Harihara (or Harisvara, 1160), who came from a family of "karnikas" (accountants) in Hampi, was one of the earliest Veerashaiva writers who was not part of the "Vachana" poetic tradition. He is considered one of the most influential Kannada poets of the Hoysala era. A non-traditionalist, he has been called "poet of poets" and a "poet for the masses". Kannada poetry changed course because of his efforts, and he was an inspiration for generations of poets to follow. Impressed by his early writings, Kereya Padmarasa, the court poet of King Narasimha I, introduced him to the king, who became Harihara's patron. A master of many metres, he authored the "Girijakalyana" ("Marriage of the mountain born goddess – Parvati") in the Kalidasa tradition, employing the "champu" style to tell a 10-part story leading to the marriage of the god Shiva and Parvati. According to an anecdote, Harihara was so against eulogising earthly mortals that he struck his protégé Raghavanka for writing about King Harishchandra in the landmark work "Harishchandra Kavya" (c. 1200). Harihara is credited with developing the native "ragale" metre. The earliest poetic biographer in the Kannada language, he wrote a biography of Basavanna called "Basavarajadevara ragale", which gives interesting details about the protagonist while not always conforming to popular beliefs of the time. Ascribed to him is a group of 100 poems called the "Nambiyanana ragale" (also called "Shivaganada ragale" or "Saranacharitamanasa" – "The holy lake of the lives of the devotees") after the saint Nambiyana. In the "sataka" metre he wrote the "Pampa sataka", and in the "ashtaka" metre, the "Mudige ashtaka" in about 1200.