 Dr
M Chidanandamurthy's cup of life has been full
- the joy of toil, the exhilaration at the fruitful
completion of a laborious task of research. Dr
M Chidanandamurthy, the President of Kannada
Shakthikendra, is both a scholar and an eminent
pro-Kannada activist. For him research is a pleasure.
His experiences as a research scholar, the struggle
and fulfulment, are being worked into a book by
him. Many awards have come his way for his literary
works. Last year, he was felicitated with the prestigious
Aa. Na. Kru. Literary Award.
Speaking to bangalorebest.com, Dr.
Chidanandamurthy shared two of his research
experiences.
Once Dr Chidanandamurthy was doing research
on the subject of the residence of Kannada poet,
Harihara, in Hampi. Historical documents stated
that Harihara resided in front of the Naganatheswara
temple in Hampi. However, till then, nobody had
located the Naganatheswara temple in the
ruins of Hampi.
Dr Chidanandamurthy wanted to find the site
of Harihara's residence. "I went twice to Hampi
and roamed amidst the ruins in the hot sun to locate
Naganatheswara temple, only to return without
any results. But I was determined to locate the
site of the temple despite the disappointment on
two earlier occasions. A friend in Bellary, hearing
of my futile efforts, wrote to me that he has seen
the 'Naganatheswara temple' in Hampi. I rushed
immediately to Hampi with a lot of enthusiasm, my
Bellary friend in tow, only to find 'Naganandiswara
temple' written recently in Kannada on one of
the ruins, but it was not the Naganatheswara
temple. I was very disappointed and sat amidst
the ruins in distress. But my eyes did not stop
examining the site for the temple. Suddenly I came
across a stone inscription containing ancient Kannada
inscriptions - 'Naganatheswara temple'. It
appeared to be part of the original Naganatheswara
temple and I screamed out in joy to my friend that
I had found what I was searching for. It was such
a happy moment."
"Pampa was born in A.P's Dharmapuri near Kurikyala"
in Telangana district.
Another major research Dr Chidanandamurthy
has done is finding the birth place of first
Kannada poet, Pampa, who translated Mahabharata
into Kannada from Sanskrit. Pampa had written
in his works that a town called Dharmapuri was
given in honorarium to him (Pampa) by King Arakesari
1,000 years ago. But the exact location of Dharmapuri
was not revealed by the poet. Many scholars
in the past had tried to find Pampa's Dharmapuri,
but they did not succeed in their efforts. Dr
Chidanandamurthy, with the intuitive and painstaking
skill of the true researcher, found the true location
of Dharmapuri, which was in Telangana
district of Andhra Pradesh near Kurikyala
village. Dharmapuri is now abandoned and you
will find only ruins there. Ancient Dharmapuri is
said to be at the foot of a hill near Kurikyala
village, Dr Chidanandamurthy said. Wandering
singers in Karnataka gave the professor the clue
to go to Telangana district for his research. "The
people of Kurikyala also confirmed this. There are
many inscriptions at the foot of and atop the hill
which contain the name Dharmapuri," he said.
Dr Chidanandamurthy, research scholar par excellence,
has enriched Kannada culture and literature through
his life time contributions. The people of Karnataka
owe him heartfelt thanks.
| Y. Rama Mohan. |
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