This page, created by Dinesh Kannambadi, attempts to list some well known scholars in Sanskrit and Kannada, their chronology and works.

Ganga dynasty of Talkad also known as Western Gangas(350-999AD)

• Pujyapada (Sarvathasiddi and Jinendra Vyakarana)
• Jinasena (Adipurana - Sanskrit)
• Ajitasena
• Akalanka or Nemichandrasiddanta
• King Madhava II (370-390AD)(Dattaka Sutrain Sanskrit)
• King Durvinita(495-535AD) (Reference to his Kannada work in Kavirajamarga, Vaddakatha Sanskrit translation,Sabdavatara in Sanskrit )
• Sripurusha (Gajasastra in Sanskrit)
• King Shivamara II (788-816AD) (Gajashtaka, a Kannada work on elephant management, and Sethubandha in Prakrit).
• Hemasena or Vidya Dhananjaya (Raghavpandaviya)
• Vidhibhasimha (Gadyachintamani and Kshatrachudamani)
• Chavundaraya (978AD) (Chavundarayapurana-Kannada)
• Ranna
• Gunavarma (Kannada Grammar)
• Nagavarma (Chandombhudhi)

Rashtrakutas(753-973AD)

• Trivikrama (Nalachampu in Sanskrit)
• Halayudha (Kavirahasya and Mritasanjivini)
• Somadevasuri (Nitikavyamrita)
• Mahaviracharya (Ganita-sara-samgraha)
• Padma pada
• Visvarupa
• Virasena
• Jinasenacharya (Mahapurana , Dhavala)
• Gunabhadra (Uttarapurana - Sanskrit)
• Pushpadanta
• Akalanka
• King Amoghavarsha
  
  
  
  I Nripatunga (Prashottara Ratnamakike, Kavirajamarga, a treatise on Kannada poetics)
• Sri Vijaya Ponna (950AD, title, Kavichakravarthi wrote Bhuvanaika- Ramabhyudaya, Santipurana and Jinaksaramale - Kannada)
• Pampa ( 902-975A.D)(called Adhikavi wrote Adipurana and Vikramarjuna Vijaya in Kannada)
• Shivakoti Acharya (Vaddaradhane earliest prose in Kannada borrowed from Sanskrit work Brihatkathakosha of Harishena)

Chalukyas of Kalyani (973-1198AD)

• Ranna (949AD)(Ajitapurana, Sahasabhimavijaya, Gadayuddha, and Rannakanda - Kannada)
• Chavundaraya II (Lokopakara, a collection of useful knowledge - Kannada)
• Chandraraja (Madanatilaka, a work on erotics - Kannada)
• Shridharacharya (Jatakatilaka is a work on astrology - Kannada)
• Kirtivarma (Govaidya on veterinary science - Kannada)
• Durgasimha (panchatantra - Kannada)
• Nayasena (Dharmamritha - Kannada)
• Nagavarma (Kavyavalokana - Kannada)
• Brahmashiva (Samayaparikshe - Kannada)
• Devara Dasimayya (Vachanakara belonged to this period)
• Vadiraja ( Yashodharacharitam and Parshvanatha Charitam - Sanskrit)
• Bilhana (Vikramankadeva Charitha, The Kashmiri poet immortalized the name of his patron Vikramaditya VI through this work)
• Vijananeshvara (Mitakshara, a commentary on Yajnavalkya Smriti)
• Someshwara III (Abhilashithartha Chinthamani or Manasollasa, an encyclopedia of all arts and sciences)
• Jagadekamalla (Sangithachudamani)

Hoysalas of Belur & Halebidu (1000-1346AD)

• Nagachandra (Ramachandra Charita Purana, and Mallinathapurana - Kannada. He known as Abhinava Pampa).
• Kanti (poetess)
• Vishnudandadipa
• Santa Mahanta
• Rajaditya (11th cen.AD)(Kshetraganita, Vyavaharaganita, and Lilavati-Kannada)
• Harihara (Girija Kalyana - Kannada)
• Raghavanka (Shatpadi, Harischandra Kavya, Siddhara Chanitra, Veeresha Charite,Sharabha Charitre and Harihara Mahatwa - Kannada)
• Janna (Yashodhara Charite and Ananthanatha Purana- Kannada. Obtained title Kavichakravarti)
• Nemichandra (Leelavati, Neminatha Purana - Kannada)
• Achanna (1195AD) (Vardhamana Purana)
• Rudra Bhatta (Jagannatha Vijaya - Kannada)
• Mallikarjuna (Sukti & Sudharnava- Kannada)
• Kesiraja (Shabdamanidarpana- Kannada grammar)
• Hastimalla (1290AD)(Adipurana- Kannada)
• Jagaddala Somanatha
  
  
  
  (12th cen.AD) (work on medicine Karnataka Kalyanakaraka- Kannada)
• Nayasena (1112 A.D.) (Dharmamrita- Kannada)
• Andayya (1235 A.D)
• Brahmasiva (1150 A.D.)(Samayaparikshe- Kannada)

The Veerashiva Saints and Vachanakaras

• Basava (known as Basaveshvara wrote the spiritual lyrics vachanas- Kannada)
• Renukacharya
• Darukacharya
• Ekoramacharya
• Panditaradhyacharya
• Vishwaradhyacharya
• Akkamahadevi
• Nilambike
• Gangambike
• Allama Prabhu
• Siddarama
• Chennabasava
• Madivala Machayya (vachanakara- Kannada)
• Madara Channayya (vachanakara -Kannada)
• Sakalesha Madarasa (vachanakara-Kannada)
• Ramanna (vachanakara-Kannada)
• Sujikayakada Ramitande (vachanakara-Kannada)
• Medara Ketayya (vachanakara-Kannada)
• Kayakada Basappa (vachanakara-Kannada)

Vijayanagara Empire (1335-1565AD), Kannada Haridasa Movement And Later Haridasas

• Kumara Vyasa (1430AD) (Gadugina Bharata or Karnata Bharata KathaManjari a Kannada adaptation of Mahabharata and Airavata. His title was Rupaka Samrajya Chakravarti (Emperor of the World of Metaphors).)
• Narahri or Kumara Valmiki (1500AD) (Torave Ramayana)
• BhimaKavi
• Padmanaka
• Mallanarya
• Singiraja
• Chamarasa
• Sarvajna (1650AD) (tripadis or vachanas pithy three lined poems in Kannada)
• Narahari Thirtha
• Padmanabha Thirtha
• Akshobhya Thirtha
• Jaya Thirtha
• Sripadaraja of Mulbagal (1500AD)
• Vyasaraja (1447 – 1539 A. D.)
• Sri Vadirajaswami
• Purandaradasa (1484 – 1564) (Father of Carnatic music. Composed over 450,000 songs in Kannada. His titles wereDasaShreshta Purandaropanishat, Sangitapitamaha)
• Kanakadasa (1509 - 1607) (Padas and Keertans

RamadhyanaCharite, Haribhakthisara,Kalacharithre, Mohana Tarangini, Nalacharitre - Kannada)

• Guru Raghavendra (1600-71) the great Sage of Manthralaya.
• Vijaya Dasa (1687 – 1755)
• Mohana Dasa
• Gopala Dasa (1721 – 1762)
• Helavanakatte Giriyamma
• Jagannatha Dasa (1728 – 1809) (Harikathamrithasara, Uga Bhogas, Keerthanas and Tathva Suvalis- Kannada)

Modern Kannada Poets, Literatures & Writers

• Anupama Niranjana
• B M Srikanthaiah (B M Sri)
• B.G.L.Swamy
• D V Gundappa (DVG)
• D. R. Bendre (Da Ra Bendre) (Jnanpith)
• Dr. A. N. Krishna Rao (Anakru)
• Dr. Chandrashekara Kambara
• G P Rajarathnam
• G.B.Joshi (JadaBharata)
• Girish Karnad (Jnanpith)
• Gopalakrishna Adiga
• Goruru Ramaswamy Iyengar
• Ha Ma Nayak
• Dr. K. S. Narasimhaswamy
• Kota Shivarama Karanth (Jnanpith)
• Kuvempu (Dr. K.V. Puttappa)(Jnanpith)
• M Govinda Pai
• M.V.Seetaramiah
• Maasti Venkatesh Ayengar (Jnanpith)
• Nisaar Ahmed
• P Lankesh
• Dr.Panchakshari Hiremath
• Panje Mangesh Rao
• Poornachandra Tejaswi
• Pu.Thi.Narasimhachar
• S.L Bhairappa
• S.V.Parameshwara Bhatt
• SriRanga (AadyaRangacharya)
• T. P. Kailasam
• Tha. Ra. Subbarao
• Thee. Nam. Shree
• U. R. Ananthamurthy (Jnanpith)
• V. K. Gokak (Jnanpith)
• R.K. Narayan, Noted Indian Author
• R.K. Laxman, Famous Indian Cartoonist & Humorist
• Kamala Markhandaya
• Triveni

References

History Of Karnataka- Mr. Arthikaje

History OF Kannada Literature- Dr. Jyotsna Kamat