Who was the first winner of the prestigious Jnanpith award?

The correct answer is G. sankara kurup.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. About the Jnanpith Award:
The Jnanpith Award is the highest and oldest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". It was instituted in 1961.

2. First Recipient:
In 1965, the inaugural Jnanpith Award was conferred upon the famous Malayalam poet G. Sankara Kurup for his collection of poems titled Odakkuzhal (The Bamboo Flute), published in 1950.

3. Other Options Context:
- Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay received the Jnanpith Award in 1966 (for Bengali literature).
- Kuppali Venkatappagowda Puttappa (Kuvempu) received it in 1967 (for Kannada literature).
- Umashankar Joshi also received it in 1967 (for Gujarati literature).

Hence, G. sankara kurup is the correct choice as the first winner of the prestigious Jnanpith Award.