Pampa (902–955), also referred to by the honorificĀdikavi (Poet ofAdinath purana), was aKannada-languageJain poet whose works reflected his philosophical beliefs.^[1] He was a court poet ofVemulavada Chalukya kingArikesari II, who was a feudatory of theRashtrakuta EmperorKrishna III. Pampa is best known for his epicsVikramārjuna Vijaya orPampa Bharata, and the "Ādi purāṇa", both written in thechampu style aroundc. 939. These works served as the model for all futurechampu works in Kannada.

The works of Jain writers Pampa celebrated as one of the “three gems” (Ratnatraya) of classical "Kannada literature" alongside SriPonna (poet) andRanna (Kannada poet).^[2] heralded the 10th century era ofmedieval Kannada literature.^[3]

Pampa was born around 902 in the Vengi region (present-day Andhra Pradesh) into aJain family.^[4] Though sometimes mistakenly described simply as a "Brahmin," his family followed aJain Brahmans tradition, which was also present in Jainism. also called Jain Pandits^[5]—which had its own priestly and scholarly roles devoted to Jain worship and philosophy.^[6] Also he wroteAdipurana (Adinath Purana) about the first Tirthankara ofJainism.^[7] their actual place of origin and native is debated. According to the trilingual inscription (inSanskrit,Kannada andTelugu) installed by Pampa's younger brother Jinavallabha at Bommalamma Gutta in Kurikiyala village, Gangadharam mandal (in modern-dayTelangana), his father was Abhimanadevaraya (also known as Bhimappayya) and mother was Abbanabbe. It also indicated that his grandfather was Abhimanachandra who belonged to the JainBrahmin (Jain Pandits) and hailed from Vangiparru inKammanadu in present-day Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.^{[8][9][10][11]}

In the eastern Deccan ruled by Chalukyas of Vengi and Vemulavada was considered as Kannada speaking territory under the rule of Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas, renowned Kannada poets like Pampa and Ponna hailed from Vengi. Kannada dynasties like Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas had dominated the whole of Deccan and the influence of the Kannada language was felt from the Kaveri and Godavari and even beyond.^[12] Hence there were many Kannada families residing in modern Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and Pampa was one of them. According to the modern Jain scholarHampa Nagarajaiah ("Hampana"), Pampa was born in Annigeri, spent his early childhood on the banks of the nearbyVarada river and his mother Abbanabbe was the granddaughter of Joyisa Singha ofAnnigeri in the modernDharwad district of Karnataka state. Frequent descriptions of the beauty of theBanavasi region (in the modernUttara Kannada district) and even the sprinkling (abhisheka) of water from the Varada river on Arjuna's head during his coronation in Pampa's epicVikramarjuna Vijaya testifies to the poet's attachment to the Banavasi region.^[13] Through the linesaarankusamittodam nenevudenna manam banvaasi deshamam andputtidirdode maridumbiyaagi men kogileyaagi nandanavanadol banavaasi deshadol he has expressed his deep attachment towardsBanavasi.^[14]

A well-travelled man, he settled down as the court poet of King Arikesari II. Flattered by his knowledge and poetic abilities, Arikesari (who possessed the title Gunarnava) conferred on him the titleKavita Gunarnava. At the age of 39 he wrote his first masterpiece,Ādi purāṇa, in 941, and a little later he completed Vikramarjuna Vijaya popularly known as Pampa Bharata. These two works have remained unparalleled works of classic Kannada composition.^[15]

TheĀdi purāṇa, written in thechampu style, a mixed form of prose and verse, is a Kannada version of the Sanskrit work byJinasena and details in sixteen cantos the life of the firstTirthankara ofJainism,Rishabhanath. The work focuses in his own unique style the pilgrimage of a soul to perfection and attainment ofmoksha. In the work, Pampa describes the struggle for power and control over the entire world of two brothersBharata andBahubali, sons of Rishabha. While Bahubali wins, he renounces the worldly pursuits in favor of his brother. Many Jainpuranas of Middle Ages found a role model in this work.^{[citation needed]}

• T.K. Tukol."Jainism in South India"(DOC).
• Amaresh Datta (1988).Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti. Sahitya Akademi. p. 1180.ISBN 978-81-260-1194-0.

• Kamat, Suryanath U (2002) [1980].A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present. Bangalore: Jupiter Books.ISBN 81-206-09778.
• Sastri, K.A. Nilakanta (1999).A history of south India : from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar (4. ed., 17 impr. (with introduction). ed.). Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press.ISBN 0-19-560686-8.
• Singh, Upinder (2016),A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century,Pearson Education,ISBN 978-93-325-6996-6

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