
Hermann Friedrich Mögling (1811–1881), also spelt Herrmann Friedrich Moegling, was a German missionary from the
Basel Mission
The Basel Mission was a Christian missionary society based in Switzerland. It was active from 1815 to 2001, when it transferred the operative work to , the successor organization of ''Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione'' (KEM), found ...
who spent most of his career in the western regions of the state of
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...
, India. He is credited as the publisher of the first ever newspaper in the
Kannada language called as ''
Mangalooru Samachara
''Mangaluru Samachara'' or ''Mangalooru Samachara'' which literally means ''"The news of Mangalore"'' is the first newspaper published in Kannada. It was produced by a German, Rev. Hermann Friedrich Mögling of the Basel Mission beginning in ...
'' in 1843.
[Hermann Mögling's contribution to the Kannada literature is mentioned by ] He was awarded a doctorate for his literary work in
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
called as ''Bibliotheca Carnataca''. He also translated
Kannada literature
Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script.
Attestations in literature span one and a half ...
into German.
Mögling is acknowledged by Kannada writers and linguists as the first modern Kannada writer, as he produced nearly 36 literary works, considered to be ground-breaking and exceptional Kannada literature, in a short period of 20 years.
He was the founder-principal of BEM Theological Seminary, later renamed as
Karnataka Theological College
Karnataka Theological College ''(founded in 1847)'' is an ecumenical seminary catering to the Kannada-speaking students wishing to pursue the priestly vocation. KTC is located in Mangalore of Karnataka in South India, and is affiliated to the na ...
. He and his wife Pauline(