''Bhakta Kanakadasa'' ( kn, ಭಕ್ತ ಕನಕದಾಸ) is a 1960 Indian

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...

film, directed by Y. R. Swamy. It depicts the spiritual journey of

Kanakadasa Kanaka Dasa (1509–1609) was a Haridasa saint and philosopher, popularly called Daasashreshta Kanakadasa (ದಾಸಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಕನಕದಾಸ). He was a renowned composer of Carnatic music, poet, reformer and musician. He is kn ...

, who was a devotee of the Hindu deity

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

, and a poet belonging to the Dasa sect. The film stars Rajkumar, Krishna Kumari and

Udaykumar Bommasandra Srinivasaiah Suryanarayana Murthy (16 March 1933 – 26 December 1985), known by his screen name Udaykumar, was an Indian actor and producer in Kannada cinema. He, along with Kalyan Kumar and Rajkumar, were called the ''Kumarath ...

in the major roles. This film, officially marked the 100th production/release of Kannada cinema, since its inception in 1934. Boasting of lilting tunes including the works of Kanakadasa himself, the songs were held in high esteem. The music was composed by M. Venkataraju, the songs turned very popular. Edited by Govinda Swamy &

M.S. Parthasarathy M.S. Parthasarathy or M.S.P. Sarathi (28 August 1924 – 29 April 1981) was an Indian film editor, director, and producer. He is nick named as "Japan" due to his hard working nature. He was closely associated with H. M. Reddy, H.M. Reddy and wo ...

Story line

Kanaka, who is the chieftain of a fort wishes to marry a lass, played by Krishna Kumari, much to the chagrin of his opponent, Uday Kumar. In a riveting battle scene, Kanaka is on the verge of losing, while Lord Krishna appears and asks him to surrender himself to divine grace. Man of high temper, Kanaka refuses and continues fighting. As fate would have it, Kanaka is mortally wounded and healed by Lord Krishna. Surrendering himself to the divinity, Kanaka becomes a dasa ervantto the Lord. With his unflinching devotion and dedication, he gets the trust of Sri

Vyasatirtha Vyāsatīrtha (. 1460 – 1539), 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 patron saint of the Vija ...

, the Royal Priest of Vijayanagar. Inspired by Sri

to visit the historic Udupi Sri Krishna Temple, Kanaka reaches there, only to be denied entry. Kanaka is charged with defying law and is punished. His eyes are about to be gouged, but a miracle happens. Lord Krishna's idol turns around, breaks opens the wall and offers Darshan to Kanaka. This supposedly led to the formation of

Kanakana kindi Kanakana Kindi or Kanaka's Window is a small peephole in the Udupi Sri Krishna temple through which the great Indian saint Kanaka Dasa was given darshan by lord Krishna. History There are many popular legends regarding Lord Krishna's revelation ...

. Kanaka is accepted as a true Saint by the society and spends his life singing praise of the Lord and composing poems on the Lord, including "Mohana Tarangini" and "Rama Dhyaana Charitre".

Soundtrack

Awards

; National Film Awards * 1960: Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film in Kannada

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bhakta Kanakadasa 1960 films 1960s Kannada-language films Indian biographical films Films scored by M. Venkataraju 1960s biographical films Films directed by Y. R. Swamy