 Nemichandra, court poet of King Veera Ballala II and the Silhara King Lakshmana of Kholapur, wrote "Lilavati Prabandham" (1170), the earliest available true fiction (and hence a novel) in Kannada, with an erotic bent.Written in the "champu" metre, with the ancient town Banavasi as the background, it narrates the love story of a Kadamba prince and a princess who eventually marry after facing many obstacles.The story is based on a c. 610 Sanskrit original called "Vasavadatta" by Subhandu.