Champu

ChampuorChapu-Kavya(Devanagari:चम्पू-काव्य) is a genre of literary composition inIndian literature.The word 'Champu' means a combination ofpoetryandprose.Achampu-kavyaconsists of a mixture of prose (Gadya-Kavya) and poetry passages (Padya-Kavya), with verses interspersed among prose sections.

There is evidence of chapu-kavya right from the Vedic period. IthareyaBrahmansHarishchandropakyanais the main example of its origin from the Vedic period. Champu-kavya is seen in 2nd century AD, onrock inscription of Rudradaman,at Junagadh. It is also seen inRamayana,Mahabharata,Puranas,and the otherMahakavyasand was a later development in the style of writing.

Works in Champu style

Kannada

Adikavi Pampa,theAdikavi,one of the greatest Kannada poets of all time and one among theratnatrayaru,pioneered this style when he wrote his classical works,Vikramarjuna Vijaya(Pampa Bharata) andAdipuranain it, around 940 CE, and which served as the model for all future works in Kannada.

There is evidence to believe Gunavarma I,the poet who flourished at the court of King Ereyappa (864-913 C.E),was the first poet to compose Kannada Champu Kavyas. His work includes Harivamsha and Shudraka.

InKannada literature,this metre was popularised by theChalukyacourt poets, likeAdikavi Pampa(902 CE -975 CE), who wrote hisAdipuranain Champu style popularizing it. Also known aschampu-kavya) was the most popular written form from the 9th century onwards, although it started to fall into disuse in the 12th century. When people moved towards other Sanskritic metres liketripadi(three line verse), thesaptapadi(seven line verse), theashtaka(eight line verse), theshataka(hundred-line verse), hadugabba (song-poem) and free verse metres.

Other works inHoysala literatureperiod were also in this style.

Telugu

Telugupoets have used the champu way of rendering poetry. Krishnamaacharya carried this tradition ofChampu Margastep further by putting his writings mainly in devotional prose calledVachana.

InTelugu literature,the most acclaimed Champu work isNannaya Bhattarakudu'sAndhra Mahabharatam,produced around the 11th century, which is rendered in the Champu style, is so chaste and polished and of such a high literary merit.

Odia

Odia literatureis also replete with the champu style poetry.KabisurjyaBaladeba Ratha,Banamali Dasa,Dinakrushna Dasare some of the most famous poets who wrote Champu.

InOdia literaturetoo, there are numerous works in this genre. There is an added feature though- a Champu in Odia usually has 34 songs, one for each consonant of the alphabet. This rule, though absent in Sanskrit definitions is followed in most of the creations of the Champu genre in Odia. All lines of a song start with its assigned letter. The most famous work is 18th century poetKabisurjyaBaladeba Ratha'sKisorachandrananda Champu,often shortened to simplyKisori Champu.It narrates the tale of Radha and Krishna's romance in 34 Odissi songs set to different ragas & talas. The Champu is one of the most important works ofOdissi music.

Sanskrit

Prahlādacharitaa Sanskrit work written byRama Varma Parikshith Thampuran,formerMaharaja of Cochinis in Champu style.

Sri Gopala Champu of Jiva Gosvami is in champu style. Sri Janraj Champu is an 18th century Sanskrit biographical work on history ofRaghuji Bhonsleand his sons written by Krishna Dutta, court poet of Maratha kingJanoji Bhonsle.The champu alsocontainsstutis directly composed by the Maratha king toHindudeitiesGodavari,KaliandShiva.

External links

• Sanskrit Literature Classification