Palkuriki Somanatha was one of the most noted Telugu language writers of the 12th or 13th century. He was also an accomplished writer in the Kannada and Sanskrit languages and penned several classics in those languages. He was a Lingayat a follower of the 12th century social reformer Basava and his writings were primarily intended to propagate this faith.Sahitya Akademi (1992), p. 4133 He was a well acclaimed Shaiva poet.

Life

Indication that he was not a Shaiva by birth comes from the fact that he mentions the names of his parents in his very first work, '' Basava Purana'', as Visnuramideva and Sriyadevi,Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot Edited by Mohan Lal, Sahitya Akademi, 1992 p. 4133 violating a general practice of Shaiva writers who do not mention their real parents but rather consider the god Shiva as the father and his consort Parvati as the mother. However, the scholar Bandaru Tammayya has argued that he was born a ''Jangama'' (devotee of the god Shiva).Bandaru Tammayya in Sahitya Akademi (1992), p. 4133 The scholar Seshayya places him in the late 13th to early 14th century and proposes that the writer lived during the reign of Kakatiya king Prataparudra II, whereas the Kannada scholar R. Narasimhacharya dates his writings to the 12th century and claims Somanatha was patronised by Kakatiya king Prataparudra I (1140–1196).Seshayya in Sahitya Akademi (1992), p. 4133Narasimhacharya (1988), p. 20, p. 68 His place of birth is uncertain because there is a village by the name Palkuriki in the Warangal district of the Telangana state as well as in the Kannada speaking region ( Karnataka).Shastri (1955), p. 362

Writings

;Telugu language Important among his Telugu language writings are the '' Basava Purana'', ''Panditaradhya charitra'', ''Malamadevipuranamu'' and ''Somanatha Stava''–in ''dwipada'' metre ("couplets"); ''Anubhavasara'', ''Chennamallu Sisamalu'', ''Vrushadhipa Saataka'' and ''Cheturvedasara''–in verses; ''Basavodharana'' in verses and ''ragale'' metre (rhymed couplets in blank verse); and the ''Basavaragada''.Shatiya Akademi (1992), p. 4133 ;Kannada language His contributions to

Kannada literature Kannada literature is the Text corpus, corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian language, Dravidian Language family, family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script. A ...

are, the ''Basavaragada'', ''Basavadhyaragada'', ''Sadgururagada'', ''Silasampadane'', ''Sahasragananama'', ''Pancharantna''. Several ''

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 lived ...

'' and ''ragale'' poems are also his contributions to Kannada literature. Somanatha's Telugu ''Basavapurana'' was the inspiration for Vijayanagara poet Bhimakavi (c. 1369) who wrote a Kannada book by the same name. Somanatha was the protagonist of a 16th-century Kannada '' purana'' ("epic religious text") written by the Vijayanagara poet Tontadarya.Shastri (1955), p. 362; Shatiya Akademi (1992), p. 4133 ;Sanskrit language Important among his Sanskrit language writings are the ''Somanathabhashya'', ''Rudrabhashya'', ''Vrushabhastaka'', ''Basavodharana'', ''Basavashtaka'', ''Basava panchaka'', ''Ashtottara satanama gadya'', ''Panchaprakara gadya'' and ''Asharanka gadya''.

Works in translation

* ''Siva's Warriors: The Basava Purana of Palkuriki Somanatha'', Tr. by Velcheru Narayana Rao. Princeton Univ Press, 1990. .

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Life

Writings

Works in translation

Notes

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See also