 The Jain writer Adikavi Pampa , widely regarded as one of the most influential Kannada writers , became famous for Adipurana ( 941 ) . Written in champu ( mixed prose @-@ verse style ) style , it is the life history of the first Jain tirthankara Rishabhadeva . Pampa 's other notable work was Vikramarjuna Vijaya ( 941 ) , the author 's version of the Hindu epic , Mahabharata , with Arjuna as the hero . Also called Pampa Bharata , it is a eulogy of the writer 's patron , King Chalukya Arikeseri of Vemulawada ( a Rashtrakuta feudatory ) , comparing the king 's virtues favorably to those of Arjuna . Pampa demonstrates such a command of classical Kannada that scholars over the centuries have written many interpretations of his work . 
