Women Devotees: Selections of Ragale From Kannada Poet Harihara

Poet Harihara of the Vijayanagara Empire wrote the Ragaļegaļu – this work is about the lives of the prime persons of his time and who were his elder contemporaries – these people are portrayed in the ‘Aravathamuru Pura­aathanaru’ (Sixty-three Ancients) who were the Saints in Kannada region, who were also known as ‘Nāyaṉmārs’ in Tamil literature. There are various genres of literature in Kannada literature; one among them is ‘Ragaļegaļu’ Genre. The credit for founding of this genre goes to Harihara; who is been known as ‘Ragaļe Kavi’ or ‘Ragaļe poet’. Ragaļe means ‘metric verse’; He mainly chooses the lives of common people to portray in his works. The subject of ‘Women Devotees’ is the lives of women as depicted by Harihara. These women were the staunch followers of Śaivism and were active and contributed in establishing Śaivism against Jainism. In this book, the author has choosen the lives of women saints for the translation with a analytical note. The chosen Ragaļes are of Kōļūru Koḍagūsu – A child, Nimbiyakka or Sister Nimbi from poor background, Ammavve, Vaijakkavve from Brahmin families, Hērūra Heņņu or Lady of Hērūru from the back­ground of army and the most popular lady of Vīraśaiva saints Mahā­dēvi Akka or Sister Mahādēvi from the affluent merchant family. Karika­alamme is from Chola country and ultimately who spent her life in Vijayanagara Empire in the area of Hampi. In the present volume author has translated Seven Ragaļes of women devotees as portrayed by Harihara. All these women were common people and some were belonged to affluent families before they became Śaiva saints and attained renunciation. These Ragaļes show the struggle between the Jaina and Śaiva philosophies and how Śaivism was estab­lished by rooting out Jainism in the Pre-Vijayanagara Empire.…