Kuvempu (1967) – The very first Jnanpith recipient in Kannada, best known for his magnum opus Sri Ramayana Darshanam.
D. R. Bendre (1973) – A celebrated poet admired for his lyrical depth and mystical style.
Shivaram Karanth (1977) – Novelist, playwright, and cultural reformer, often called the “Rabindranath Tagore of Kannada.”
Masti Venkatesha Iyengar (1983) – Famous short story writer and novelist, affectionately known as Masti.
V. K. Gokak (1990) – Poet, critic, and an important voice in shaping modern Kannada literature.
U. R. Ananthamurthy (1994) – Novelist and critic, renowned for Samskara, considered a modern classic.
Girish Karnad (1998) – Playwright and actor of international acclaim, noted for weaving history, mythology, and contemporary themes in his plays.
Chandrashekhara Kambara (2010) – Poet, playwright, and folklorist, known for bringing strong cultural and regional elements into his work.
The word "Jnanpith Award" is derived from the Sanskrit word, which refers to
"Jnan" (knowledge) and "Pith" (throne), meaning a place where knowledge and creativity are nurtured.
The Jnanpith Award, or Jnanapeeta Prashasti, is the oldest and most prestigious literary award in India. This award was established in 1961. The Bharatiya Jnanpith gives this award to authors who have contributed significantly to literature every year.
Industrialist Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain of the Sahu Jain family founded the Bharatiya Jnanpith in 1944 as a cultural and research institution. The concept for the award originated in 1961, on the 50th birthday of Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain, the founder of the Bharatiya Jnanpith. He conceived the idea to start a scheme of national prestige and international standards to select the best Indian language book. Thus, from then on, Bharatiya Jnanpith presents the literary award annually to an author for an "outstanding contribution to literature".
The Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour, is irreplaceable. On the occasion of the award presentation:
The Jnanpith award is open only to Indian citizens and is given annually. The nominations are selected from a wide range of:
These represent various literary and linguistic associations.
Key details related to the Jnanpith Award:
| Feature | Details |
| Name of the Award | Jnanapeeta Prashasti/Jnanpith Award |
| Sponsored annually by | Bharatiya Jnanpith |
| Instituted in the year | 1961 |
| First award | 1965 |
| Total awards till 2025 | 65 |
| Official website | https://jnanpith.net/ |
| Awarded for | Literary award in India |
| Eligibility for the Jnanpith Award | Indian citizens only |
| Jnanpith Award First Winner | G. Sankara Kurup (Malayalam, Odakkuzhal) |
| Jnanpith Award First Woman Winner | Ashapurna Devi (Pratham Pratisruti, Bengali) |
| Most recent winner | Vinod Kumar Shukla |
| Reward(s) | ₹11 lakhs |
| Note: There was a joint Jnanapeeta Prashasti given for the years 1967, 1973, 1999, 2006, 2009 and 2023. So altogether, 65 Jnanapeeta Prashasti were given until 2024. |
Also Read: The Legacy of the Nobel Prize: A Complete Guide to Nobel Award Winners
The Jnanapeeta Prashasti is an esteemed award that is exclusively conferred upon Indian writers who produce works in all languages. A vital fact to remember is that only living authors are eligible to receive the Jnanapeeta Prashasti or Jnanpith Award; no posthumous awards are given as a consequence.
Kannada is ranked second in terms of Jnanpith awards, while Hindi holds the highest at 12. Kannada was the language that received the most awards until 2005. Kannada literature has received the most Jnanapeeta Prashasti, with 8 recipients to date.
Let’s learn more in detail about the Jnanpith award winners for the Kannada language:
Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, fondly known as Kuvempu, was born on December 29, 1904, in the serene village of Kuppali, nestled in the Western Ghats of Karnataka.
Significant Works: Notable Poems, Novels, and Essays
Kuvempu’s literary genius spanned multiple genres, each reflecting his keen observations of life, society, and nature. Some of his significant works include:
Apart from poetry and novels, Kuvempu was an insightful playwright. Some of his plays were rich in philosophical and nationalistic ideals, addressed pressing social issues and inspired generations of thinkers. Like “Kavya Vihara”, his plays brought forth powerful narratives that questioned outdated societal norms.
Read More: Kuvempu: Karnataka’s Iconic Poet and Jnanpith Award Winner
Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, fondly known as Da Raa Bendre or D.R. Bendre. He was one of the greatest Kannada poets of the 20th century. He was born on 31st January, 1896, in Dharwad, Karnataka.
Literary Contributions:
D.R. Bendre's contributions extend beyond poetry alone. Some of his poetry collections include:
Other than these poetry collections, D. R. Bendre's plays include Tirukara Pidugu, Nageya Hoge, Hucchataagalu and Ambikatanayadatta Nataka Samputa
Kota Shivaram Karanth was an Indian author, novelist, playwright, and ecological conservationist in the Kannada language. Due to being one of the finest novelist-activists since independence, K. Shivaram Karanth was called the “Rabindranath Tagore of Modern India”.
Shivaram Karanth was born on 10 October 1902, in Kota near Kundapura in the Udupi district of Karnataka. He was the third winner of the Jnanpith Award for Kannada, which is the highest literary honour conferred in India.
Literary Contributions:
According to the records, Kota Shivaram Karanth wrote 417 books, out of which 47 were novels, 31 were plays, and 13 were books on art, history, and other children's books.
Some of his significant works include:
Masti Venkatesha Iyengar was popularly referred to as "Maasti Kannadada Aasti", which refers to "Maasti, Kannada's Treasure". He was born on 6th June 1891 in Hongenahalli, Kolar district of Karnataka. He was a well-known writer in the Kannada language who was most renowned for his short stories. He wrote under the pen names Srinivasa and Masti.
Literary Contributions:
Masti Venkatesha Iyengar wrote over 100 to 120 books in the Kannada language and another 15 to 17 books in the English language. One of his epics includes Shri Rama Pattabisheka, and some of his significant novels involve the following:
Some of his popular stories include:
Some of his popular plays include:
He was the fourth Kannada writer to be honoured with the Jnanpith Award, which is the highest literary award conferred in India. He was honoured with the title Rajasevasakta by the then Maharaja of Mysore, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadeyar.
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak was popularly referred to as V.K. Gokak. He was born on the 9th of August 1909, in Savanur, in the Haveri district of Karnataka. He was an Indian writer in the Kannada language and a scholar of English and Kannada literature.
The University of Oxford awarded Gokak first-class honours. In 1938, on his return from Oxford, he became the principal of Willingdon College, Sangli, and from 1950 to 1952 he served as the principal of Rajaram College, Kolhapur, Maharashtra. V.K. Gokak served as the president and was the head of many elite colleges and universities in India between 1983 and 1987.
Literary Contributions:
Samarasave Jeevana (vols 1, 2, and 3) are some of his novel collections
Some of his poetry collections include:
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak was awarded the Jnanapeeta Prashasti for his epic Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi in 1990. He was the fifth Jnanpith Award winner.
U. R. Ananthamurthy was born on December 21, 1932, in Thirtahalli taluk of Shimoga district, Karnataka. He was also known as Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy. He was a novelist, essayist and short story writer. He started his career as a professor in the English department of the University of Mysore and was a Kannada writer, critic, and political activist.
Literary Contributions:
In addition to being translated into several Indian and European languages, Ananthamurthy's works have been awarded important literary prizes. His major works include poems, plays, autobiographies, literary criticisms, essays, and more. Some of his significant contributions include:
Some of his novels were made into films.
U.R. Ananthamurthy was the sixth Kannada writer to be honoured with the Jnanapeeta Prashasti. He was also considered one of the pioneers of the Navya movement, for which he received the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India in 1998.
Girish Karnad was an Indian playwright, actor, film director, and Kannada writer. He was born on 19th May 1938 in Matheran, near Mumbai, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, to a Konkani family. As the 34th recipient of the Jnanapeeta Prashasti in 1998, he was recognised for his contributions to Kannada literature and Indian theatre.
Girish Karnad predominantly worked in many films, including Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Marathi languages.
Literary Contributions:
Some of his play collections include
Girish Karnad was also active in the world of Indian cinema, working as an actor, director, and screenwriter in Hindi and Kannada cinema. He has earned many awards, including the National Film Awards, the Filmfare Awards South, the Filmfare Awards Hindi, the Karnataka State Film Awards, and more.
Chandrashekhara Basavanneppa Kambara was born on 2nd January 1937 in Ghodageri, a village in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. Chandrashekhara Basavanneppa Kambara is a prominent Indian playwright, poet, folklorist, and film director in the Kannada language and the founder-vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi.
Literary Contributions:
Chandrashekhara Basavanneppa Kambara's main works include 25 plays, 11 anthologies of poems, five novels, 16 research works, and several scholarly write-ups on folk theatre, literature, and education. Apart from his literary career, Kambara has been associated with the direction of feature films.
Some of his play collections include:
Some of his poetry collections include:
Some of his novel & story collections include:
Many of these novels were made into films. Some of these include Karimaayi, Singarevva, Mattu Aramane, and more. All his plays mainly revolve around folk or mythology interlinked with contemporary issues, inculcating a modern lifestyle with his hard-hitting poems. Some of his popular plays include "Jokumaraswamy", "Jayasidnayaka", "Kadu Kudure", "Nayi Kathe", "Mahamayi", "Harakeya Kuri" and others.
Many notable writers have received the Jnanpith Award, which is a great honour conferred upon the Kannada language. These laureates have contributed significantly to Kannada literature with their varied and influential works.
Here is a brief overview of the history of the Jnanapeeta Prashasti:
The Jnanapeetha Prashasti, or Jnanpith Award, is the highest literary honour that demonstrates the richness and diversity of Indian literature. The Jnanapeetha Prashasti for Kannada, with its long and illustrious literary tradition, holds a unique place in this legacy. The prestigious award has recognised several Kannada writers over the years, starting with Kuvempu in 1967.
For more information about the Jnanapeeta Prashasti, its award winners, the Nobel Prize, and other related articles, read our blogs.
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The Jnanpith award was started in 1961 and the first award was given in 1965.
The Jnanpith award, or Jnanapeeta prashasti, is considered the highest literary award in India.
The Jnanpith award is given to acknowledge an Indian citizen for their lifetime contribution to Indian literature.
No. The Jnanpith award is not granted posthumously. It is presented only to living authors.
The first Jnanapeeta Prashasti winner for the Kannada language was Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, also referred to as Kuvempu.
Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain founded Bharatiya Jnanpith, a literary and research organisation, on February 18, 1944.
Eight Kannada writers who have received the Jnanapeeta Prashasti are:
1. Kuvempu (1967)
2. D. R. Bendre (1973)
3. Shivaram Karanth (1977)
4. Masti Venkatesha Iyengar (1983)
5. V. K. Gokak (1990)
6. U. R. Ananthamurthy (1994)
7. Girish Karnad (1998)
8. Chandrashekhara Kambara (2010)
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