HAMPA. NAGARAJAIAH, b. 1936

 

          Hampa Nagarajaiah, (hampasandra padmanabaiah nAgarAjaiyya) (ಹಂಪಸಂದ್ರ ಪದ್ಮರಾಜಯ್ಯ ನಾಗರಾಜಯ್ಯ) is a multifaceted scholar who has pursued various disciplines such as linguistics, architecture, epigraphy, textual criticism and Jainology at different points in his academic career. His focus has been the cultural history of Karnataka. He has published books and articles in Kannada as well as English.

            Nagarajaiah was born in Hampasandra a small village in Kolar district. He obtained a B.A. (Hons.) and M.A. degrees (1959) in Kannada from the University of Mysore. He served in various government colleges as a lecturer in Kannada before joining the University of Bangalore in 1973. He retired from that institution in 1996 as a Professor of Kannada. He has worked in Kannada Sahitya Parishat in various capacities and he headed the institution as its president during 1978-86). He is widely traveled and has presented research papers in a number of Universities in U.S.A. and Europe.

            Hampanaa evinced keen interest in linguistics at an early stage in his career. He has produced two pioneering volumes on ‘Dravidian Lingustics’ and ‘General Linguistics’ in mid sixties of the previous century. His interest in textual criticism is manifested in edited works such as ‘Bharatesha Vaibhava’ and “Vaddaradhane’. After that, his areas of research have shifted to archaeology, epigraphy and Jainlogy as evidenced by his various publications. Most of these works study various aspects of the situation and provide copious information.

            Some important publications of Hampa Nagarajaiah in English and Kannada are as follows:

1.      ‘Jaina Corpus of Koppala Inscriptions X-rayed’, 1999, Ankita Pustaka, Bangalore

2.      ‘Later Gangas Mandali Thousand’, 1999, Ankita Pustaka, Bangalore

3.      ‘A History of the Rastrakutas of Malkhed and Jainism’, 2000, Bangalore.

4.      ‘Indra in Jaina Iconography’, 2002, Hombucha, Karnataka.

5.      bAhubali and bAdAmi cAlukyas’, 2005, SDJMI Managing Committee.

6.      ‘Bahubali: The story and the Sculpture’

7.      ‘Morphology of Jaina Architecture’, 2007, Bangalore

8.      ‘Jina Parshva Temples in Karnataka’, 1999, Bangalore

9.      ‘Manastambha – Jaina Pillar of eminence’, 2000, Hombucha, Karnataka.   

Influence of Prakrit on Kannada-Language and Literature

10.  ‘Jainism and Prakrit in ancient and medieval India’, 1994 - South Asia Books

11.  ‘A History of the Early Ganga Monarchy and Jainism’, 1999, Ankita Pustaka

12.  drAviDa BASAvijnAna’, 1966, Harshavardhana Prakashana, Bangalore.

13.  ‘sAmAnya BASAvijnAna’

14.  ‘dAna cintAmaNi attimabbe’

15.  ‘ Karnataka mattu jainadharma’

16.  ‘Chaaruvasantha’ (Novel)

17.  Bharatesha Vaibhava’ (edited Work), (with others), 1967, Attimabbe Prakashana, Bangalore

18.  ‘Bhrajishnu virachita Vaddaradhane’, 1993.

19.  vaDDaaraadhane’, 1968, Prasaranga, Mysore University, Mysore.

20.  ‘sAngatya kavigaLu’, 1975, Bangalore University, Bangalore   

            Nagarajaiah has won a number of awards and prizes both in India and abroad. Honorary Doctorate of the Kannada University, (nADOja) Honorary Award of the Karnataka Sahitya Academy, (1994) Honorary Award of the Janapada and Yakshagana Academy Award, (1995) ‘kAvyAnanda prashasti’ (1997) and ‘Chavundaraya Prashasti’ are the more important one among them. His contribution to his chosen fields is noteworthy.

 

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