Akka Mahadevi was an early female poet of the Kannada literature and a prominent person in the Lingayat sect of Hinduism in the 12th century. She is considered by modern scholars to be a prominent figure of female emancipation. She wrote that she was a woman only in name and that her mind, body, and soul belonged to Lord Shiva. Mahadevi is said to have refused to wear clothing, a common practice of male ascetics but not for women. Her 430 extant Vachana poems and two short writings are known as her most important contribution to Kannada literature.