Ponna (poet)

Ponna (c. 945) was a noted Kannada poet in the court of Rashtrakuta Emperor Krishna III (r. 939–968 CE). The emperor "Krishna III" honoured Ponna with the title - "Ubhaya Kavichakravarthi " (emperor among poets) because of his command over both Kannada and Sanskrit. and for their rich poetic imagery, devotion to Jain themes, and courtly refinement. Ponna is often considered one among the "three gems of Kannada literature" ("Ratnatraya"), lit meaning "Three gems"; Adikavi Pampa and Ranna being the other two) for ushering it in full panoply. According to the scholar R. Narasimhacharya, Ponna is known to have claimed superiority over all the poets of the time. According to scholars Nilakanta Shastri and E.P. Rice, Ponna belonged to Punganur, now in Andhra Pradesh, but later migrated to Manyakheta (in present-day Kalaburagi district, Karnataka), the Rashtrakuta capital. He is best remembered for his classic Jain puranas such as "Shantipurana" (shantinatha purana}, which narrates the life of Shantinatha, the 16th Tirthankara of Jainism, and Bhuvanaika-Ramabhyudaya, a eulogistic poem on his patron king.