Champu
Encyclopedia
Champu or Champu-Kavya (Devanagari
: चम्पु-काव्य) is a genre in Sanskrit literature
. It consists of a mixture of prose (Gadya-Kavya) and poetry passages (Padya-Kavya), with verses interspersed among prose sections. Adikavi Pampa
, the Adikavi, or the first poet of Kannada literature
and one of the greatest Kannada poets of all time, pioneered this style when he wrote his classical works, Vikramarjuna Vijaya
(Pampa Bharata) and Adipurana
in it, around 940 CE, and which served as the model for all future works in the Kannada.
It was developed after the era of the Ramayana
, Mahabharata
, Puranas
, and the other Mahakavya
s and was a later development in the style of writing. The major works are mainly by the Jain sages,, like Jiva Goswami
though there are some works are by non Jain authors also.
, the most acclaimed Champu work is Nannaya Bhattarakudu
's Andhra Mahabharatam, produced around the 11th century, which is rendered in the Champu style, is so chaste and polished and of such a high literary merit.
Prahlādacharita
a Sanskrit work written Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran
, former Maharaja of Cochin is in Champu style.
In Kannada literature
, this Sanskrit metre was popularised by the Chalukyan court poets, like Adikavi Pampa (902 CE -975 CE), who wrote Adipurana
in Champu style popularizing it. Also known as champu-kavya) was the most popular written form from the 9th century onwards, although it started to fall into disuse in the 12th century. When people moved towards other Sanskritic metres like tripadi
(three line verse), the saptapadi
(seven line verse), the ashtaka (eight line verse), the shataka (hundred-line verse), hadugabba (song-poem) and free verse metres.
Other works in Hoysala literature period were also in this style.
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: चम्पु-काव्य) is a genre in Sanskrit literature
Sanskrit literature
Literature in Sanskrit begins with the Vedas, and continues with the Sanskrit Epics of Iron Age India; the golden age of Classical Sanskrit literature dates to late Antiquity . Literary production saw a late bloom in the 11th century before declining after 1100 AD...
. It consists of a mixture of prose (Gadya-Kavya) and poetry passages (Padya-Kavya), with verses interspersed among prose sections. Adikavi Pampa
Adikavi Pampa
Pampa , called by the honorific Ādikavi is one of the greatest Kannada poets of all time.He is very famous even today for his philosophical beliefs...
, the Adikavi, or the first poet of Kannada literature
Kannada literature
Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script....
and one of the greatest Kannada poets of all time, pioneered this style when he wrote his classical works, Vikramarjuna Vijaya
Vikramarjuna Vijaya
Vikramarjuna Vijaya , also known as Pampa Bharatha is a classic work of the 10th century Jain poet Pampa . It is an Kannada version of the great epic, the Mahabharata of Vyasa. Pampa choose the Arjuna, the central figure of the Pandava Clan, as the hero of his epic...
(Pampa Bharata) and Adipurana
Adipurana
Adipurana is a 10th century Kannada text written in Champu style, a mix of prose and verse, dealing with the ten lives of the first tirthankara, Adinatha, also known as Rishabhanatha . This work is known to be the first work of Kannada poet Adikavi Pampa . It is based on the story narrated by...
in it, around 940 CE, and which served as the model for all future works in the Kannada.
It was developed after the era of the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
, and the other Mahakavya
Mahakavya
Mahākāvya , also known as sargabandha, is a genre of Indian epic poetry in classical Sanskrit literature. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, everything that tests a poet's skill at description...
s and was a later development in the style of writing. The major works are mainly by the Jain sages,, like Jiva Goswami
Jiva Goswami
Jiva Goswami is one of the most prolific and important philosopher and saint from the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Vedanta tradition, producing a great number of philosophical works on the theology and practice of Bhakti yoga, Vaishnava Vedanta and associated disciplines...
though there are some works are by non Jain authors also.
Works in Champu style
In Telugu literatureTelugu literature
The Telugu literature or Telugu Sahityam is one of the most precious possessions of the literary products of India. Telugu literature is rich reserve of poems, stories, dramas and puranas. It flowered in the early 16th century under the Vijayanagar empire, of which Telugu was one of the court...
, the most acclaimed Champu work is Nannaya Bhattarakudu
Nannayya
Nannaya Bhattaraka is the earliest known Telugu author, and the author of the first third of the Andhra Mahabharatamu, a Telugu retelling of the Mahabharata. Nannaya is held in high regard as the person who revived the Telugu language...
's Andhra Mahabharatam, produced around the 11th century, which is rendered in the Champu style, is so chaste and polished and of such a high literary merit.
Prahlādacharita
Prahladacharita
Prahlādacharitam is a Sanskrit Kavya, written in Champu style by the Sanskrit scholar Darsanakalanidhi Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran . It is the story of Asura prince Prahlāda, who was a beloved devotee of Vishnu and to save him Vishnu takes the Avatar of Narasimha....
a Sanskrit work written Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran
Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran
Darsanakalanidhi Parikshith Thampuran was the last official ruler of the Cochin princely state. On 1 July 1949, Travancore and Cochin merged together and Travancore-Cochin State came into existence and the kingdom and the rulership came to an end. He ruled the kingdom for a period of one year and...
, former Maharaja of Cochin is in Champu style.
In Kannada literature
Kannada literature
Kannada literature is the corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script....
, this Sanskrit metre was popularised by the Chalukyan court poets, like Adikavi Pampa (902 CE -975 CE), who wrote Adipurana
Adipurana
Adipurana is a 10th century Kannada text written in Champu style, a mix of prose and verse, dealing with the ten lives of the first tirthankara, Adinatha, also known as Rishabhanatha . This work is known to be the first work of Kannada poet Adikavi Pampa . It is based on the story narrated by...
in Champu style popularizing it. Also known as champu-kavya) was the most popular written form from the 9th century onwards, although it started to fall into disuse in the 12th century. When people moved towards other Sanskritic metres like tripadi
Tripadi
Tripadi is a metre in the Kannada language dating back to c. 700 CE.-Definition:...
(three line verse), the saptapadi
Saptapadi
Saptapadi is the most important rite of a Hindu marriage ceremony. The word, Saptapadi means "Seven steps"...
(seven line verse), the ashtaka (eight line verse), the shataka (hundred-line verse), hadugabba (song-poem) and free verse metres.
Other works in Hoysala literature period were also in this style.