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After cultivating the Kannada language to a certain extent, the Jaina teachers then applied themselves to composing literary works and thus, laid the foundation of literary Kannada and gradually built a magnificent structure on it. Though the early origin and growth of Kannada literature is not traceable, there are found references to a number of Jaina authors and works prior to the 9th century A.D. It is interesting to note that the first available Kannada work on poetics", the first one on prosody, the first one on grammar, the first classic in prose10 and similarly the first one in poetry 11 are all by Jaina scholars.
As a result, the early period of Kannada literature, from the 9th to the 12th century A.D., came to be known as the Jaina period, though Jaina authors flourished in later periods too. The late Mahamahopadhyaya R. Narasimhachariar called this period "The Augustan Age of Kannada literature"12. Like the Jaina antiquities, several Jaina literary works reflect the hold and affluence of Jainism in Karnataka. The three great poets, Pampa, Ponna and Ranna are known as the 'Ratnatraya' in Kannada literature. Camundaraya, one of the greatest generals Karnataka had ever produced, who got erected the world famous monolithic statue of Bahubali, is also the author of the Trişaşti Laksana Mahāpurāṇa and commentator of the Gommaṭasāra of Acarya Nemicandra.
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Now it needs no elaboration of the fact that the major portion of the Jaina Kannada literature is avowedly religious wherein are embedded the principle tenets of Jainism like Ahimsa. The Basadis or Jaina monasteries took the responsibility of preserving the composed works and of catering these tenets to the people through their carefully built libraries13. The Jaina teachers, from the very beginning, did propagate these tenets
5 It is worth noting at this juncture that the great teachers like Kunda-Kunda and Vattakera had already composed their Prakrit works of high order in this region and the same tradition was continued later by others like Yati Vrsabha, Joindu, Nemicandra, Puspadanta, etc.
These have been noted at length by me in my paper 'Influence of Middle Indo-Aryan Literature on Kannada Literature', presented at the All-India Fifth Seminar on Prakrit Studies, Ahmedabad, March 1973.
7 The Kavirajamarga of Nrpatunga or Amoghavarsa I, the famous Rastrakuta King.
The Chandombudhi of Nagavarma I.
• The Sabdamanidarpana of Kesiraja.
10 The Vaddaradhana of an unknown author.
11 The poet Pampa who composed Adipurana and Bharata, is known as Adikavi.
12 Introduction to the History of Kannada Literature, Mysore 1940.
13 A peep into the Manuscript Library of the present day Jaina Math at Moodabidri can give us the idea of this feature.
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