Domicile of the Author of Campu Bhārata
By V. B. Naik
Summary
Seeking the origin of Ananta Bhaṭṭa, author of the Sanskrit Campu Bhārata, this article argues that he belonged to Karnataka. The poem is composed in the campu style—a mixture of prose and verse—which was popular among Kannada poets between the 9th and 12th centuries. This style is associated with Jaina writers and is rarely found in Sanskrit literature. The author notes that the Campu Bhārata exhibits peculiar rhyming patterns where the second syllables of each line are identical; such patterns are characteristic of Kannada prosody and recur throughout the work. By listing numerous verses with this feature, the article demonstrates that the poet followed Kannada metrical conventions. These stylistic traits, combined with the prevalence of campu compositions in Kannada literature, lead the author to conclude that Ananta Bhaṭṭa lived in the Kannada country and was influenced by Jaina literary traditions.
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Conclusion
The article concludes that internal linguistic and metrical evidence strongly suggests the author of Campu Bhārata hailed from Karnataka. His use of campu style and Kannada rhyming patterns points to a South Indian domicile.