‘Kanakadasa built 68 lakes and his social work is a model for us’

Social reformer, saint and poet of dasa tradition Kanakadasa believed that devotion and knowledge are superior to material wealth. In his compositions or keerthanas, one can notice the subtlety of devotion with social consciousness, said B.S. Anil Kumar Bommaghatta, assistant director, Prasaranga, University of Mysore on Wednesday.

He was speaking at ‘Kanaka Smriti’ and Kanaka Puraskara programme organised by Centre for Research on Kanakadasa at Mangalore University at Mangalagangotri.

Kanakadasa stood beyond caste, religion, and region. “We should not view him only as a devotional poet or literary creator, but also as a scientific explorer. Records with inscriptions show that he built 68 lakes during his time. One of the lakes he built 600 years ago still irrigates more than 1.5 million acres of agricultural land in Andhra Pradesh even today. Such social work, alongside his literary contribution, is a model for us. More studies should be conducted on these works,” he said.

Speaking after inaugurating the programme, Mangalore University Vice-Chancellor P.L. Dharma said: “In today’s modern era, we are failing to understand the thoughts and values of great souls like Kanakadasa. While buildings are getting stronger in society, caste organizations are also becoming stronger. At a time when new caste equations are forming, more programmes that will help to adopt Kanaka’s thoughts in life should be held.”

Scholar Kabbinahale Vasantha Bharadwaj said that new studies can emerge by exploring the soul and inner meaning of dasa literature.

R. Nagappa Gowda, chairman, Department of Kannada, Mangalore University, said that Kanakadasa opposed pompous and superstitious devotion and built a society of equality.

Dhananjaya Kumble, coordinator, Centre for Research on Kanakadasa, made introductory remarks.

‘Kanaka Puraskara’ was presented to 16 candidates and six teams who were winners in the 2025-26 ‘Kanaka Keertana Gangotri’ competition.