Kanakadasa Jayanthi in 2025

When is Kanakadasa Jayanti?

Kanakadasa Jayanti is a regional public holiday in the Indian state of Karnataka on the 18th day of the Hindu month of Kartik each year. This means it usually falls in November in the Western Calendar. The government of Karnataka publish the date in their list of General Holidays each year.

This General Holiday commemorates the noted poet and saint Shri Kanaka Dasa on the anniversary of his birth in 1509.

History of Kanakadasa Jayanti

Kanaka Dasa was born on November 6th 1509. There is little biographical information about Kanak Dasa, but he grew up to become a poet, philosopher and musician, known for his compositions in the Kannada language.

He belonged to the Haridasa ('servant of Hari' - the god Krishna. ) literary movement which ushered in an era of devotional literature in Karnataka. 

Apart from making a remarkable contribution to Kannada literature, Kanaka Dasa initiated the process of social philosophy by using his work to spread a message of equality in a language that was accessible to all. 

Did you know?

The Kannada language has an unbroken literary history of over a thousand years and with over 38 million speakers, it is one of the 40 most spoken languages in the world.

In tribute to the great saint and his importance in the cultural and social history of Karnataka, the Government of Karnataka has declared the birthday of Kanaka Dasa as a state holiday since 2008.