<P> G. Sankara Kurup , ( 3 June 1901 , Nayathode , Kingdom of Cochin ( now in Ernakulam district , Kerala , India ) -- 2 February 1978 , Vappalassery , Angamaly , Ernakulam district , Kerala ) , better known as Mahakavi G ( The Great Poet G ) , was the first winner of the Jnanpith Award , India 's highest literary award . He won the prize in 1965 for his collection of poems in Malayalam Odakkuzhal ( The Bamboo Flute , 1950 ) . With part of the prize money he established the literary award Odakkuzhal in 1968 . He was also the recipient of the Soviet Land Nehru Award , in 1967 , and the Padma Bhushan in 1968 . His poetry collection Viswadarshanam won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1961 and Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 1963 . </P>
first jnanpith award was an autor of which language
Malayalam