Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is a language, and it is a script used for writing the language. Most people in the southern Indian state of Karnataka speak Kannada. There are also many speakers in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala and Goa. There are some differences in the way Kannada is spoken in these places. There are about 44 million people who speak the language. The oldest Kannada writings that still exist today are called the "Halmidi inscription" from the 5th Century.
Language profile
Kannada is a Dravidian language, which is a different language family from the Indo-European or Aryan languages of the north, such as Hindi but close to the other southern languages like Telugu. It has about 1200 years of written history. The first version is known as the Old Kannada script, which was used between 450 - 1200 CE. Modern Kannada has existed since about 1700 CE. Printing presses introduced by Christian missionaries at the beginning of the 19th century standardized the Kannada and Telugu scripts. Kannada also has a Braille writing system for people who are blind or visually impaired.
The presence of Ediga rulers in medieval Karnataka is confirmed by epigraphical evidence. The Nagamangala stone inscription dated 1471-1475 AD (Saka 1393) belongs to the reign of Saluva Narasimha Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire.[1]
According to this record, a Chief Commander, and Mahapradhani named Halepaika Lakhana Nayaka was administering the Nagamangala province of present-day Mandya district. He made a Sarvamanya (tax-free) land grant 1000 acres to a temple for its daily worship.[1]
Script
The Kannada script is a type of writing system called an alphasyllabary. All consonants have a built-in vowel. Other vowels are indicated with diacritics, which appear next to the consonants. When they appear at the beginning of a syllable, vowels are written as separate letters. When consonants appear together without intervening vowels, the second consonant is written as a special joint symbol, usually below the first. The direction of writing: left to right in horizontal lines.
Kadamba dynasty is the first dynasty who ruled karnataka ,he was first kannada king
The Ediga community in India has a direct and strong link to the Kadamba dynasty. The term 'Kadamba' means _Echalu Mara_ (toddy tree) in Kannada, and the Ediga community is the only community in India that worships the Kadamba tree, also known as the Cadamba tree in English. The Madhukeshwara Temple in Banavasi, Karnataka, derives its name from the word 'Madhu', which means not only honey but also wine or liquor (_Madhya_) in Kannada and Halegannada, indicating that it was associated with wine during the Kadamba rule. The Ediga community is the only community that worships wine and consists of very old, traditional toddy tappers. Therefore, Mayura named his dynasty as the Kadamba dynasty. He did not name it the Sharma dynasty. The name 'Sharma' was added later in inscriptions and in some Puranas written by those who portrayed him as a Brahmin.
Literature
Many songs, poems and religious texts have been written in Kannada. It is called a "classical language" by the Government of India, which means it is historically and culturally valuable. Kannada has the highest number of Janapeeta literary awards compared to any Indian language. Kannada had a huge boost during the Vijayanagar period.
India
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