Janna

Who was Janna?

Janna was one of the well-known Kannada poets of the early 13th century who also served in the capacity of a minister and a builder of temples. He graced the court of Hoysala empire King Veera Ballala II and earned the title Kavichakravarthi. His noteworthy writings include Yashodhara Charitre which deals with Jain tenets, Ananthnatha Purana which deals with the teachings of the 14th Jain tirthankara and a short piece called Anubhava Mukura. Although all his works are known for the grace and style, Yashodhara Charite is his magnum opus and one of the classics of Kannada literature.

Janna finds an important place in Kannada literature, though he is not as famous as Adikavi Pampa. He came from a family of celebrated Kannada writers; Mallikarjuna, the well known anthologist was his brother-in-law and Kesiraja the grammarian, was his nephew. Janna's style essentially belonged to the classical marga brand of Kannada writers and his works were primarily meant to propagate the Jain philosophy.