Kanaka Dasa

The poet, philosopher, musician and composer Kanaka Dasa was called Thimmappa Nayaka until he, as a young boy, found a treasure-trove of gold and became known as Kanaka Nayaka - Kanaka means gold in Kannada - he never used the gold for himself. His full name, Kanaka Dasa, was given to him by the scholar Vyasaraja who Kanaka Dasa was a follower of. Born into a warrior community, Kanaka Dasa gave up his profession as a warrior when he suffered a severe injury in a war and was miraculously saved. He devoted his life to composing music and literature with philosophy explained in common man's language. His major works was Nalacharitre, Haribhaktisara, Nrisimhastava, Ramadhanyacharitre and Mohanatarangini.