Akka Mahadevi was one of the early poets of Kannada literature and a prominent person in the Lingayat Shaiva sect in the 12th century. Her 430 Vachana poems, and the two short writings called Mantrogopya and the Yogangatrividh are considered her known contributions to Kannada literature. She composed fewer poems than other saints of the movement. The term Akka is an honorific given to her by saints such as Basavanna, Siddharama and Allamaprabhu and an indication of her high place in the spiritual discussions held at the "Anubhava Mantapa". She is seen as an inspirational woman in Kannada literature and in the history of Karnataka. She considered the god Shiva as her husband,.

Kannada, formerly also known as Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 44 million native speakers, and is additionally second or third language for around 15 million non-native speakers in Karnataka.