KUSUMAVALI
-
ಕುಸುಮಾವಳಿ
- kusumAvaLi
- A Bunch
of Flowers (Name of the heroine)
- Devakavi
(dEvakavi)
- 1200
A.D.
- Not
known
- Brahmana
- Not
Known (Chikkaraja Chamupa?)
- Kavindrottamsa,
Krutiratiramana, Bharatibhushana
- Poetry:
Champu Kavya
- Vrutta,
Kanda and Prose
- ..
- 1972
- Kadabada
Nanjunda Shastry
- Kannada
Sahitya Parishath
- Later
Editions
- Brief
Introduction: ‘Kusumavali’ belongs to the genre of pure fiction not based on either
history or mythology. However elements of folklore are intertwained with an intention
of giving recreation. There story line has some resemblance to ‘Leelavathy’ of Nemichandra,
The story of Kusumavali and Kandarpadeva unfolds in the text as narrated to Manikundaladeva
the king of Madanavathy Pura from a sage called Kapila. Manikundala meets Kapila
consequent of a dream. He gets to see a marble statue of a beautiful woman and wonders
as to her antecedents. Kapila narrates the main story which involves many an adventure,
escapades, separations and a final reunion. It turns that it was Kapila himself
who transformed Kusumavali in to a statue so that she does not come to any harm
by people with evil intentions. This Champu work contains many motifs that are common
to folklore all over the world and they may reflect medeival life situations in
a symbolic way.‘Kusumavali’ contains fifteen chapters
and 2068 poems. Scholars have opined that the work is incomplete and three more
chapters may be missing.
The language used in the work is a healthy combination
of Sanskrit and Kannada. It contains many descriptions of nature which are varied
and powerful. Early morning breeze, sugar cane, tender grass, darkness and buffalo
are some items described with a tender care. It’s pity
that many works like this go in to oblivion due to the processes of marginalisation.
It is to be noted with concern that this manuscipt was published in book form almost
forty years after Nanjunda Shastry edited it.
- Criticism
- Links
- Translations
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