Kumudendu Muni

Kumudendu Muni (Kannada: ಕುಮುದೆಂದು ಮುನಿ) was a Jain monk who authored Siribhoovalaya, a unique multi-lingual literary work. However, not much is known about this monk. Scholars are divided about when he lived. Karlamangalam Srikantaiah, the editor of the first edition, claims that the work may have been composed around 800 AD. Dr Venkatachala Sastry, however, dates him and his work to the 15th CE. He also claims that Kumudendu Muni belonged to a village called Yalavalli near Nandidurga in Chikkaballapura Taluk in Kolar District. He further dates the work to around 1550-1600 period and suggests it might be even more recent.