Moortidevi Award Winners List (1983-2019)

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Published Sep 26, 2026 Updated Sep 26, 2026 1 min read

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Name	Moortidevi Award
Award For	Outstanding contemplative, analytical and perceptive literary works
Award By	Bharatiya Jnanpith
First Award	1983
First Awardee	C. K. Nagaraja Rao
Last Award	2019
Last Awardee	Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari
Total Awarded	31
Status	active
Official URL	https://jnanpith.net/

About Moortidevi Award

In 1982, Bharatiya Jnanpith instituted the Moorti Devi Award in memory of Smt. Moorti Devi, the mother of Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain, founder of Bharatiya Jnanpith. The award is presented annually to a living author for a contemplative or intellectual work written in any language listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. The award recognizes works that reflect Indian philosophy and cultural heritage while promoting broader human values and ideals. It comprises a Saraswati statue, a citation plaque, and a cash prize. The first recipient was Kannada writer C. K. Nagaraja Rao, who received the award in 1983 for his four-volume novel *Pattamahadevi Shantala Devi*.

Moortidevi Award (1983-2019) Winners List

This Winners List features 31 winners of the Moortidevi Award, from 1983 to 2019.

Image	Year	Winner Name	Gender	Profession

	2019	Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari Also won: Vyas Samman (2010)	male	Hindi poet, critic, and academic; former president of the Sahitya Akademi (2013-2018)
Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari is a noted Hindi poet and critic from Gorakhpur, known for works like "Kavita Kya Hai" and "Saath Chalte Hue." He served as president of the Sahitya Akademi from 2013 to 2018 and received the Padma Shri in 2023. He won the Vyas Samman in 2010 for his work "Phir Bhi Kuch Rah Jayega."
	2017	Joy Goswami Also won: Sahitya Akademi Award (2000)	male	Bengali poet
One of the most celebrated Bengali poets of his generation, known for emotionally intense, inventive verse. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award and Ananda Puraskar, and has written novels too.
	2016	M. P. Veerendra Kumar Also won: Sahitya Akademi Award (2010) , Vayalar Award (2008) , Odakkuzhal Award (1997)	male	Politician, writer, newspaper publisher
Socialist politician, Union Minister and managing director of Mathrubhumi newspaper. Also a prolific writer, his Himalayan travelogue Haimavathabhuvil won the Vayalar Award and wide literary acclaim. He served in both houses of Parliament.
	2015	Kolakaluri Enoch Also won: Sahitya Akademi Award (2018)	male	Telugu writer, academic
Telugu poet, novelist and critic, and former vice-chancellor of Sri Venkateswara University. His writing gives voice to Dalit experience; he received the Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Shri and Moortidevi Award.
	2014	Vishwanath Tripathi Also won: Vyas Samman (2013)	male	Hindi literary critic, memoirist, and poet; former professor of Hindi at Delhi University
Vishwanath Tripathi is a prominent Hindi critic and memoirist celebrated for blending literary criticism with lyrical autobiographical prose. His acclaimed memoir "Nangatalai Ka Gaon" and critical biography "Vyomkesh Darvesh" (on Hazari Prasad Dwivedi) established his reputation. He won the Vyas Samman in 2013 for "Vyomkesh Darvesh."
	2013	C. Radhakrishnan	male	Novelist, scientist, journalist
Malayalam novelist and physicist from Chamravattam, Tirur, who also worked as a science journalist. His works include Munpe Parakkunna Pakshikal, winner of the Vayalar Award, and he received the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram.
	2012	Haraprasad Das Also won: Sahitya Akademi Award (1999)	male	Odia language poet, essayist and columnist
Haraprasad is a retired civil servant. He has served various UN bodies as an expert. Das has twelve works of poetry, four of prose, three translations and one piece of fiction to his credit. he win the multiple awards like Kalinga Literary Award 2017, Kalinga Literary Festival, Moortidevi Award 2013, Gangadhar Meher Award 2008, Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award 1999, Sarala Award 2008
	2011	Gulab Kothari	male	Journalist, writer
Editor-in-chief of the Rajasthan Patrika group and writer on Vedic science, spirituality and Indian thought. His philosophical writings and poetry in Hindi earned him the Moortidevi Award.
	2010	Prof. Gopi Chand Narang Also won: Padma Bhushan (2004) , Sahitya Akademi Award (1995)	male	Urdu critic, scholar
Renowned Urdu literary critic and linguist who applied structuralist and post-structuralist theory to Urdu poetics. He received the Padma Bhushan and Sahitya Akademi Award, and headed the Sahitya Akademi.
	2009	Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri	male	Poet, essayist and social worker
Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri poet popularly known as Akkitham wins 55th Jnanpith Award. he is the 6th Malayalam writer who bagged the award. Poet G Sankara Kurup was the first Malayalam writer who won the award. Thakazhi, SK Pottekatt, MT Vasudevan Nair and ONV Kurup are the other Malayalam writers who bagged the award.
	2008	Raghuvansh Raghuvansh	male	Hindi writer, critic
Hindi writer and critic who taught at Allahabad University. Despite a physical disability that made him write with his feet, he produced notable fiction, criticism and cultural studies, winning the Moortidevi Award.
	2007	Veerappa Moily Also won: Sahitya Akademi Award (2020) , Saraswati Samman (2014)	male	Kannada writer/poet and politician (lawyer by training)
A prominent Indian politician who served as Chief Minister of Karnataka (1992-94) and as a Union Cabinet Minister (Law, Corporate Affairs, Petroleum & Natural Gas), he is also an accomplished Kannada litterateur. He won the Saraswati Samman 2014 for his five-volume, 42,295-line epic poem "Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam," a modern reinterpretation of the Ramayana.
	2006	Krishna Bihari Mishra	male	Hindi essayist
Kolkata-based Hindi essayist and scholar, known for thoughtful essays on culture and spirituality and for Kalpataru ki Utsav Leela on Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He received the Moortidevi Award and Padma Shri.
	2005	Rammurti Sharma	male	Sanskrit and Hindi scholar
Scholar of Sanskrit and Indian philosophy who wrote on Vedanta and Indian intellectual traditions in Hindi. His contribution to philosophical and literary scholarship was recognised with the Jnanpith Moortidevi Award.
	2004	Narayan Desai Also won: Sahitya Akademi Award (1993)	male	Gandhian, writer
Gandhian activist and writer, son of Gandhi's secretary Mahadev Desai. His four-volume Gujarati biography of Gandhi, Maru Jivan Ej Mari Vani, won the Jnanpith Moortidevi and Sahitya Akademi awards.
	2003	Kalyan Mal Lodha	male	Hindi scholar, academic
Hindi scholar, critic and educationist who taught at Calcutta University and served as vice-chancellor of Jodhpur and Rajasthan universities. His critical writings on Hindi literature earned him the Moortidevi Award.
	2002	Yashdev Shalya	male	Philosopher, Hindi writer
Hindi-language philosopher from Rajasthan who wrote original works on metaphysics, consciousness and Indian thought, seeking to develop philosophy in Hindi rather than English. He was honoured with the Moortidevi Award.
	2001	Rammurti Tripathi	male	Hindi critic, scholar
Hindi scholar and literary critic associated with Vikram University, Ujjain, known for studies of Indian aesthetics, the Rasa theory and medieval Hindi poetry. His scholarship earned him the Moortidevi Award.
	2000	Govind Chandra Pande Also won: Saraswati Samman (2003)	male	Hindi/Sanskrit scholar, philosopher, and historian
A distinguished Indian scholar-philosopher specializing in Vedic, Buddhist, and Jaina thought, who served as vice-chancellor at multiple universities including Rajasthan and Allahabad. Author of works like "Life and Thought of Sankaracharya" and a Hindi commentary on the Rigveda, he blended rigorous scholarship with poetic composition. He received the Saraswati Samman 2003 for "Bhagirathi," and later the Padma Shri in 2010.
	1995	Nirmal Verma Also won: Padma Bhushan (2002) , Sahitya Akademi Award (1985) , Jnanpith Award (1999)	male	Hindi novelist, essayist, and translator
Nirmal Verma was a Hindi writer, novelist, activist and translator. He is credited as being one of the pioneers of the Nai Kahani (New Story) literary movement of Hindi literature. In 1999 he won the 35th Jnanpith Award.
	1994	Shivaji Sawant	male	Marathi novelist
Marathi novelist famous for Mrityunjay, a hugely popular retelling of Karna's life from the Mahabharata, and Chhava on Sambhaji. He received the Moortidevi Award and was the first Marathi writer honoured with it.
	1993	Shyamacharan Dubey	male	Anthropologist, sociologist
Pioneering Indian anthropologist and sociologist whose studies of village life, such as Indian Village, shaped social science in India. He wrote extensively in Hindi and English on development and modernisation.
	1992	Kuber Nath Rai	male	Hindi essayist
Hindi essayist admired for lyrical, erudite personal essays drawing on Indian mythology, culture and rural life. His collections include Priya Neelkanthi and Kamdhenu; the latter earned him the Moortidevi Award.
	1991	Dr. Pratibha Ray	female	Novelist, short-story writer and academic
Oriya novelist and academician Pratibha Ray wins 47th Jnanpith Award in 2011. In the year 2011, under this award, a cash prize of ₹7 lakh, a citation, and public recognition were conferred. Ray has 20 novels, 24 short stories, 10 travelogues, two poetry collections and a number of essays to her credit. Pratibha Ray is the first Odia woman and fourth Odia writer to get the coveted award. Earlier Gopinath Mohanty (1973), Sachidananda Routray (1986) and Sitakant Mohapatra (1993) were conferred the honour.
	1990	Munishree Nagraj	male	Jain monk, scholar
Jain monk of the Terapanth tradition and learned scholar of Jain philosophy and Prakrit literature. His research, including the multi-volume work comparing Agamas and Tripitakas, earned him the Moortidevi Award.
	1989	Prof. Vidya Niwas Misra Also won: Padma Bhushan (1999)	male	Hindi essayist, Sanskrit scholar
Distinguished Hindi essayist, linguist and Sanskrit scholar who served as vice-chancellor and editor of Navbharat Times. His lyrical personal essays blend Indian tradition and folk culture; he received the Padma Bhushan.
	1988	Vishnu Prabhakar Also won: Padma Bhushan (2004) , Sahitya Akademi Award (1993)	male	Hindi writer
Prolific Hindi novelist, playwright and biographer, celebrated for Awara Masiha, his acclaimed biography of Bengali novelist Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award, Padma Bhushan and Moortidevi Award.
	1987	Manubhai Rajaram Pancholi Also won: Padma Bhushan (1991) , Sahitya Akademi Award (1975) , Saraswati Samman (1997)	male	Gujarati novelist, essayist, and educationist (pen name "Darshak")
A Gujarati novelist, freedom fighter, and educationist who co-founded the Lok Bharati rural institute in Sanosara. Writing as "Darshak," he authored major historical novels including "Jher To Pidha Chhe Jani Jani" and "Kurukshetra," a philosophical retelling of the Mahabharata. He won the 1997 Saraswati Samman for "Kurukshetra." He also received the Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak and Sahitya Akademi Award.
	1986	Kanhaiyalal Sethia Also won: Sahitya Akademi Award (1976)	male	Poet (Rajasthani, Hindi)
Rajasthani and Hindi poet and freedom fighter from Sujangarh, remembered for the stirring patriotic song Dharti Dhoran Ri and Pathal-Pipal. He received the Padma Shri and Moortidevi Award for his poetry.
	1984	Virendra Kumar Sakhlecha	male	Politician, writer
Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior Jana Sangh/BJP leader. Alongside politics he wrote on Indian society, economics and public life, and was honoured with the Moortidevi Award for his writing.
	1983	C. K. Nagaraja Rao	male	Kannada novelist, dramatist
Kannada novelist, playwright and journalist best known for the epic historical novel Pattamahadevi Shantala Devi, which won the Jnanpith Moortidevi Award. He also wrote plays, short stories and biographies over a long career.