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CONTRIBUTIONS TO LITERATURE, ETC.
book written in continuous prose, enabling us, therefore, to gain a knowledge of the language as spoken in the tenth century ( 978 A. D.). Någavarma's prosody, with additions by later writers, still remains the standard work on the subject in Kannada. The work is addressed by the poet to his wife. In the vyttas, or metres, each verse is composed so as to be an example of the metre described in it. It is said that he also made a translation of Bāņa's Kādambari in Kannada. 109
Like Ādi Pampa, Nāgavarma too came from Vengi, as also another great writer named Ponna. The migration of these three Jaina writers from the Andhra into the Kannada country is a strong commentary upon the attitude of the two provinces towards Jainism.
Ponna lived under the patronage of the Rāştrakūta king Kļşņarāja (also called Akālavarşa and Anupama, 939-98). On account of his proficiency in Sanskrit as well as Kannada, the poet received the title of Ubhaya-Kavi-Cakravarti or. Imperial Poet in Both Languages'. His most famous work is the Sänti-Purāna, relating the history of the 16th Tirthankara. He also wrote an acrostic poem entitled Jināksharamālé, in praise of the Jinas. 110
Another contemporary writer who deserves mention is Ranna, author of Ajita Purāņa and Sāhasa Bhima Vijaya, popularly known as the Gadā-yuddha or the Conflict of Clubs.' It describes the incident in the Mahābhārata wherein, Bhima fulfils his vow to break the thighs of Duryodhana and slay him. The work was composed under the patronage of Āhavamalla Cālukya, who is likened by the poet to Bhima, just as Pampa had done with Arikësari, in his Pampa Bhārata. He is chiefly praised for his literary skill, fluency, and fascinating style.111
We might go on multiplying these instances and the catalogue will still remain unexhausted. Hence, for the sake of brevity we classify the remaining writers according to subjects as under:
109 Cf. Rice (E. P.), op. cit., pp. 32-33. 110 Ibid., pp. 31-2. 111 Ibid., pp. 81-3.
