Bhattakalanka Deva

Bhattakalanka Deva (also Bhattakalanka) was the third and the last of the notable Kannada grammarians from the medieval period. In 1604 CE, he authored a comprehensive text on old-Kannada grammar called Karnataka Sabdanusasana in 592 Sanskrit sutras (a literary form written for concision) with glossary (vritti) and commentary (vyakhya). The work contains useful references to prior poets and writers of Kannada literature and is considered a valuable asset to the student of old-Kannada language. A native of South Canara and a student of the Haduvalli monastery, the Jain grammarian was learned in six languages including Kannada, Sanskrit, Prakrit and Magadhi.