C. K. Nagaraja Rao (12 June 1915 – 10 April 1998) was an Indian writer, dramatist, stage artist, director, journalist and social activist, who wrote in Kannada.

As a school boy, he volunteered to waited upon Mahatma Gandhi during his stay at Nandi Hills near Bangalore, India.

The interaction with Gandhi and his close association with his uncle, Justice Nittoor Srinivasa Rao, instilled in him devotion for India's freedom and welfare of its needy people.

Rao's literary career began when he won a school competition for his short story "Kaadu Mallige" about a Dalit music lover who was not allowed to sit with patrons from the upper castes during concerts.

He worked with Satya Shodhana Pustaka Bhandara, a Kannada book printer and publisher whose motto was the promotion of the rich cultural heritage of Karnataka.

Amongst his earliest research works was a book titled “Kavi Lakshmeeshana Kaala Mattu Sthala”, on the celebrated Kannada poet Lakshmeesha.

He penned "Sri Pruthvi Vallabha", covering the Chalukya dynasty and the period of their famous King Tailapa.