Kanaka Dasa (1509–1606) also known as Daasashreshta Kanakadasa (ದಾಸಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಕನಕದಾಸ), was a

Haridasa The Haridasa Bhakti Sahitya devotional movement (sampradaya) originated in Karnataka, India, after Madhvacharya, and spread to eastern states such as Bengal and Assam of medieval India. Over a span of nearly six centuries, several saints and ...

saint and philosopher of

Dvaita Vedanta Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST: ''Tattvavāda''), is a sub-school in the Vedanta tradition of Hindu philosophy. The term Tattvavada literally means "arguments from a realist viewpoint". The Tattvavada (Dvaita) Vedant ...

, from present-day

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

, India. He was a follower of

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; 1199–1278 CE or 1238–1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) school of Vedanta. Madhva called his philosophy ...

Dvaita Dvaita Vedanta (); (originally known as Tattvavada; IAST: ''Tattvavāda''), is a sub-school in the Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') trad ...

philosophy and a disciple of

Vyasatirtha Vyāsatīrtha (), also called ''Vyasaraja'' or ''Chandrikacharya'', was a Hindu philosopher, scholar, polemicist, commentator and poet belonging to the Madhwacharya's Dvaita order of Vedanta. As the rajaguru of Vijayanagara Empire, Vyasati ...

. He was a composer of

Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

, poet, reformer and musician. He is known for his keertanas and ugabhoga, and his compositions in the

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

language for Carnatic music. Like other Haridasas, he used simple

and native metrical forms for his compositions.

Birth

Kanaka Dasa was born into a Kannada kuruba family in Baada village, near Bankapura in

, and was a warrior at the Bankapura fort. He was taught by Srinivasacharya. As a child, he became an expert in "tarka", "vyakarana", and "mimamsa". Based on one of his compositions, it is interpreted that he was injured in battle and took to the practice of chanting the name of Lord Hari. A beggar appeared to Kanaka Dasa, and Kanaka asked who he was. The beggar responded by saying he was called by him (Kanaka). Kanaka Dasa understood the beggar to be Lord Hari (Krishna) Himself. Lord Hari offered to grant Kanaka Dasa three wishes. Lord Hari first asked if Kanaka wanted treasures. Kanaka Dasa refused, but asked for the following, 1) To be healed of all his injuries, 2) For Lord Hari to appear whenever Kanaka Dasa called for him, and 3) To give darshan in his original form. The Lord granted these wishes. Upon seeing Lord Hari in his original form, Kanaka Dasa was mesmerized. After this incident, Kanaka abandoned his profession as a soldier and devoted himself to composing music, writing literature and explaining philosophy to the people about Sri Hari. His early spiritual works include poems such as "Narasimha Stotra", "Ramadhyana Mantra", and "Mohanatarangini".

In Udupi

Kanaka Dasa had a connection with

Udupi Udupi () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...

as he was the disciple of

. The priests would not let him enter the ''mutt'', judging him to be a member of lower caste based on his clothes, even though Vyasatirtha asked them to let Kanaka Dasa into the temple. Then a wall cracked and the idol of Krishna turned towards Kanaka. Kanaka Dasa spent a short time in Udupi. He used the phrase, "Kagineleya Adikeshava" as his signature referring to the deity of Kaginele.He is one of great devotee of lord krishna (vishnu).

Writings

Major works

* Nalacharithre (ನಳಚರಿತ್ರೆ) * Haribhakthisara (ಹರಿಭಕ್ತಿಸಾರ) * Nrusimhastava (ನೃಸಿಂಹಸ್ತವ) * Ramadhanyacharithe (ರಾಮಧಾನ್ಯಚರಿತೆ), a rare work on class struggle * Mohanatarangini (ಮೋಹನತರಂಗಿಣಿ) Kanakadasa wrote about 240 Carnatic music compositions (''kirtane'', ''ugabhogas'', ''padas'', and philosophical songs) besides five major works. Around 100 songs in

and 60 songs in English are published in popular books.

Kanakadasa Palace

During an excavation at Baada, Shiggaon region of Karnataka, the archaeological department found ruins of a fort and a palace which was identified as the era of Kanaka Dasa (who was earlier called Thimmappa Nayaka). The State Government of Karnataka has built a new fort, palace and idols of Kanaka Dasa and his life scenarios commemorating the religious leader.

In popular culture

Kannada actor and singer from the Kannada movie industry

Dr. Rajkumar Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and versatile actors in the his ...

played Kanaka Dasa in the 1960 film '' Bhakta Kanakadasa ''which was well received.

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian playwright, actor, film director, Kannada writer, and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi films. His rise as a playwr ...

made a documentary film, ''Kanaka-Purandara'' (English, 1988), on the two medieval Bhakti poets of Karnataka. ''

Frontline (magazine) ''Frontline'' is a fortnightly English language magazine published by The Hindu Group of publications headquartered in Chennai, India. Vaishna Roy is the editor of the magazine. It is a news and views magazine that provides in-depth coverage ...

'', Vol. 16, No. 03, January 30 - February 12, 1999.

Legacy

Kanaka Guru Peetha

Kaginele Kanaka Guru Peetha, a mutt established by the Kuruba community, is named in honour of Shri Kanakadasa.

Kanaka Dasa stamp

In 1990, the Government of India honored Kanaka Dasa by releasing a postal stamp in his name.

Kanakadasa Jayanthi

Kanaka Dasa's birthday is celebrated in Karnataka, particularly in the Kuruba community. In 2008,

Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as GoK or GoKA, formerly known as Government of Mysore (1956–1974), is a democratically elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka ...

decided to commemorate his birthday as a state festival and declared 18 November a state holiday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasa, Kanaka Carnatic composers Bhakti movement Indian social reformers Indian male poets History of Karnataka Indian Vaishnavites People from Haveri district Kannada people Haridasa 1509 births 1609 deaths 16th-century Indian poets Poets from Karnataka Vijayanagara poets Scholars from the Vijayanagara Empire Kannada poets