Revisiting Premodern Authorship: A Study of Vachanas
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The 12th-century vachana movement in Karnataka is one of the most revisited cultural phenomena in Kannada. At the heart of this revolution lies the “vachana”-a unique composition employed by the leading figures of the movement. While traditional scholarship often views these compositions through the lens of modern literary authorship, the vachana phenomenon is far more fluid, functioning as a living archive of a collective spiritual consciousness. By examining the vachanas not merely as static poems but as socially embedded utterances, we can begin to unpack the complex transition from oral tradition to organized textual community.
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
Chamarasa. The Frolic Play of the Lord (Prabhulinga Lile). Translated by B. S. Naikar, Basava Samithi, 2023.
Foucault, Michel. “What Is an Author?” The Foucault Reader: An Introduction to Foucault’s Thought, edited by Paul Rabinow, Penguin Books, 1991, pp. 113–14.
Humphreys, Justin. “Aristotle.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania, 2023, iep.utm.edu/aristotle/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Jalki, Dunkin. “Vachana Sahityavu Jativyavastheya Viruddha Maatanaaduttadey?” Chintana Bayalu, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 25–44.
Karnad, Girish. “Lekhakana Nudi.” Taledanda, Manohara Grantha Mala, 2015.
Kurtkoti, Kirtinath. Kannada Sahitya Sangati. Kurtkoti Memorial Trust, 2008.
Nuru Mara Nuru Swara. Kurtkoti Memorial Trust, 2015.
Udachana, Shailaja. “Vachanagalalli Samajika Vimarshe, Vidambane.” Samagra Kannada Sahitya Charitre, vol. 3, part 1, edited by C. B. Honnusiddartha, Centre for Kannada Studies, 2014.
Vachana Sanchaya. vachana.sanchaya.net