The 'Vikramarjuna Vijaya' (Pampa Bharata) was composed by Pampa in which language?

The "Vikramarjuna Vijaya", also known as the "Pampa Bharata", was composed in Kannada by the poet Pampa (Adikavi Pampa) in about 941 CE.

About the Vikramarjuna Vijaya:

• It is a Kannada version of the Mahabharata, with Arjuna as the central hero.
• Pampa compared his patron, King Arikesari II of the Vemulavada Chalukyas (feudatories of the Rashtrakutas), with Arjuna, praising the king through the epic.
• It is written in the "champu" style, a mixture of prose and verse.

About Pampa:

• He lived in the 10th century and is called "Adikavi" (the first poet) of Kannada.
• His other major work, the "Adipurana" (941 CE), is a Jain work about the life of the first Jain tirthankara, Rishabhadeva (Adinatha).
• The highest literary award of the Karnataka government is called the "Pampa Award".

The "Three Gems" (Ratnatraya) of Kannada literature:

• Pampa: "Vikramarjuna Vijaya" and "Adipurana".
• Sri Ponna: "Shantipurana"; court poet of the Rashtrakuta king Krishna III.
• Ranna: "Gadayuddha" (also called "Sahasabhima Vijaya") and "Ajitapurana"; court poet of the Western Chalukyas.
• All three were Jain poets.

Other early Kannada works:

• "Kavirajamarga" (9th century): the earliest available Kannada work, a treatise on poetics, associated with the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha I (written by Srivijaya).
• The Vachana literature of Basavanna and other saints (12th century).

Other regional versions of the epics:

• Tamil: "Ramavataram" (Kamba Ramayanam) by Kamban.
• Telugu: "Andhra Mahabharatam" by Nannaya, Tikkana and Errana (the "Kavitrayam").
• Malayalam: "Adhyatma Ramayanam" by Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Telugu's Mahabharata was written by Nannaya, Tikkana and Errana.
• ✗Tamil is the language of Kamban's Ramayana.
• ✗Malayalam is the language of Ezhuthachan's Adhyatma Ramayanam.