Muddana (Kannada:ಮುದ್ದಣ) (January 24, 1870 - February 15, 1901) - was a Kannada poet and writer of 19th century. His name is usually associated with Mahakavi ('Great Poet'), thus he is widely known as Mahakavi Muddana in the area of Kannada literature. The real name of Muddana was Lakshmi Naaranappa (Kannada:ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಿ ನಾರಣಪ್ಪ). His birthplace being Nandalike, he is often referred to as Nandalike Lakshminaaranappa.
Ratnavati Kalyaana, Sri Rama Pattaabhisheka, Adbhuta Ramayana and Sri Ramashwamedha are some of the most important works of Muddana. Suffered with poverty and unhealthiness, Muddana died at a young age of 31. His literary works have been used extensively in Kannada literary educational books.
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Lakshmi Naranappa was born on January 24 1870 in a place called Nandalike in Karkala taluk in Karnataka, India. His father was Pathaali Timmappaiah and mother Mahalakshmamma. During his childhood, he was looking very cute and handsome with an attractive physique. It was for this reason, people started calling him with the name Muddana. Muddu in Kannada language means Cute.
ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಬಡತನದಿಂದ ಬಳಲುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ತನ್ನ ಸಂಸಾರವನ್ನು, ಮುದ್ದಣನವರು ಸಣ್ಣಪುಟ್ಟ ಕೆಲಸಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತ ಸಂಕಷ್ಟದಿಂದ ಪಾರು ಮಾಡಿದರು. ೧೮೯೯ ರಲ್ಲಿ ಉಡುಪಿ ಸನಿವಾಸ ಪ್ರೌಢಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ದೈಹಿಕ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರಾಗಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಲು ಆರಂಭಿಸಿದರು. ಇವರ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯಾಭಿರುಚಿ ಮತ್ತು ಉತ್ಸುಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಶಾಲೆಯ ಮೇಲಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳು ಗಮನಿಸಿದರು. ಇದರ ಪರಿಣಾಮವಾಗಿ, ಮುದ್ದಣ ಅವರನ್ನು ಮದ್ರಾಸು ತರಬೇತಿ ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ವ್ಯಾಸಂಗಕ್ಕೆ ಕಳಿಸಿದರು. ಸರ್ಕಾರದಿಂದ ಸಿಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ವಿದ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸ ಭತ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು, ಮುದ್ದಣ ಅವರು ಪುರಾಣಗಳನ್ನು ಓದಿ, ಅಭ್ಯಸಿಸಲು ವಿನಿಯೋಗಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳಿಗೆ ಹಣದ ಕೊರತೆಯುಂಟಾದಾಗ ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಊಟವನ್ನು ತ್ಯಜಿಸಿ, ಅದರಿಂದ ಉಳಿದ ಹಣವನ್ನು ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಖರೀದಿಸಲು ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿದುಬಂದಿದೆ. ಈ ಸಮಯದಿಂದಲೇ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಕೃತಿಗಳನ್ನು ರಚಿಸಲು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸಿದರು.
ಮುದ್ದಣ ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ ಪ್ರೇಮಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದರು. ಕುಮಾರ ವಿಜಯ ಮುಂತಾದ ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ ಪ್ರಸಂಗಗಳನ್ನು ರಚಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಮುದ್ದಣ ಅವರ ಪತ್ನಿಯ ಹೆಸರು ಮನೋರಮೆ. ಭವತಿ ಭಿಕ್ಷಾಂದೇಹಿ ಎಂಬುದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಪತ್ನಿ ಮನೋರಮೆಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಡೆಸಿದ ಸಲ್ಲಾಪದ ಚರ್ಚೆಯನ್ನು ಸಪ್ತಾಕ್ಷರಿ ಮಂತ್ರ ಎಂಬ ಗದ್ಯಕಾವ್ಯವನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮುದ್ದಣ ರಚಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಕ್ಷಯರೋಗ ಮತ್ತು ತೀವ್ರ ಬಡತನದಿಂದ ಅಂತಿಮದಿನಗಳನ್ನು ಕಳೆದ ಮುದ್ದಣ, ೩೧ರ ಕಿರಿಯ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ೧೫ ಫೆಬ್ರುವರಿ ೧೯೦೧ರಂದು ಮರಣ ಹೊಂದಿದರು.
ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯಲೋಕದ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬ ಹೆಸರಾಂತ ಕವಿ/ಸಾಹಿತಿ ಪಂಜೆ ಮಂಗೇಶರಾಯರ ಪ್ರಕಾರ "ಮುದ್ದಣನವರಿಗಿಂತ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಕವಿ ಬೇರಾರಿಲ್ಲ".
Muddana's most famous literary works are
Muddana, in his early young age, was known for his modesty and shyness. Because of this reason of being shy, he preferred publishing some of his initial works in the name of an unknown person. These published literary works include, Adbhuta Ramayanam (in modern Kannada prose style), Sri Rama Pattabhishekam (242 Shatpadi format poetry stanzas), ಹಾಗೂ Sri Ramashwemedham (the work that is known as the greatest work of Muddana).
Muddana had informed to the publisher that, these works were written by ancient people and that he got these works through his ancestors, and that he did not have any kind of additional information. In the years 1895, 1896 and 1899–1901, these literary works were first published by M.A. Ramanuja Iyyangar and S.G. Narasimhachar of Mysore, Karnataka in their magazines Karnataka Kavya Manjari and Karnataka Kavya Kalaanidhi. Muddana had already sent several of his other works for publishing, in the name of "ancient works", that helped the publisher to believe even these three important works to be of ancient origin and not from Muddana.
The fact that these literary works were written by Muddana and not by ancient people, had still remained hidden at the time of his death in the year 1901. However, the truth came into the light only in the year 1929 (that is, 28 years after Muddana's death), when Central College Karnataka Association in Bangalore published it's Muddana Commemorative Edition book. At that time, Muddana's friends, fellow writers such as Panje Mangesharaya, Benegal Rama Rao, Hurali Bheema Rao, Malali Subba Rao gathered and aggregated all the information they had about Muddana, and proved that those three literary works were indeed written by Muddana and no one else.
Muddana Jayanti (Muddana Birth Anniversary) is celebrated every year in Muddana's birth place of Nandalike in Karnataka. In 1979, under the leadership of Nandalike Balachandra Rao, a cultural board Kavi Muddana Smaraka Mitra Mandali was formed as a memorial for Muddana. Also, Muddana Memorial building (Kavi Muddana Smaraka Bhavana) was constructed in 1987.
Muddana (Kannada: ಮುದ್ದಣ) (Nandalike Lakshminarayanaiah)(1870–1901) - was a Kannada poet and writer of 19th century. He lived in Nandalike a village 15 km from Karkala in Karnataka, India.
His name is usually associated with Mahakavi ('Great Poet') and hence he is widely known as Mahakavi Muddana in the area of Kannada literature. His notable writings are: