Question

Two jewels of Kannada literature are Pampa and _____________.
(A) Paara
(B) Pusa
(C) Ponna
(D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Jainism stresses that ratnatraya (triple gems of Jainism) — the true belief (Samyak Darshan), true familiarity (Samyak Gyana) and true demeanour (Samyak Charitra) — establishes the pathway to deliverance. These are recognized as the triple gems (or jewels) of Jainism and henceforth also recognized as Ratnatraya.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Sri Ponna was a renowned Kannada poet in the court of Rashtrakuta Dynasty king Krishna III. The ruler honoured Ponna with the name “Kavichakravarthi” for his command of the Kannada scholarly loops of the time, and the name " Ubhayakavi Chakravarti '' for his knowledge over Sanskrit as well. Ponna is frequently counted one among the "Ratnatraya ''; Adikavi Pampa and Ranna being the additional two, for escorting it in full display. Concurring to the academic R. Narasimhacharya, Ponna is acknowledged to have asserted dominance over all the versifiers of the time. Conferring to academics Nilakanta Shastri and E.P. Rice, Ponna belonged to Vengibisaya in Kammanadu, of current day Punganur, Chittoor District of contemporary Andhra Pradesh, but afterwards wandered to Manyakheta (in contemporary Gulbarga region, Karnataka), the Rashtrakuta capital, after his alteration to the Jainism.

Thus, option (C) is correct.

Note: Ponna was one of the most distinguished writers of the conventional age of Kannada literature, a time typically characterized as opening from the mid of 10th century and on-going for 150 years subsequently. Throughout this period, Ponna and 2 additional poets, Adikavi Pampa and Ranna, created works of long-lasting quality, works that set a benchmark in poetic form and conformation that would inspire forthcoming poets for eras. So skilful were these poets that their chic of champu brought together the finest of the past masters of Sanskrit literature in numerous extents, giving their description a disingenuousness: poet Bana's prose, Kalidasa's elegant verses, Bhatta Narayana's histrionics, and Megaduta's poetic flavour are seen used adroitly, giving enfranchised and integrated Sanskrit words in the Kannada linguistic precedence over indigenous terminologies.