Jnanpith Award
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Jnanpith Award, highest literary award in India, given annually for the best creative literary writing to writers in any of the 22 “scheduled languages” recognized in the Indian Constitution. The prize carries a cash award, a citation, and a bronze replica of Vagdevi (Saraswati), the goddess of learning. It is sponsored by the cultural organization Bharatiya Jnanpith.
The Jnanpith Award was instituted in 1961, and the first award was given in 1965. Until 1982 it was presented for a specific work; thereafter, it was given for a writer’s overall contribution to literature. Since then, the award has typically been given every year to one author, although in some years it has been jointly offered to two.