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Janna
ಜನ್ನ
The poet of the golden age — the author of Yashodhara Charite
Years
c. 13th century
Known as
Janna — the court poet of the Hoysala kings
Birthplace
The Hoysala country, Karnataka
Field
Poets & Writers
“The greatest poetry is that which moves the heart to virtue — the rest is but ornament.”
— The spirit of Janna
The Story
Janna flourished in the thirteenth century at the court of the Hoysala kings, the great patrons of Kannada literature. His mastery of the language won him the highest honour of the age — the title Kavichakravarti, the emperor of poets — and his works were recited in the courts of the land.
His masterpiece, the Yashodhara Charite, tells the story of King Yashodhara who, after tasting the sorrows of the world, renounces his throne for the life of a monk. The poem, moving and profound, is one of the great works of the Kannada tradition, and its treatment of love and renunciation is without equal.
He also wrote the Ananda Natha Charite and other works, and his poems show the full range of the classical poet — devotion, romance, and philosophy handled with equal mastery. He remains one of the 'three gems' of the classical age of Kannada literature, with Pampa and Ranna.
Core Ideas
Yashodhara Charite
His masterpiece of love and renunciation.
Kavichakravarti
The title 'emperor of poets' the Hoysalas gave him.
The Golden Age
One of the great poets of classical Kannada.
The Court Poet
The voice of the Hoysala court.
The Philosopher Poet
Love and renunciation in equal mastery.
Why it matters today
Janna is honoured as one of the great poets of the golden age of Kannada — the emperor of poets whose Yashodhara Charite remains a classic of the language. His name stands with Pampa and Ranna as one of the three gems of the classical tradition of Karnataka.