Jnanpith Award (Gyanpith Puraskar): Winners List, Prize Money, UPSC Notes

The Jnanpith Award, also known as the Gyanpith Puraskar, is India’s highest and most prestigious literary award. It is presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to authors for their outstanding contribution to Indian literature. Instituted in 1961, the award honours Indian writers who compose works in any of the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution or in English.

The Jnanpith Award is not conferred posthumously. It is regarded as the oldest literary recognition in India, symbolizing excellence and long-standing commitment to Indian literary traditions.

In this article on Jnanpith Award UPSC, let us discuss the award in detail, along with the list of Indian authors who received the award. 

Download the UPSC Practice Questions on the Jnanpith Award for Prelims and Mains!

What is the Jnanpith Award?

The Jnanpith Award is India's highest literary honor, awarded annually to Indian authors who have made outstanding contributions to literature in any of the 22 official languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Instituted in 1961 by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organization, it is awarded only to living Indian nationals for their published literary work. The first recipient was G. Sankara Kurup in 1965 for his Malayalam poetry collection Odakkuzhal. The award includes a citation, a bronze statue of Goddess Saraswati (Vagdevi), and a cash prize of ₹11 lakh. Notably, Amitav Ghosh became the first author writing in English to win the award in 2019.

Background of the Award

The Jnanpith Award was instituted by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain. He is the founder of Bharatiya Jnanpith, a research and cultural institute founded in 1944. He wanted to establish an award that would recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of Indian writers.

The first Jnanpith Award was given to G. Shankara Kurup in 1965. This was for his collection of poems in Malayalam, Odakkuzhal. Since then, the award has been given to many of India's most celebrated writers. This includes Rabindranath Tagore, Premchand, R.K. Narayan, and Arundhati Roy.

Know more about Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award!

The Jnanpith Award, established in 1961, is India's highest literary honor presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their outstanding contribution to literature, in any of the recognized languages in India. Here is a list of the Jnanpith awardees along with their language and the year of the award.

Study the article on Gallantry Awards here.

At first, proposals are submitted by various teachers, literateurs, associations, organisations, universities, etc. There is a Language Advisory Committee for each language, consisting of three eminent literary scholars and critics. They either consider the works/writers suggested through proposals or any other writers and evaluate the literary creativity of an author based on the established criteria. The recommendations made by various Language Advisory Committees are placed before the Selection Board, which then causes a comparative evaluation of the recommendations and chooses the awardee for the year.

Know more about Haryana Sushasan Puraskaar Yojana!

Jnanpith Award Prize Money

The Jnanpith Award includes a cash prize, which, as of recent years, stands at ₹11 lakh (1.1 million rupees). Along with the monetary award, the recipient also receives a bronze replica of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge and arts, and a citation plaque. This prestigious award celebrates and financially supports the lifelong contributions of eminent writers to Indian literature.

Study the article on Maharashtra Bhushan Award here.

The comprehensive vision of Indian literature and national integrity are symbolized by the Award. We hope that the above article on Jnanpith gives you a fair idea about it. For more such notes and NCERT summary, download the Testbook App now.