Madara Chennaiah was an 11th-century CE Kannada great vachana poet and saint who belonged to the Chamar caste. He is widely regarded as the first Vachanakara in India who lived in the reign of Western Chalukyas.
See also Haralayya Sant Ravidas Ghasidas
References
Further reading Satyanarayana, K & Tharu, Susie (2011) No Alphabet in Sight: New Dalit Writing from South Asia, Dossier 1: Tamil and Malayalam, New Delhi: Penguin Books. Satyanarayana, K & Tharu, Susie (2013) From those Stubs Steel Nibs are Sprouting: New Dalit Writing from South Asia, Dossier 2: Kannada and Telugu, New Delhi: HarperCollins India.