seetharamaiah
* K. S. Narasimhaswamy
* M. Govinda Pai
* Kuvempu
* D. V. Gundappa
* G. S. Shivarudrappa

People and society|

* Karnataka ethnic groups
* List of people from Karnataka

Tourism|

* Beaches
* Dams
* Forts
* National parks
* Hindu temples
* Jain temples
* Waterfalls

Awards|

* Karnataka Ratna
* Pampa Award
* Nrupatunga Award
* Basava Puraskara
* Rajyotsava Prashasti
* Jakanachari Award
* Varnashilpi Venkatappa Award
* Kempegowda Award

Media|

* Cinema
* Newspapers
* Magazines
* Television
* Radio

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template