Patronage to the Kannada Language. From the earliest times kings and nobles have patronised Kannada language and literature Among the patrons may be mentioned the Gangas, the Rashtrakutas, the Western Chalukyas, the Kakatıyas, the Hoysalas, the Eastern Chalukyas, the Rattas of Saundatti, the Silaharas of Karad, the Kongalvas, the Chengalvas, the Tuluva kings, the Chautas, and the kings of Vijayanagar and Mysore, as also the Palegars or chiefs of Uminattur, Nuggehalli, Sugatur Pırıyapattana, Hadın idu, Belur, Chikhanayakanhallı, Mudigere, Bijjavara, Ikkei 1, and Kalale Besides these kings and chiefs, ministers, generals and other officers subordinate to them, and many iminor chiefs have also encouraged literary men. It is also worthy of note that not a few of the abovementioned kings, chiefs and•high personages were themselves authors of works in Kannada These statements will now be illustrated in some detail lɔy a few examples THE GANGAS --It is very probable that the Ganga king Durvinita (C 500) is identical with his namesake mentioned as a Kannada prose writer by Nrıpatunga As we learn from an inscription that the work Gajashitaka composed by Sivamara (c 800) was sung by women when pounding grain, it must have been a Kannada work Ereyappa ( 900), who had the distinctive title lahendrantaha, was the patron of Gunavarma I, the author of the Sudruka, the Harivamsa and other woiks Chavunda-Raya, the ninister of Rachamalla, composed the Chavil ndaraya-purana in 978 Nagavarma I, who was patronised by Racha malla's younger brother RakkasaGanga, was the author of the Chhandombudhi and other works. THE RASHTRAKUTAS -It is well known that among these kings Nrıpatunga (814-877) was an author. The title “ matchless poet” is applied in an inscription2 to Srivijaya. dandanatha, a subordinate of Indra-Raja III (915-917). Krishna-Raja III (939-968) bestowed the title Kavi-chakravarti on the poet Ponna. '. Nagar 35 2. Epigraphia Indua, X, 150,
