Kanakadasa was a poet whose verses were written in very simple Kanada. He was a music composer and a saint who made the Udupi temple in Karnataka very famous.
Profile
Kanakadasa was born as ThimmappaNayaka on 6th November, 1509 in a village called Baada in Karnataka. He belonged to a shepherd community. Nothing much is known about his parents, except that their names were Beerappa and Bachamma. As a youngster he joined the army to protect the Bankapura Fort. The story goes that he was wounded in a battle and was saved by some divine will and after that he never went back to the army. He took to writing poems and composing music. The name Kanakadasa was given by Vyasaraja. He became the disciple of VyasatirthaSwamiji and at his behest went to Udupi to see the Lord Krishna. Unfortunately the Brahmin priests did not allow a man from the lower caste to enter the temple. Not one to be disappointed, Kanakadasa sat outside the temple meditating, composing hymns and singing it. He cooked his own food and ate but did not leave his place. Then something strange happened. The Lord who was facing east turned around and faced west where Kanakadasa was sitting. Kankadasa could see the Lord through a crack in the wall. The Brahmin community were shocked and to this day Lord Krishna of Udupi faces west and the devotees who go there enter the temple premise, see the Lords’s back first and then go around to see the Lord facing west. He lived for a long time and died in 1609 at the age of 100.
Philosophy Propounded
Kanakadasa believed that all men were equal and it was this stand that he took in Udupi. His path was that of devotion but he also was philosophical which was evident in his works.
Work Done to Spread the Philosophy
Kanakadasa wrote two hundred and forty musical compositions and five books out of which three were stories from the Indian mythology. ‘Ramadhanyacharite’, a famous work is the argument between the grain ‘rice’ and ‘ragi’ millet representing the conflict between the higher and lower castes. All his works are very popular and many of his compositions have been translated into other languages. The birth day of Kanakadasa is a state holiday in Karnataka.
