Ranna (Kannada poet)

This article is about the Kannada poet. For the fictional bell, see Necromantic bells § Ranna.

Ranna (Kannada: ರನ್ನ) was one of the earliest poets of Kannada language. Ranna, Adikavi Pampa and Sri Ponna together are called "three gems of Kannada literature".

Early days

Ranna was born on 949 C.E. in Muduvolalu (Mudhol) Bijapur district, Karnataka. His ancenstors were from Balegara community (bangle sellers) of Jains. He took up to learning Sanskrit, Prakrit and Kannada at a young age.

Literature

Ranna was perhaps the classmate of Chavundaraya, the famous minister of the Western Ganga Dynasty during his youth. Later he came to be patronised by Chavundaraya when he became a Ganga minister.

Ranna was a poet in the court of Chakravarthi Tailapa II and his successor Satyasraya in the Western Chalukya court. He was rewarded with the title of Kavi Chakravarti (Emperor of Poets). The entire literature written by Ranna were in Halegannada (old Kannada, older version of Kannada language). There were four major literary works from Ranna. Three of his works are currently available.

Literary works

• Ajitha purana
• Parashuramacharitha (extinct)
• Saahasabheema Vijayam (also known as Gadaayuddha)
• Ranna-Kanda
• Chakresvaracharita (extinct)

Ajitanatha Purana Tilakam

Ajitha Purana is the shortest Jaina purana in Kannada and is written about Ajithanatha, the second Tirthankara. It is second only to Adhinatha purana written to Adikavi Pampa in greatness. Given to emotional disturbances, Ranna was known to divert his emotional feelings into eloquent words of literature. The work describes in detail the life of the second Tirthankara.

Saahasabheema Vijayam

This is said to be his greatest work, a great pocession of Kannada literature and describes the final fight between Bhima and Duryodhana on the eighteenth day of the Mahabharata war. The work is a eulogy of Satyasraya, Ranna's patron king and the king is compared to Bhima. Though the work is in some ways influenced by Pampa work Pampa Bharatha, historians feel the work in no way diminishes Ranna's brilliance as it raises to the level of originality of though and expression. Though the work praises Bhima and his dramatic victory in the setting moments of the evening, it in no way diminishes the valour of Duryodhana either.

Parashuramacharitha

This work is said to be a eulogy of Chavundaraya, the Ganga minister who also patronised Ranna.

Only portions of his work Ranna Kanda are available today.

References

• Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present, Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore, 2001 (Reprinted 2002)
• Prof K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, 1955, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002).
• History of Kannada Literature
• Kannada literature