Harihara (or Harisvara) ( kn, ಹರಿಹರ) was a noted
Kannada
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 s ...
poet and writer in the 12th century. A native of
Halebidu
Halebidu (IAST: Haḷēbīḍ, literally "old capital, city, encampment" or "ruined city") is a town located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Historically known as Dorasamudra (also Dwarasamudra), Halebidu became the regal capital of the ...
in modern
Hassan district
Hassan is one of the districts of Karnataka, 31 districts of Karnataka, India. The district headquarter is Hassan, Karnataka, Hassan. It was carved out from Mysore district in the year 1866, during the Commissioner's Rule of Mysore (1831-81).
...
, he came from a family of accountants (''Karnikas'')
and initially served in that capacity in the court of
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannada people, Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially loca ...
King
Narasimha I
Narasimha I ( kn, ಒಂದನೆ ನರಸಿಂಹ) (r. 1152–1173 CE) was a ruler of the Hoysala Empire. His victory over his overlord Western Chalukya Empire King Tailapa III paved the way for the declaration of independence by his success ...
(r.1152–1173 CE).
[Kamath (2001), p. 133] Later, he moved to
Hampi
Hampi or Hampe, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hampi (town), Hampi town, Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India.
Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire i ...
and authored many landmark classics. Among his important writings, the ''Girijakalyana'' written in ''
champu
Champu or Chapu-Kavya (Devanagari: चम्पू-काव्य) is a genre of literary composition in Indian literature. The word 'Champu' means a combination of poetry and prose. A ''champu-kavya'' consists of a mixture of prose (Gadya-Kav ...
'' metre (mixed prose-verse) is considered one of the enduring classics of
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 ...
.
[Narasimhacharya (1988), p. 20]
Famous writings
Magnum opus
Harihara, although one of the earliest
Veerashaiva
Veerashaivism is a sect within the Shaivism fold of Hinduism. According to tradition, it was transmitted by ''Panchacharyas'', ( kn, ಪಂಚಾಚಾರ್ಯರು, paṃcācāraya from sa, पंचचार्य, pañcācārya), or five ...
writers, was not part of the famous ''
Vachana
Vachana sahitya is a form of rhythmic writing in Kannada (see also Kannada poetry) that evolved in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th century, as a part of the Sharana movement. Madara Chennaiah, an 11th-century cobbler-saint who live ...
'' literary tradition. He wrote under the patronage of King
Narasimha I
Narasimha I ( kn, ಒಂದನೆ ನರಸಿಂಹ) (r. 1152–1173 CE) was a ruler of the Hoysala Empire. His victory over his overlord Western Chalukya Empire King Tailapa III paved the way for the declaration of independence by his success ...
. He wrote his ''magnum opus'', the ''Girijakalyana'' ("Marriage of the mountain born Goddess") in the
Kalidasa
Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...
tradition, though employing the old
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
''champu'' style, with the story leading to the marriage of God
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
and his consort
Parvati
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
in ten sections.
[Sastri (1955), pp. 361–362][Narasimhacharya, (1988), p. 20] Harihara brings out his ability for narration while describing the lamentation of
Rati
Rati ( sa, रति, ) is the Hinduism, Hindu Devi, goddess of List of love and lust deities, love, carnal desire, lust, passion, and sexual pleasure. Usually described as the daughter of ''Prajapati'' Daksha, Rati is the female counterpart, th ...
for
Kama
''Kama'' (Sanskrit ) means "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsकाम, kāmaMonier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary, pp 271, see 3rd column Kama often connotes sensual pleasure, sexual ...
, and the intense love and devotion of Parvati for Shiva.
[Shiva Prakash (1997), p. 206][Nagaraj in Pollock (2003), p. 362]
Though known for his ''magnum opus'', his poetic talent found complete expression in his lyrical and narrative ''ragale'' poems. It was Harihara who popularised the ''ragale'' (couplets in blank verse), a metre native to Kannada language.
[Rice E.P. (1921), p. 59] In a deviation from the norm of the day, Harihara avoided glorifying famous mortals and continued the Jain tradition of "glorifying the spirit" and the "conquest of evil within oneself".
So against eulogising earthly mortals was Harihara, legend has it that he physically abused his protégé
Raghavanka
Raghavanka ( kn, ರಾಘವಾಂಕ) was a noted Kannada writer and a poet in the Hoysala court who flourished in the late 12th to early 13th century. Raghavanka is credited for popularizing the use of the native '' shatpadi'' metre (hexa m ...
for writing about King
Harishchandra
Harishchandra () is a legendary king of the Solar dynasty, who appears in several legends in texts such as the ''Aitareya Brahmana'', ''Mahabharata'', the ''Markandeya Purana'', and the ''Devi Bhagavata Purana''. The most famous of these storie ...
in the work ''Harishchandra Kavya'' (c. 1200).
[Nagaraj in Pollock (2003), p. 364]
Other poetic works
Shivaganada ragale
Harihara is credited with a collection of more than one hundred poems in the ''
ragale
Ragale (Kannada: ರಗಳೆ ) is a type of meter in Kannada prosody that is used in Kannada poetry.
This meter can usually have as many padas of syllables divided into two groups of various fixed number of matra in each line. It is the mo ...
'' metre called the ''Nambiyanana ragale'' (also called ''Shivaganada ragale'' or ''Saranacharitamanasa''–"The
holy lake
Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cleric. ...
of the lives of the devotees", c. 1160) after the saint Nambiyana. In this writing, which is a eulogy of the 63 saints of early
Shaivism
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...
(devotion to God Shiva), of the later social reformers such as
Basavanna
Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalu ...
,
Allama Prabhu
Allamaprabhu ( kn, ಅಲ್ಲಮಪ್ರಭು) was a 12th-century mystic-saint and ''Vachana'' poet (called ''Vachanakara'') of the Kannada language, propagating the unitary consciousness of Self and Shiva. Allamaprabhu is one of the cele ...
and
Akka Mahadevi
Akka Mahadevi ಅಕ್ಕ ಮಹಾದೇವಿ (c.1130–1160) was one of the early female poets of the Kannada literature and a prominent person in the Lingayat Shaiva sect in the 12th century. Her 430 extant Vachana poems (a form of spont ...
, and of God
Virupaksha (a form of Hindu god Shiva), Harihara express emotions as few poets could. Referenced in this writing is the
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
epic ''Periyapuranam''.
[Rice E.P. (1921), p. 60]
Basavarajadevara ragale
Another important writing (though partially available), in the ''ragale'' metre is the ''Basavarajadevara ragale''. It is on the life of
Basavanna
Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalu ...
emphasizing the protagonist's compassion for devotees of the god Shiva. This work is the earliest biography of
Basavanna
Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalu ...
from which 13 out of 25 sections are available and are considered important because the author was a near contemporary of his protagonist and set the trend for future biographers. Harihara thus became the earliest poetic biographer in the Kannada language.
[Shiva Prakash (1997), p. 179] Interesting details of Basavanna's life are narrated by Harihara, some of which contradict commonly held beliefs. The author, who does not appear to be personally acquainted with his protagonist, mixed facts with some mythological details. While popular theory holds that Basavanna left his native place over a difference of opinion with his father regarding the brahminical initiation ritual (the "sacred thread ceremony"), Harihara's account states Basavanna lost his parents early in life and was cared for by his grandmother. Later he discarded his thread and left for Sangama, indicating he was already initiated.
[Sahitya Akademi (1987), p. 404] Regarding Basavanna's employment under King
Bijjala II
Bijjala II (1130–1167 CE) kn, ಇಮ್ಮಡಿ ಬಿಜ್ಜಳ was the Mahamandaleshwara of the Kalyani Chalukyas. He was the most famous of the southern Kalachuri kings who ruled initially as a vassal of Chalukya Vikramaditya VI. He ru ...
, while popular theory holds that Basavanna succeeded his deceased maternal uncle (whose daughter he was married to) as the treasurer of the king, according to Harihara, Basavanna's introduction to the king was made by the incumbent treasurer Sidhdandadhisa, whom he later succeeded to the post.
Mudigeya Ashtaka
''Mudigeya ashtaka'' (1200) is an important ''ashtaka'' poem (an eight line verse metre) by Harihara. Legend has it that once when Harihara bowed down in prayer to his God (Shiva), the "Rudraksha" flowers in his headgear (a ''mudige'') fell on the floor. Seeing this, the devotees who had gathered there derided Harihara for wearing the headgear. In response, Harihara composed the ''ashtaka'' extempore in honor of his deity and included a challenging phrase "I have laid the ''mudige'' on the floor, let me see who can pick it up".
[Sahitya Akademi (1987), p. 248]
Other writings
Harihara's other works include ''Pushpa ragale'', ''Marichanana ragale'' and ''Pampa sataka'' (written in the ''shataka'' metre comprising a string of 100 verses), in praise of the god Virupaksha of
Hampi
Hampi or Hampe, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hampi (town), Hampi town, Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India.
Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire i ...
.
[Shiva Prakash (1997), p. 205] For his poetic talent, he has earned the honorific "poet of exuberance" (''utsava kavi'').
[Sahitya Akademi (1988), p. 1181]
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harihara
12th-century births
13th-century deaths
Kannada poets
History of Karnataka
People from Hassan
Indian male poets
12th-century Indian poets
13th-century Indian poets