what is kannada literature

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Kannada: brief introduction to history, antiquity and literature

The ancient kannada language, spoken by about 40 million people worldwide has an interesting history and exceptionally rich literature, #kannadafacts, formation of karnataka .

India got its freedom from its colonial rulers on 15 th of August 1947 and became a republic on 26 th January 1950. However, federal states as we know them and see them today were not all formed on that day or immediately after. Some of the states were formed, based on the predominant language spoken in those regions, later in the evolution of the young republic. Karnataka was one of the states that was formed on linguistic basis on 1 st November 1956 with Bangalore, now Bengaluru, as its political capital. You would be mistaken to think the official language of the region, Kannada, unlike the newly formed political federal state, lacks antiquity. In fact, the region itself boasts of native kingdoms and rulers going back to early first half of the first millennium. But that’s another write-up for another time. I want to introduce you to several interesting facts about Kannada language in this blog post.

An introduction to Kannada language

First off, the language is called and pronounced as [kah-nuh-duh, kan-uh-] 1   and written as ಕನ್ನಡ . Of course, like many Indian languages, Kannada also has its own script. It has been derived from Brahmi script and there are 52 letters in the alphabet. As an aside, word endings in Kannada normally have a full vowel sound whereas in Hindi many words end with half-vowel sounds and that’s where the confusion of pronouncing its name stems from.

Antiquity of Kannada

To know the antiquity of the language, one of the palm-leaf manuscripts, thought to belong to the fourth century before current era (4 BCE), has been found that uses a Kannada word.

A few Kannada sentences have found their way to Greece and made a mark to be found in a second century (2 CE) Greek play named ‘ Charition Mime ’ too.

One of the earliest known dictionaries of Kannada - English was produced in 1894 by Reverend Ferdinand Kittel, who came to India from Germany and whose grave can be found in Tübingen, a town near Stuttgart.

Kannada Literature

The tradition of producing complete literature in Kannada language goes back to at least between eight and ninth century (8-9 CE). However, the earliest inscription found in the village Halmidi dates to 450 CE . There has been a long list of authors who have enriched the language since earliest times.

‘ Kaviraajamaarga ’ (ಕವಿರಾಜಮಾರ್ಗ) was written in the ninth century (circa 808 – 880 CE) by Srivijaya (ಶ್ರೀವಿಜಯ) in the praise of his patron Nrupatunga (ನೃಪತುಂಗ) - king of Raashtrakoota dynasty. Its poetry is said to be a commentary on the earlier work ‘ Kaavydarsha ’ (ಕಾವ್ಯದರ್ಶ) written between sixth and seventh century (6-7 CE) by Dandi (ದಂಡಿ).

Influence of Sanskrit in Kannada literature

Between seventh and eleventh centuries (7-11 CE) many dynasties and kingdoms like Calukyas (ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯರು), Pallavas (ಪಲ್ಲವರು), Raashtrakootas (ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಕೂಟರು) and Gangas (ಗಂಗರು) patronised great litterateurs and poets encouraging them to produce literature mostly focused on valiant stories and during later years of the period the works were created either with ideas borrowed from Sanskrit epics or were based on the life and times of Jain saints. This is the period when Kannada was strongly influenced by Sanskrit both in terms of its structure and grammar as well as words and phraseology.

Later between fourteenth and twentieth centuries (14-20 CE) kingdoms like Vijayanagara (ವಿಜಯನಗರ), Wadiyar (ಒಡೆಯರ್) and various Nayakas (ನಾಯಕರು) also encouraged others and, while themselves being good poets and writers, helped make the language a literary goldmine. The influence of Sanskrit lasted well into the better part of the twentieth century (20 CE).

Literary awards won by Kannada literature

During the intervening period between ninth and twentieth centuries Kannada as a language has undergone many changes in style, words, phraseology and grammar due to cultural as well as political influences during that period. The language has taken various forms and styles until now and they can be mainly classified as old Kannada, middle Kannada and modern Kannada.

As a testament to the richness of the literature produced in the language, Kannada literature and its authors have been honoured the most, 8 times until now, with Jnanapeetha Awards , making it the recipient of the highest number of awards among all the regional languages .

For a comprehensive understanding of the language, one needs to spend a lot more time reading up the hoary past of the land that we today know as Karnataka. I hope this short tour into the past of the language gives as peek at the tip of the linguistic iceberg we lovingly call as Kannada.

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Kannada Literature

The origin of Kannada language can be traced to the early Christian era. The earliest available work in Kannada was Kavirajamarga (c.850 A.D.) written by the Rasjtrakuta king Nripatunga. Another early work of real literary value in Kannada is Vaddaaradhana written by a Jain Sivakotyacharya around 920 A.D. Pampa was the most renowned poet of Kannada who adorned the court of the Chalukya king Arikesan II.   He authored the two great classics Adi Purana , which deals with the life of Vrishaba – the first Jain Tirthankara , and Vikramarjuna-vijaya (also called Pampa-Bharata ), which an adaptation of Vyasa’s Mahabharata into Kannada. Ponna (c.950 A.D.) was another great poet of Kannada who wrote Shanti Purana, Bhuvanaika-Ramabhyudaya and Jinaksaramale . Ranna is credited with noteworthy works like Ajita Purana (993 A.D.) and Sahasa-Bhima-vijayam (or Gada-yuddha ). Chamundaraya condensed the Sanskrit Mahapurana of Jinasena and Gunabhadra in his Chamundaraya Purana or Trisasti-laksana-mahapurana . Nagavarman I rendered Banabhatta’s Kadambari into Kannada. Durgasimha is renowned for his rendering of the Panchatantra into Kannada in 1031AD. Ramachandracharita Purana or the Pampa Ramayana authored by Nagachandra is the earliest available Ramayana in Kannada. Dharmamrata written by Nayasena in 1117 A.D. is another noteworthy work of the period. Nagavarman II is credited with systematizing the Kannada grammar in his Karnataka-bhasa-bhusana .   He also authored a standard work in poetics called Kavyavalokama and a Kannada lexicon called Abhidhana-vastukosa .

The new religious movement propagated by Basava (c.1150 A.D.) had a tremendous impact on the Kannada literature.   Harihara (13 th  century) brought about several changes in the metre and introduced what is called the ragale metre in Kannada literature. He used this in his works Basavarajadevararagale, Nambiyannana-ragale and Pushpa-ragale .  Raghavanka introduced a new metre called satpadi and produced great works like Harishchandra-kavya , Somanathacharita and Siddharamcharita .  The other notable works of this period were Nemichandra’s Lilavati-prabandham and Neminathacharita ; Rudra Bhatta’s Jagannatha-vijaya ; Mallikarjuna’s Sukti-sudharnava , Janna’s Yasodharacharita (1209AD) and Anantanatha Purana, Kesiraja’s Sabdamani-darpana , Kumudendu’s Kumudendu Ramayana , Ratta Kavi’s Rattamata (or Ratta Sutra ), Nagaraja’s Punyasrava and Madhura’s Dharmanatha Purana . The best example of a pure Kannada work, without using any Sanskrit words, is Kabbigarakava of Andayya.

The Kannada literature received great patronage from the Vijayanagara rulers during the 14 th -16th centuries. Kumara Vyasa wrote the first ten parvans of the Mahabharata in his Kumara Vyasa Bharata or Gadugina . Another poet Camarasa wrote Prabhulingalile and Nijaguna Sivayogin attempted to compile the first encyclopedia in Kannada in his Vivekachintamani . The other important works of this period include Lakmisa’s Jaimini-Bharata , Ratnakara’s Bharatesa-vaibhava , Ratnakara-sataka, Triloka-sataka and Aparajitesvara-sataka ; Nanjundakavi’s Ramanathacharita ; Sadaksaradeva’s Rajasekharavilasa, Vrisabhendra-vijaya and Sabara-sankara-vilasa and Cikkadevaraja’s Cikkadevaraja Binnapam and Gita Gopala .  Singararya’s Mitravinda-Govinda was the first drama in Kannada.  Honnamma, Giriyamma and Celuvambi were the important women poets of this period.

Kempu Narayana and N.Lakshminarayanappa (‘Muddanna’) were the two jewels of the modern Kannada literature. Kempu Narayana wrote Mudramanjusa in 1823, which is the first historical romance written in prose in Kannada. Muddana’s memorable works include Rama-Pattabhisekha , Adhuta Ramayana and Sri Ramasvamedham . Basavappa Sastri was the pioneer in bringing European literature to Kannada by adapting Shakespeare’s Othello into Kannada. M.S.Puttana was also a renowned novelist in Kannada.  His best-known novel was Madiddunno Maharaya .

B.M.Srikanthayya (or Sri) was the pioneer of modern poetry in Kannada. He invented several new metres and translated some of the best lyrics of English poets into Kannada.  His important works are Gitegalu, Honganasuglu, Asvatthaman and Parasikaru .   The other great modern poets of Kannada include Panje Mangesa Rao, Manjeswar Govinda Pai, K.V.Puttappa (‘Kovempu’), Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, P.T.Narsimhachar (‘Putina’), D.V.Gundappa (‘DVG’) and Govinda Pai. DVG’s Umarana Osage, Belurina Silabalikeyaru, Sri Ramapariksanam and the great philosophical poem Manku-Timmana-kagga are some of his great works.   G.P.Rajaratnam of the Ratnana-padagalu and Nagana-padagalu fame and K.S.Narasimhaswamy of Maisuru Mallige fame are two other great stalwarts of modern Kannada poetry.

K.Sivarama Karanta, A.N.Krishna Rao, T.R.Subba Rao, Krishna Murthy Puranik, V.M.Inamdar and K.Srinivasa Rao were the pioneers of Kannada novel. Sivarama Karanta was the most outstanding novelist of Kannada literature who produced the great epic of Marali Mannige . Some other great novels in Kannada are Srinivasa’s Cennabasava Nayaka and Chikavira Rajendra ; Mirji Arjun Rao’s Nisarga ; Bhyrappa’s Vamsavriksha , Anathamurthy’s Samskara , V.K.Gokak’s Samarasave Jivana , Devudu Narasimha’s Mahabrahmana and Mahaksatriya , Puttaswamiah’s Kranti Kalyana and V.Sitarama Sastry’s Daulat and Nagarada Rani .

Masti Venkatatesa Iyengar (‘Srinivasa’) introduced the short stories into the Kannada literature.  Some of his famous short stories are The last Days of Sariputra, The Rani of Nijagal,Vasumati and Mosarina Mangamma. The other well-known short story writers in Kannada are Gorur Ramaswamy, Purnachandra Tejaswi, U.R.Anantamurthy and Gopal Krishna Rao. The well-known names among the Kannada playwrights are Garuda ( Paduka Pattabhisheka ), C.K.Venkataramiah ( Mandodari ), Srinivasa Murthy ( Nagarika and Dharmaduranta ), Sriranga ( Sanjivini, Savitri, Kelu Janamejaya ) and Sivarama Karanta ( Garbha Gudi ). P.T.Narasimhachar was the pioneer of the Kannada opera. He composed several operas including Gokula-nirgamana, Ahalya, Sabari, Harinabhi-sarana and Hamsa-Damyanti .  A.N.Murthy Rao, S.Krishna Sharma, Vamana Bhatta, M.Rama Rao and N.Prahlad Rao are some of the renowned essayists in Kannada.

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Kannada Language: A Glorious Story of History and Evolution

• Indian Culture
• Indian Language
• Indian Literature

Table of contents

History of kannada language, kannada literature, key figures in modern kannada literature.

If there is anything we humans can do well, it is communication. From the wall painting of a bull in that cave centuries ago to the use of the continuously evolving English language – we’ve, indeed, come a long way in terms of communication. The history of languages goes back to the Mesopotamian era. Did you know that one of the oldest written languages in the world was Sumerian? And considering how essential Sumerian was to understand the components of the Mesopotamian civilization, it is no secret that the language of a region is the purest, most sacred form of its ideals.

The south-western state of Karnataka , home to several important bearers of Indian identity like Bangalore, Mysore, and Hampi, is also the birthplace of the Kannada language. Kannada is a Dravidian language spoken by the inhabitants of Karnataka (and sometimes in Maharashtra , Tamil Nadu , Andhra Pradesh, and Goa). It is officially a scheduled language under the Indian Constitution and it has a total population of about 43 million in India. The list of accomplishments of this language is long. Evolved from the Kannada script, the Kannada literature has bagged 8 Jnanapith awards, which is deemed the highest for any Dravidian language. Kannada language is also a designated classical language of India and was the court language of several powerful empires in ancient India as well. Impressive, no?

Kannada is a language that was prevalent even in the 3rd Century BCE. The proof of the existence of the Kannada language is plenty and scattered all around India and sometimes abroad. For instance, a word called ‘isila’ was found on an Ashokan inscription, which was later confirmed to be a word from the Kannada language. Several Kannada words were found on this curious Ashokan inscription. Next, we know the details regarding the language from Ptolemy’s book, The Geography which speaks of the places in Karnataka and their language.

Moreover, the famous Halmidi record of the Kadambas is one of the oldest living pieces of evidence of the existence of the Kannada language in the 5th century AD. From this we can well establish the fact that Kannada was a developed language; both spoken and written from the very early ages. Another surprising revelation suggested that Kannada was also found in several Tamil inscriptions. In a 1st century CE Tamil inscription, the Kannada word ‘ayjayya ‘was found. Similarly, in a 3rd Century Tamil inscription, the word ‘oppa nappa vlan’ has been repeated throughout the inscription. This is noteworthy because ‘oppanappa’ contains the Kannada word ‘Appa’. Several scholars believe that the grammatical categories found in these inscriptions belong more to Kannada rather than to Tamil.

Kannada had become an administrative language around 450 century AD. We know this due to a full-length stone inscription entirely in the Kannada language known as the Halmidi inscription. This inscription has been invaluable in tracing the early culture and paradigms of the society and culture in Karnataka. Interestingly, Kannada inscriptions are not only found in Karnataka but are also extensively found in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and sometimes in the northern state of Madhya Pradesh. Yes, Madhya Pradesh. A Kannada inscription was found near Jabalpur (present-day Madhya Pradesh) which is believed to have been from the reign of Krishna III. This also tells us about the inter-communication and reach of languages between the then-cities of India. It is also important to know that the various inscriptions in Kannada can be categorized into two segments- Pre-old Kannada (450 to 800 AD) and old Kannada (800 to 1000 AD). Of course, the language currently spoken is termed Modern Kannada.

Another topic of discussion which frequently emerges when one talks about Kannada is the influence of Sanskrit and Prakrit on Kannada grammar. According to scholars, Prakrit has had a spot in Karnataka’s society since the early ages. Sources suggest that people engaging in vernacular Prakrit may have come into contact with the Kannada speaking population (before Kannada was used as an administrative language) and thus influenced a large part of it. For example, the Kannada word for color is Banna. The Prakrit word for color is Vanna. Sound familiar?

The Kannada literature has been divided into three parts – Old Kannada, Middle Kannada, and Modern Kannada. The earliest Kannada work speaks about its grammar and literary styles and most of the early Kannada texts were poems on religious subjects such as the 12th century Ramayana by Abhinava Pampa. Speaking about Kannada novels, one of the earliest forms of Kannada literature which can be considered as a novel is, “Nemicandra’s Lilavati”. The story narrates the love story between a prince and a princess. Another famous Kannada literature is “Rajashekara Vilasa” by Sadaksaradeva. It is a fictional story written in 1657 which contains both prose and poetry. From the 20th century, Kannada literature was influenced by the Western concept of writing and saw an intermix of writing styles.

Modern Kannada literature saw its development when Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III began writing prose based on Sanskrit epics in the early 19th century. The first Modern Kannada novel is”Mudramanjusha” by Kempu Narayana. The dawn of the 20th century saw the emergence of B.M. Srikantaiah or B.M. Sri, who revolutionized Modern Kannada literature and is thus termed as the ‘Father of modern Kannada literature’. B.M. Sri published his work – English Geethegalu – a collection of poems that are translated into English. This era was marked by the writing of new, original work in Modern Kannada, while simultaneously leaving behind the old forms. Some other famous 21st century Kannada writers include Kuvempu, V.K. Gokak, K. Shivaram Karanth, Srinivasa, Girish Karnad, U.R. Ananthamurthy, and Ambikatanayadatta.

The birth and subsequent development of the Kannada language and literature is truly fascinating. Emerging from the earliest periods and still going strong, the works in the Kannada language are a wonder. The stages of transformation of a language are common in every region. Even languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, and English have evolved and changed over the years. These changes give birth to the languages as we know them.

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Kannada/Introduction

Kannada language is spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka.

Native speakers of Kannada are called Kannadigas and number roughly 38 million. It is one of the 40 most spoken languages in the world. It is one of the scheduled languages of India and the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka. The Kannada language is written using the Kannada script . Kannada is attested epigraphically for about one and a half millennia, and literary Old Kannada flourished in the 6th century Ganga dynasty and during 9th century Rashtrakuta Dynasty. With an unbroken literary history of over a thousand years, the excellence of Kannada literature continues to the present day. Works of Kannada literature have received eight Jnanpith awards and fifty-six Sahitya Akademi awards. Based on the recommendations of the Committee of Linguistic Experts, appointed by the Ministry of Culture, the Government of India officially recognised Kannada as a classical language. In July 2011, a centre for the study of classical Kannada was established under the aegis of Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) at Mysore to facilitate research related to the language.

• 1 Influence of Sanskrit and Prakrit
• 2.1 Old Kannada
• 2.2 Middle Kannada
• 4.1 Official status
• 5.1 Obsolete Kannada letters
• 5.2 Kannada script evolution
• 6.1 Compound bases

Influence of Sanskrit and Prakrit [ edit | edit source ]

The sources of influence on Kannada grammar appear to be three-fold; Panini's grammar, non-Paninian schools of Sanskrit grammar, particularly Katantra and Sakatayana schools, and Prakrit grammar. Literary Prakrit seemed to have prevailed in Karnataka since ancient times. The vernacular Prakrit speaking people, may have come in contact with the Kannada speakers, thus influencing their language, even before Kannada was used for administrative or liturgical purpose. Kannada phonetics, morphology, vocabulary, grammar, and syntax show significant Sanskrit and Prakrit influence.

Some examples of naturalised ( tatbhava ) words of Prakrit origin in Kannada are baṇṇa derived from vaṇṇa , arasu (king), and from Sanskrit, varṇa (color), hunnime (new moon) from puṇṇivā , paurṇimā (full moon), and rāya from rāja (king). Kannada has numerous borrowed ( tatsama ) words such as dina , kopa , surya , mukha , nimiṣa , anna .

Literature [ edit | edit source ]

Old kannada [ edit | edit source ].

The oldest existing record of Kannada poetry in tripadi metre is the Kappe Arabhatta record of 700 AD. Kavirajamarga by King Nripatunga Amoghavarsha I (850 AD) is the earliest existing literary work in Kannada. It is a writing on literary criticism and poetics meant to standardize various written Kannada dialects used in literature in previous centuries. The book makes reference to Kannada works by early writers such as King Durvinita of the 6th century and Ravikirti, the author of the Aihole record of 636 AD. Since the earliest available Kannada work is one on grammar and a guide of sorts to unify existing variants of Kannada grammar and literary styles, it can be safely assumed that literature in Kannada must have started several centuries earlier. An early Extant literature|extant prose work, the Vaddaradhane by Shivakotiacharya of 900 AD provides an elaborate description of the life of Bhadrabahu of Shravanabelagola. Kannada works from earlier centuries mentioned in the Kavirajamarga are not yet traced. Some ancient texts now considered extinct but referenced in later centuries are Prabhrita (650 AD) by Syamakundacharya, Chudamani (Crest Jewel—650 AD) by Srivaradhadeva, also known as Tumbuluracharya, which is a work of 96,000 verse-measures and a commentary on logic ( Tatwartha-mahashastra ). The Karnateshwara Katha , a eulogy for King Pulakesi II, is said to have belonged to the 7th century; the Gajastaka , a work on elephant management by King Shivamara II, belonged to the 8th century, and the Chandraprabha-purana by Sri Vijaya, a court poet of King Amoghavarsha I, is ascribed to the early 9th century. Tamil Buddhist commentators of the 10th century AD (in the commentary on Nemrinatham , a Tamil grammatical work) make references that show that Kannada literature must have flourished as early as the 4th century AD. The late classical period gave birth to several genres of Kannada literature, with new forms of composition coming into use, including Ragale (a form of blank verse) and meters like Sangatya and Shatpadi . The works of this period are based on Jainism|Jain and Hinduism|Hindu principles. Two of the early writers of this period are Harihara (poet)|Harihara and Raghavanka, trailblazers in their own right. Harihara established the Ragale form of composition while Raghavanka popularized the Shatpadi (six-lined stanza) meter. The Vachana|Vachana Sahitya tradition of the 12th century is purely native and unique in world literature, and the sum of contributions by all sections of society. Vachanas were pithy poems on that period's social, religious and economic conditions. More importantly, they held a mirror to the seed of social revolution, which caused a radical re-examination of the ideas of caste, creed and religion. Some of the important writers of Vachana literature include Basavanna, Allama Prabhu and Akka Mahadevi.

Middle Kannada [ edit | edit source ]

During the period between the 15th and 18th centuries, Hinduism had a great influence on Middle Kannada ( Nadugannada ) language and literature. Kumara Vyasa, who wrote the Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari , was arguably the most influential Kannada writer of this period. His work, entirely composed in the native Bhamini Shatpadi (hexa-meter), is a sublime adaptation of the first ten books of the Mahabharata. During this period, the Sanskritic influence is present in most abstract, religious, scientific and rhetorical terms. During this period, several Hindi and Marathi words came into Kannada, chiefly relating to feudalism and militia.

Hindu saints of the Vaishnava sect such as Kanakadasa, Purandaradasa, Naraharitirtha, Vyasatirtha, Sripadaraya, Vadirajatirtha, Vijaya Dasa, Jagannatha Dasa, Prasanna Venkatadasa produced devotional poems in this period. Kanakadasa's Ramadhanya Charite is a rare work, concerning with the issue of class struggle. This period saw the advent of Haridasa Sahitya ( lit Dasa literature) which made rich contributions to bhakti literature and sowed the seeds of Carnatic music. Purandara Dasa is widely considered the Father of Carnatic music .

The Kannada works produced from the 19th century make a gradual transition and are classified as Hosagannada or Modern Kannada. Most notable among the modernists was the poet Nandalike Muddana whose writing may be described as the "Dawn of Modern Kannada", though generally, linguists treat Indira Bai or Saddharma Vijayavu by Gulvadi Venkata Raya as the first literary works in Modern Kannada. The first modern movable type printing of "Canarese" appears to be the Canarese Grammar of William Carey (missionary)|Carey printed at Serampore in 1817, and the "Bible translations into Kannada|Bible in Canarese" of John Hands in 1820. The first novel printed was John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress , along with other texts including Canarese Proverbs , The History of Little Henry and his Bearer by Mary Martha Sherwood, Christian Gottlob Barth's Bible Stories and "a Canarese hymn book.” Modern Kannada in the 20th century has been influenced by many movements, notably Navodaya , Navya , Navyottara , Dalita and Bandaya . Contemporary Kannada literature has been highly successful in reaching people of all classes in society. Works of Kannada literature have received eight Jnanpith|Jnanpith awards and fifty six Sahitya Academy awards.

Dialects [ edit | edit source ]

There is also a considerable difference between the spoken and written forms of the language. Spoken Kannada tends to vary from region to region. The written form is more or less consistent throughout Karnataka. The Ethnologue reports "about 20 dialects" of Kannada. Among them are Kundagannada (spoken exclusively in Kundapura), Nadavar-Kannada (spoken by Nadavaru), Havigannada (spoken mainly by Havyaka Brahmins), Are Bhashe (spoken by Gowda community mainly in the Sullia region of Dakshina Kannada), Soliga, Gulbarga Kannada, Dharawad Kannada etc. All of these dialects are influenced by their regional and cultural background Ethnologue also classifies a group of four languages related to Kannada, which are, besides Kannada proper, Badaga language|Badaga, Holiya and Urali.

Geographic distribution [ edit | edit source ]

Kannada is mainly spoken in Karnataka in India, and to a good extent in the border areas of neighbouring states Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa, as well as in sizeable communities in the USA, Europe, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Middle Eastern countries, Canada, Malaysia, Australia, the UK, and Singapore.

Official status [ edit | edit source ]

Kannada is one of the 23 official languages of India and is an administrative language of the State of Karnataka. It is also one of the six classical languages of India.

Writing system [ edit | edit source ]

The language uses forty-nine phonemic letters, divided into three groups: swaragalu (vowels – thirteen letters); vyanjanagalu (consonants – thirty-four letters); and yogavaahakagalu (neither vowel nor consonant – two letters: the anusvara ಂ and the visarga ಃ ), The character set is almost identical to that of other Languages of India|Indian languages. The script itself, derived from Brahmi script, is fairly complicated like most other languages of India owing to the occurrence of various combinations of "half-letters" (glyphs), or symbols that attach to various letters in a manner similar to diacritical marks in the Romance languages. The Kannada script is almost perfectly phonetic, but for the sound of a "half n" (which becomes a half m). The number of written symbols, however, is far more than the forty-nine characters in the alphabet, because different characters can be combined to form compound characters (ottakshara) . Each written symbol in the Kannada script corresponds with one syllable, as opposed to one phoneme in languages like English. The Kannada script is syllabic.

Obsolete Kannada letters [ edit | edit source ]

Kannada literary works employed the letters ಱ (transliterated 'rh') and ೞ (transliterated 'ḻ', 'lh' or 'zh'), whose manner of articulation most plausibly could be akin to those in present-day Malayalam and Tamil language|Tamil. The letters dropped out of use in the 12th and 18th centuries, respectively. Later Kannada works replaced 'rh' and 'lh' with ರ (ra) and ಳ (la) respectively. Another letter (or unclassified vyanjana (consonant)) that has become extinct is 'nh' or 'inn'. (Likewise, this has its equivalent in Malayalam and Tamil.) The usage of this consonant was observed until the 1980s in Kannada works from the mostly coastal areas of Karnataka (especially the Dakshina Kannada district). Now hardly any mainstream works use this consonant. This letter has been replaced by ನ್ (consonant n).

Kannada script evolution [ edit | edit source ]

The image below shows the evolution of Kannada script from prehistoric times to modern period. The Kannada script evolved in stages like:

Proto Kannada -> Pre-Old Kannada -> Old Kannada -> Modern Kannada.

The ProtoKannada script has its root in ancient Brahmi and evolved around c.3rd century BCE. The Pre-Old Kannada script evolved around c.4th century CE. Old Kannada script can be traced to c.10th Century CE. while Modern Kannada script came around c.17th Century CE.

Grammar [ edit | edit source ]

The canonical word order of Kannada is SOV(subject–object–verb) as is the case with Dravidian languages.Kannada is a highly inflected language with three Grammatical gender|genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter or common) and two numbers (singular and plural). It is inflected for gender, number and tense, among other things. The first authoritative known book on Kannada grammar is Shabdhamanidarpana by Keshiraaja. The first available Kannada book is a treatise on poetry: Kavirajamarga . The most influential account of Kannada grammar is Keshiraja's Shabdamanidarpana (c. 1260 CE). The earlier grammatical works include portions of Kavirajamarga (a treatise on alańkāra ) of the 9th century, and Kavyavalokana and Karnatakabhashabhushana (both authored by Nagavarma II in the first half of the 12th century).

Compound bases [ edit | edit source ]

Compound bases, called samāsa in Kannada, are a set of two or more words compounded together. There are several types of compound bases, based on the rules followed for compounding Examples: tangaaLi , hemmara , immadi .

Gender [ edit | edit source ]

According to Keshiraja's Shabdamanidarpana , there are nine gender forms in Kannada. However, in modern Kannada literature only three gender forms are used in practice: masculine, feminine, and neutral.

Words that denote male persons are considered to have masculine gender.

• Examples: Shiva, Bhima, Rama, arasa 'king'

Words that denote female persons are considered to have feminine gender.

• Examples: Parvati, Lakshmi, Saraswati, amma 'mother'

Nouns that do not belong to either of the above two classes are considered to have neuter gender.

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Department of Kannada Literature Studies

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Introduction

Vision and mission.

Uniqueness of the Department

Department Profile

Details of the faculty, major research projects, major contribution of the department, details of publications.

Department of Studies in Kannada Literature, Kannada University, Hampi was started in 1992. Noted Scholar of Delhi University, Prof. T. S. Sathyanath took charge as its first Head of the Department. Subsequently, it was headed by noted writers such as Prof. 0. L. Nagabhushana Swamy, Prof. H. S. Raghavendra Rao and other eminent erudite scholars of Kannada. Presently, the Department is headed by Dr. Amaresh Nugdoni. Dr. Rahamat Tarikere, Dr. Venkatesh Indavadi, Dr. B. M. Puttaiah, and Dr. Mallikarjun Vanenuru  are the members of the department.

Kannada Literature has a monumental history of 1600 years. The Kannada Departments across the Universities in the state have been rendering their bit to explore this vast Kannada Literature. The department is striving to engage with this 1600 years of Kannada literature and the body of literature produced on it in the last little more than 100 years and develop an alternative perspective on it.

Vision Statement of the Department

• The department sees literature not as a chronologically arranged body of texts and authors but as the embodiment of life of Kannadigas in the past, thus taking the analysis of literature in its social and cultural moorings, towards cultural studies.
• The department expands the boundaries of literature to include oral, written, ritualistic practices encoded in language as well as in materialistc practices to produce a body of research on various issues related to history, community, culture, society and polity.
• To develop appropriate methodologies of literary analysis for the purpose.
• To bring out Kannada poetics by undertaking theoretical studies as well as gleaning out the theoretical underpinnings found in the writings of Kannada writers and others who have worked on Kannada literature.

Mission Statement of the Department

• To engage with old texts with contemporary perspectives the Department has created a series called Samskritika Mukhamukhi (cultural encounter), several volumes have already been published in this series and the series continues.
• Along with that engage with important writers/researchers of 20 th century to create a sense of academic history of Kannada Studies, two programs have been held already in this series.
• To engage with the literature produced by contemporary new generation writers.
• To engage with the little known, less known streams of Kannada literature/culture

The department has taken the literary studies from being simply the literary criticism to research level by engaging with issues of aesthetics/poetics and culture taking the question of methodology seriously. The department has raised several historical, political, social issues bringing it to the fore through literary studies and enlarging the scope of literary studies. The department has also tried to engage with Kannada literature not only placing it in the larger socio-political context of its production and consumption but also along with other literatures exploring the interrelations between Kannada and the languages/literatures/philosophies that have shaped Kannada literature thus avoiding the danger of simply engaging in textual explication.

Programs/Courses of the Department

Ph.D. in Kannada Literature Studies

M.Phil. in Kannada Literature Studies

Courses offered :

M.A.Ph.D., (Kannada Literature ) Integrated Programmes

M.A.Ph.D.  (Women Studies) OE in Dialect Studies

Details of the faculties :

Major Research Projects

Major Contribution of the Department :

• Altering the ways in which some of the old texts were perceived through Samskritika Mukamukhi series.
• Enlarging the scope of literary studies by placing it in the larger historical and philosophical context.
• Producing a body of Knowledge on contemporary new-generation writings
• Creating a pool of scholars to undertake such studies.

Conference/Seminars/Workshops/Endowment Lectures etc :

Details of publications, books and research articles (with isbn,issn and without isbn, issn) : .

Dr. Mallikarjuna Gowda

Professor and chairperson

Department of Kannada Literature

Kannada University, Hampi

Vidyaranya – 583 276

Email : [email protected]

Mobile : 9889481718926

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History of the Kannada Literature - I

by Dr. (Mrs) Jyotsna Kamat First Online: May 23, 2000 Last updated on : February 17, 2024

K annada is the language predominant in the state of Karnataka in India.  In this special feature at Kamat's Potpourri , Dr. Kamat who is an authority on medieval and ancient Kannada literature,  traces the history of the Kannada Language. The first of the series covers the earliest texts and determines the origins. She then covers the great Jain and Veerashaiva works. - Ed.

History of Kannada Literature Early History | Jaina Works | Medieval Kannada Vachana Literature |  Dasa Sahitya | Epics | Modern Kannada

Early History

Three Phases

For the sake of the convenient study of  Kannada language and literature, the pundits have divided the development of Kannada language into three phases; The  Old Kannada Phase, The Middle Kannada Phase, and The Modern Kannada Phase.

The verse-form being the most popular all religious texts, scientific treaties like elephant love, horse love, or science of rains, mathematic, poetic, and literature works were composed only in verse- form. India has had oral system of education through the ages and the verse form fit this system very well. The subjects were thought through chanting and reciting and great stress was laid on memorizing, oral reproduction, and application. The verse-form helped to recite easier and to memorize better!

The students of Kannada language are familiar with the eulogy of Kappe Arabhatta, a hero remembered as Kaliyuga Vipartitan.          

Good to the good, sweet to the sweet, This exceptional man of Kaliyuga Is a veritable Madhava himself (to the distressed).

Coming Soon:

• Evolution of the Kannada Language
• Literary Pearls of Kannada
• Modern Kannada Writers - a treasure house of rare portraits at Kamat's Potpourri
• History of Konkani Language
• Jyotsna Kamat's Home Page
• Jai Karnataka -- Potpourri of topics on Kannada art and culture.  

Kannada World, Indian Cosmos

A comprehensive presentation of modern kannada literature in translation.

SIRIGANNADA PRESENTS THE READER , especially the non-Kannada reader, with a wide range of Kannada writing that reflects the concerns, preoccupations and anxieties of writers and critics regarding contemporary Kannada culture. The anthology features short stories, extracts from plays and novels, a couple of poems, an autobiographical narrative and a few essays. What is of great interest is that the pieces in the volume represent the diverse traditions within Kannada culture and literature and, very importantly, also bring the reader face to face with the changes India has been undergoing during the past two decades, widely recognised as the phase of globalisation. In this sense, the anthology—through translation—captures the Kannada world as representative of the Indian cosmos.

The Kannada literary tradition moved into a modernist phase—called Navya in Kannada—more than 50 years ago. The Navya phase generated tremendous intellectual energy by closely interrogating long-held notions of tradition, culture, community life and individual choices. The enormous positive scepticism of the Navya writers continues to be one of the most outstanding features of Kannada literary and cultural traditions and—even after several decades—marks contemporary Kannada consciousness.

There followed a phase during which the specificity of the Dalit experience journeyed into a larger ideological terrain (inspired by Marxist ideas) that dealt with the oppression of all lower castes and marginalised sections of society. This phase is recognised as the Bandaya phase—meaning 'protest'. Bandaya literature is protest literature.

It is imperative to recognise that there also exists a continuous and uninterrupted flow of a feminist consciousness in the Kannada literary tradition. Though not clearly acknowledged by the dominant critical tradition, it was constantly evolving to become a literary force on its own terms, even demanding the construction of a full-fledged feminist theory.

All these echoes, resonances and voices are adequately represented in this volume. Most of the pieces here belong to the past two decades. The promising writers of the younger generation included in this book provide a contrast to the big names of the Navya period such as UR Ananthamurthy, Chandrashekhara Kambara, P Lankesh, KP Poornachandra Tejaswi and Girish Karnad.

Rather than present a chronological and linear account of the literary tradition, which is what the book does, it is far more useful to focus attention on the thematic patterns and ideological concerns that emerge from the works. A conceptual approach opens up to the reader the dualities, contradictions and paradoxes of a culture and a society in transition. The Navya writers argued that the experiences of the individuals and the communities they depicted were not merely consciously held positions that had to be 'stated' in a work of art. On the contrary, it was necessary for the writer to transmute ideas into experiences out of which such positions would emerge. In other words, works of art needed to 'enact' the dilemmas of human beings and not project them as 'objective ideas'.

Several tensions of the contemporary world find expression in these pieces—feudalism; patriarchy; mythical beliefs; the virtual reality of a globalised world; the turmoil of widows in a dehumanised traditional order; the historical location of a mythological world; the existential predicament of a Dalit; the manipulations of an opportunistic, smalltime politician's lackey; and the ideological and moral conflicts of a brutal, hegemonising nation-state.  The works articulate these issues through a wide range of imagery and by employing different kinds of metaphors and symbols only to highlight the complexities of our times. The overlapping of social situations, historical contexts and the reenactment of individual anguish and misery at different junctures point to the continuum in which individuals and communities confront their destinies.

In the short story 'Kamaroopi', UR Ananthamurthy portrays the wily moves of a smart operator in a world of petty politics, revealing its nexus with the worlds of commerce and trade, and underlining the nature of our amoral socio-political order. The manner in which nation-building takes place through an unholy alliance of corrupt politicians and the utterly faceless world of modern business is a telling comment on the nature of our nation-state and the moral bankruptcy of our civil society with its façade of dignity and honour.

P Lankesh in 'Classmate' and Kum Veerabhadrappa in 'The Handshake Episode' attempt to unravel the labyrinths of a decadent feudal order governed by a dehumanising caste system. Even as these short stories deal with the cruelties of the feudal world, they foreground the many subtle ways in which modernity makes its way into that world and weaves a pattern into the feudal fabric. The two stories depict the complex manner in which Indian feudalism undergoes a transformation and how individuals experience a metamorphosis, not through dramatic revolutions, but by means of subversive acts.

A truly modern sensibility is at work in the fiction of Ananthamurthy and Lankesh, which is manifested differently in KP Poornachandra Tejaswi's story, 'An Indentured Spirit'. Adopting a comical mode, Tejaswi contrasts the rational, sceptical attitude of a modern protagonist with the myths and superstitions that prevail in a rural landscape. Tejaswi does not create a simplistic opposition between the two. Instead, in the story, myths and superstitions are used by a crafty old Harijan, Maara, to hoodwink gullible villagers for his own gains. The story—through a distinct modern consciousness—unfolds all the strategies of survival of a so-called primitive and backward world, in no way inferior to those of the modern world. In this, Tejasvi differs from the other Navya writers who were more concerned with urban themes.

The Kannada literary sensibility, in spite of a predominant rational consciousness, has juxtaposed aspects of modernity with several elements of a mythological world. Chandrashekhara Kambara and Girish Karnad are two writers who use myths in an extremely creative manner, historicising them with great sophistication. The fine relationship between myth and history finds full expression in the excerpts from Kambara's Shikara Soorya and Girish Karnad's Agni mattu Male (Fire and the Rain). The Kannada literary tradition offers a mythopoeic imagination that compels us to question the dominant epistemological constructs of Western sociology, anthropology and history.

THE INTERIOR SPACES OF WOMEN have always been a major presence in the writings of the modernists. The existential agony that women undergo, their traumatic experiences and their quiet resolve and resilience have long captured the imagination of writers. What is significant is that depicting the woman's predicament has not been the sole prerogative of women writers. Many male writers too have, with remarkable sensitivity and empathy, dealt with the inner world of women. Even though literary critics have overlooked works by and about women in Kannada literature, writers have in fact tended to highlight the female protagonist. Vasudhendra in 'Take Vajee also to Play with you, Please', Sunanda Prakash Kadame in 'Imprints of Little Feet' and Vivek Shanbhag in 'Reason' take us into the different realms of women's experiences—especially of widows who carry all kinds of psychological and social burdens without hope of freeing themselves from their despair and loneliness. These writers construct images and metaphors which add to the rich tradition of capturing social realities through metaphorical means—something the Kannada literary tradition has constantly nurtured.

These three short stories are not mere expressions of pathos and victimhood. In fact, they show readers the unseen and unexplored power of a woman who draws all strength and vitality from her own inner resources. Kadame, in particular, makes it possible for an old woman to transcend the anguish of the present by allowing her to imagine and experience the innocence of childhood without any melodrama or sentimentality. The construction of nostalgia by Kadame is a strong retort to many who believe only in realistic representations and frown upon nostalgia as indulgence.

Vaidehi, the best-known among the women writers of Karnataka, in her story 'Going by Tables and Chairs' blends the literal and the symbolic to create a fascinating story of the world of patriarchs, matriarchs and the emerging consciousness of a younger generation of girls who, through innocent and playful means, challenge patriarchal constructs and try to shape a distinct identity. Vaidehi endearingly narrates the gradual emergence of the new woman.

The narratives about women—by male and female writers—compel the reader to give women's writing greater attention and respect and to even build specific theoretical positions minus patronising attitudes. This collection forces one to shed the concessive gestures often employed when evaluating women's writing in Kannada.

Recent Kannada writing has also engaged with the new patterns of behaviour emerging in individual and community life during the past two decades. Even those individuals strongly rooted in their own local cultures find it compellingly necessary to reexamine their roots and identities when they move into the urban world—the metropolis—for professional reasons. The new awareness that the globalised world gives rise to in displaced individuals and the uncertainties and anxieties it creates in local cultures, which cannot escape its influence, make up the writing of the younger generation. In this anthology, KV Akshara in 'Story within a Story' (excerpted from his play Swayamvaraloka ) and Jayant Kaikini in his story 'Tick Tock Buddy' deal with all these phenomena most vividly. The manner in which indigenous forms of life are dragged into alien lifestyles and the subtle ways in which individuals alter their feelings and attitudes towards personal relations and societal ties are captured graphically by these younger writers. In other words, 'hybridity' is what these writers are trying to capture as a concrete experience and not as a mere theoretical proposition. It is through the realms of experience and local cultures that hybridity emerges in the work of the new generation.

The Kannada literary world woke up to the sensation that Dalit writers created through an idiom that was quite unfamiliar to mainstream writers. In the 1970s, writers like Devanur Mahadeva and Siddalingaiah added an important dimension to the Dalit movement which, of course, was embedded in radical activism and engendered several controversies. Siddalingaiah's poetry collection Hole Maadigara Haadu shocked the settled mores of the literary world. He used swear words and terms of abuse that come from the distinct caste/class layers of society whose rage he was trying to articulate in his poetry. The idiom that Siddalingaiah used brought into the Kannada literary tradition a range of expression that was not, in conventional terms, 'literary' or 'poetic'—one could relate it with what 'Black Writing' had achieved in the West.

But over the decades, Dalit expression has evolved enough to move away from its initial phase of fury and aggression and finds its articulation through irony, humour, sarcasm and, more significantly, a deep, meditative, self-reflexive consciousness. The chapter extracted here from Siddalingaiah's autobiography Ooru Keri is illustrative of the fascinating transition Dalit literature has undergone over the decades.

Globalisation has created a great divide in perceptions and choices as far as fundamental economic issues are concerned. For the past three decades, India, as a nation-state and a sociocultural entity, has been debating the wisdom of pursing and executing certain notions of 'progress', 'development' and 'growth'. This has created an irreconcilable antagonism between various political groups and communities and each ideological position creates multiple counterpositions and oppositional stances. A firm commitment to justice and equality—coming from genuine socialist centres—has inevitably led to a fierce confrontation with those who believe in the powers of global economy and a centralised world economic order. These economic debates have also created many conflicts over ideas of language, intellectual excellence and cultural autonomy. The debates serve to highlight the deeply contradictory nature of the Indian sociocultural situation. In the essays 'Excellence, an Obsession' and 'The Kannada-English Combat', KV Subbanna and DR Nagaraj, respectively, attempt to come to terms with the acutely paradoxical quality of Indian cultural life and try to open up spaces of reconciliation. These two outstanding intellectuals of our times draw attention to how binary opposites can only enhance the contradictions and deepen the divisive forces at work in our context.

The anthology also includes poetry written by Pratibha Nandakumar, S Manjunath and HS Shivaprakash, all of whom have carved niches for themselves as important poets of contemporary Kannada literature. Nandakumar employs very personal, physical imagery in a daring manner and is recognised for her bold and uninhibited expression. Shivaprakash reinvents the religious and the mystical traditions and recontextualises them without privileging either the past or the present. S Manjunath is important for drawing from various philosophical traditions and shapes his poetic expression by looking upon the past with a contemporary outlook and a modern awareness. However, these poets ought to have been more adequately represented in the anthology.

Abdul Rasheed's story, 'Comrade and Umma' and the extract from Srinivas Vaidya's novel Crossing the Stream are pieces that contextualise—even though they are set in different historical periods—the emergence of centres of political power and authority and the insurrections they give rise to. The two pieces are pointers to the nature of political authority in our times.

Sirigannada is truly remarkable for the range and depth of experience of the entire culture that it tries to present to its readers. The editor, in his brief introduction, acknowledges the difficulties of preparing anthologies of this kind. Nevertheless, Sirigannada does succeed in opening up many of the conflicts, debates and anxieties of our contemporary world.

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Kannada Literature Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC

Last updated on August 15, 2023 by Alex Andrews George

UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam Optional Subject consists of 2 papers. Each paper is of 250 marks, making a total of 500 marks.

(Answers must be written in Kannada) Section-A A. History of Kannada Language

What is Language? General charecteristics of Language. Dravidian Family of Languages and its specific features, Antiquity of Kannada Language, Different Phases of its Development.

Dialects of Kannada Language : Regional and Social Various aspects of development of Kannada Language : phonological and Semantic changes.

Language borrowing.

B. History of Kannada Literature

Ancient Kannada literature : Influence and Trends. Poets for study : Specified poets from Pampa to Ratnakara Varni are to be studied in the light of contents, form and expression : Pampa, Janna, Nagachandra. Medieval Kannada literature : Influence and Trends. Vachana literature : Basavanna, Akka Mahadevi. Medieval Poets : Harihara, Ragha-vanka, Kumar-Vyasa. Dasa literature : Purandra and Kanaka. Sangataya : Ratnakaravarni

C. Modern Kannada literature :

Influence, trends and idealogies, Navodaya, Pragatishila, Navya, Dalita and Bandaya.

A. Poetics and literary criticism :

Definition and concepts of poetry : Word, Meaning, Alankara, Reeti, Rasa, Dhwani, Auchitya. Interpretations of Rasa Sutra. Modern Trends of literary criticism : Formalist, Historical, Marxist, Feminist, Post-colonial criticism.

B. Cultural History of Karnataka

Contribution of Dynasties to the culture of Karnataka : Chalukyas of Badami and Kalyani, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara rulers, in literary context.

Major religions of Karnataka and their cultural contributions.

Arts of Karnataka : Sculpture, Architecture, Painting, Music, Dance-in the literary context. Unification of Karnataka and its impact on Kannada literature. PAPER-II

(Answers must be written in Kannada)

The paper will require first-hand reading of the Texts prescribed and will be designed to test the critical ability of the candidates.

A. OLD KANNADA LITERATURE

1. Vikramaarjuna Vijaya of Pampa (cantos 12 & 13), (Mysore University Pub.)

2. Vaddaraadhane (Sukumaraswamyia Kathe, Vidyutchorana Kathe)

B. MEDIEVAL KANNADA LITERATURE :

1. Vachana Kammata, Ed: K. Marulasiddappa K.R. Nagaraj (Bangalore University Pub.)

2. Janapriya Kanakasamputa, Ed. D. Javare Gowda (Kannada and Culture Directorate, Bangalore)

3. Nambiyannana Ragale, Ed., T.N. Sreekantaiah (Ta.Vem. Smaraka Grantha Male, Mysore)

4. Kumaravyasa Bharata : Karna Parva (Mysore University)

5. Bharatesha Vaibhava Sangraha Ed. Ta. Su. Shama Rao (Mysore University)

A. MODERN KANNADA LITERATURE

1. Poetry : Hosagannada Kavite, Ed : G.H. Nayak (Kannada Saahitya Parishattu, Bangalore)

2. Novel : Bettada Jeeva-Shivarama Karanta Madhavi-Arupama Niranjana Odalaala-Devanuru Mahadeva 3. Short Story : Kannada Sanna Kathegalu, Ed. G.H. Nayak (Sahitya Academy, New Delhi). 4. Drama : Shudra Tapaswi-Kuvempu. Tughlak-Girish Karnad.

5. Vichara Saahitya : Devaru-A.N. Moorty Rao (Pub : D.V.K. Moorty, Mysore.)

B. FOLK LITERATURE :

1. Janapada Swaroopa-Dr. H.M. Nayak. (Ta. Vem. Smaraka Grantha Male, Mysore.)

2. Janapada Geetaanjali-Ed.D. Javare Gowda. (Pub : Sahitya Academy, New Delhi.)

3. Kannada Janapada Kathegalu-Ed. J.S. Paramashivaiah, (Mysore University.)

4. Beedi Makkalu Beledo. Ed. Kalegowda Nagavara (Pub : Bangalore University.)

5. Savirada Ogatugalu-Ed : S.G. Imrapura.

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Reader Interactions

April 29, 2015 at 5:11 pm

I am from Karnataka and my mother Tongue is bandana, studied in Kannada medium up to 10th class. after that i took an engineering (now my age is 25). i need an advise ; would it be a good strategy to choose Kannada literature as an optional as i can prepare for compulsory paper-1 and two optional at a time?

February 13, 2016 at 12:08 pm

Me completed engineering my age is 26.my question is can I take Kannada language

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Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Syllabus 2024 and Exam Pattern, Download PDF

Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Syllabus 2024 and Exam Pattern have been discussed in the article below. Interested candidates can download the Kerala PSC Excise Officer Syllabus 2024 PDF here.

Table of Contents

The Kerala Public Service Commission has released the Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Syllabus PDF along with the notification. If you are preparing for the upcoming exam check and start your exam preparation with the Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Syllabus. To crack the exam, one must have a clear understanding of the syllabus so that they know what they need to learn. Check the detailed syllabus and exam pattern below.

Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Syllabus 2024

The syllabus acts as a guiding light for those candidates who are preparing for the exam. Candidates can get to know what exactly they have to study and what topics they need to cover. Along with the syllabus, they should also understand the exam pattern to know the marking scheme and other required details. Check the table below for more information.

Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Exam Pattern

The Kerala PSC Excise Officer Exam will be held for 100 marks in which there are 5 6 parts in total. Candidates can check the detailed Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Exam Pattern in the table below.

Kerala PSC Excise Officer Syllabus 2024

The Kerala PSC Excise Officer Syllabus includes subjects like- General Knowledge which includes subjects like- History, Geography, Economics, Constitution of India, Kerala – Governance and Administrative Systems, Biology and Public Health, Physics, Chemistry, Arts, Sports, Literature and Culture; Current Affairs; Arithmetic and Mental Ability and Observation Skills Test; General English; Regional Languages- Malayalam/ Tamil/ Kannada 10 marks; and Special Topic related to job nature of posts. Check the subject-wise syllabus which is further divided into parts in the table below.

Part I: General Knowledge (40 Marks)

Part ii: periodical topics (10 marks), part iii: simple arithmetic, mental ability, and observation test (10 marks), part iv: general english (10 marks), part v: regional languages (malayalam/ tamil/ kannada) (10 marks), part vi: special topic (20 marks).

Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Syllabus 2024 PDF

Candidates can also download the Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Syllabus 2024 PDF using the link shared below. After downloading the result, take a printout of the same and stick it near your study table to prepare well for the exam.

What subjects are covered under General Knowledge in the Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Exam?

The General Knowledge section of the Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Exam covers a wide range of topics including History, Geography, Economics, the Constitution of India, Kerala’s Governance and Administrative Systems, Biology and Public Health, Physics, Chemistry, and Arts, Sports, Literature, and Culture. These subjects collectively aim to test the candidate’s awareness and understanding of diverse areas that are crucial for the role.

What is the exam pattern for the Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Exam 2024?

The Kerala PSC Excise Inspector Exam consists of six parts with a total of 100 marks. The subjects included are General Knowledge, which is worth 40 marks, Current Affairs worth 10 marks, Arithmetic and Mental Ability and Observation Skills Test worth 10 marks, General English worth 10 marks, Regional Languages - Malayalam, Tamil, or Kannada worth 10 marks, and a Special Topic related to the nature of the job posts, which is worth 20 marks.

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