Vachana Movement, Kannada Literature and the Arts — Practice

Question 1

What was the Anubhava Mantapa and where was it?

Accepted Answer

A forum for spiritual and social discussion set up by Basavanna at Kalyana (Basavakalyan) in the 12th century.

Question 2

How many Kannada writers have won the Jnanpith Award, and name two.

Accepted Answer

Eight, for example Kuvempu and U. R. Ananthamurthy.

Question 3

Explain kayaka and dasoha and why they matter for ethics.

Accepted Answer

Kayaka is work as worship, so every honest occupation has dignity. Dasoha is service, sharing what one earns with others. Together they support equality and dignity of labour, which is why they appear in GS Paper IV.

Question 4

What are vachanas and who were the main voices?

Accepted Answer

Short rhythmic prose-poems in plain Kannada, free of fixed metre. The main voices were Basavanna (signed Kudalasangamadeva), Akka Mahadevi (Channamallikarjuna), Allama Prabhu and Channabasavanna.

Question 5

Who were the Haridasas and why are Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa remembered?

Accepted Answer

Wandering Vaishnava devotional singers of the Dvaita tradition who composed in simple Kannada. Purandara Dasa is called the pitamaha of Carnatic music for his teaching methods; Kanaka Dasa, a shepherd by birth, criticised caste and ritual in his songs.

Question 6

Evaluate the Vachana movement as a social reform movement.

Accepted Answer

It opposed caste hierarchy, ritual excess and temple-centred worship, welcomed women and artisans into the Anubhava Mantapa, praised work through kayaka and dasoha, and supported inter-caste marriage. It also created a new literary form in plain Kannada. Its limit was that later Lingayat society developed its own divisions, and the movement faced a violent reaction at Kalyana after the inter-caste marriage it backed.

Question 7

Trace the Kannada literary line from the Kavirajamarga to modern times.

Accepted Answer

The Kavirajamarga (9th century) is the earliest surviving work on poetics, linked to Amoghavarsha I. Pampa, Ponna and Ranna wrote in the 10th century. The 12th century brought vachana literature, and the Haridasas produced songs from the 15th century. Modern movements include Navodaya, Pragatishila and Navya, and eight Kannada writers have won the Jnanpith Award. Kannada was recognised as a classical language in 2008.

Question 8

Name one coastal theatre form and one GI-tagged craft of Bidar.

Accepted Answer

Yakshagana; Bidri ware.

Practice — Vachana Movement, Kannada Literature and the Arts

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