Kannada prosody (ಕನ್ನಡ ಛಂದಸ್ಸು (''Kannada Chhandassu'')) is the study of
metres
The metre (British spelling
Despite the various English dialects spoken from country to country and within different regions of the same country, there are only slight regional variations in English orthography, the two most notable va ...
used in
Kannada poetry
Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is the language spoken in Karnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ, ಕರುನಾಡು). Karnataka has eight Jnanapeeth (ಜ್ಞಾನ ಪೀಠ ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತ) award winners, the highest honor bestowed for Indi ...
, describing the
rhythmic structure of a
verse. The metres used include some metres borrowed from other traditions, and indigenous metres.
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 ...
literature, especially Old Kannada poetry, clearly exhibits the importance poets placed on metre. This can be seen in the number of types of metre used in Kannada poetry.
History
The earliest Kannada work on prosody was the ''Guṇagānkiyam'', which has been lost.
Nagavarma I wrote a fairly complete work on prosody , called Chandombudhi. With a few additions by later writers, it still remains a standard work on Kannada prosody.
Subdivisions
Kannada metres are categorised as Amsha and Maatra (syllabic and quantitative), or as Vaidika and Laukika metres.
[Prof. T. V. Venkatachala Shastri, Kannada Chandaswaroopa, DVK Murthy Publication, Mysore 3rd Edition 2008 p.267-315]
Amsha metres
Amsha metres are based on Amsha or a unit consisting of short or long syllables which may be extended to modify time required to pronounce them. Amshas are named as Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra based on number of Amshas in it: 2, 3 or 4, respectively. Tripadi, Sangatya and some Amsha Shatpadi belong to Amsha metre category. Kannada vachanas and
Yakshagana
Yakshagaana is a traditional theatre, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala that combines dance, music, dialogue, ...
poems are composed in these metres. There are also Amsha Shatpadis.
Maatra metres
Maatra metres are based on Maatras. A Maatra is a unit of time. One Maatra is denoted as U and is called Laghu. Two Maatra is denoted as -. There are a set of rules to decide if a letter in a poem takes one or two Maatra time. Maatra Shatpadi and Ragale, for example belong to this group. Harichandra Kavya, Jaimini Bharata are poems composed in these metres.
Vaidika metres
Vaidika metres are based on Sanskrit Vedic metres such as Vaidika Anustup, Gayatri and Tristup etc. These are Akshara metres or syllabic metres based on number of syllables and lines.
Laukika metres
Laukika metres are Vaidika metres used in a more constrained manner to instill more rhythmic regularity. Anustup is an example. The Sanskrit Ramayana by Valmiki is composed in Laukika Anustup metre. There are very few poems composed in Kannada in these metres and this category is mostly of academic interest in Kannada.
Popular indigenous metres
:*
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 ...
:*
Shatpadi
Shatpadi ( ) is a native meter in Kannada prosody that has been used extensively in Kannada poetry. It meter can usually have six padas of syllables, divided into groups of various fixed number of matra (beats) in each line. It was most efficien ...
:*
Dwipadi
:*
Tripadi
Tripadi (Kannada, lit. ''tri'': three, ''pad'' or "adi": feet) is a native metre in the Kannada language dating back to c. 700 CE.
Definition
The ''tripadi'' consists of three lines, each differing from the others in the number of feet and mora ...
:* Chaupadi
:*
Saangatya -
Siribhoovalaya
The ''Siribhoovalaya'' ( kn, ಸಿರಿಭೂವಲಯ) is a work of multi-lingual literature written by Kumudendu Muni, a Jain monk. The work is unique in that it employs not letters, but is composed entirely in Kannada numerals. The ''Sa ...
, considered one of the finest mysteries of ancient Kannada literature, follows this style.
Popular adopted metres
:*
Stragdara Mala
:*
Shardula Vikridita
:*
Mattebha Vikridita
Modern Kannada metres
:* Sarala Ragale
Modern Kannada poets use flexible metrical structure, sometimes completely neglecting rhythm patterns and focusing completely on the emotional value of lyric. These lyrics are being studied and new patterns inherent in them are being formalized.
References
Books
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kannada Prosody
Kannada language
Prosodies by language
Indian poetics