Summary: Language

Introduction

• Telugu is a highly developed language and the largest linguistic group in India after Hindi.
• It is the state language of Andhra Pradesh with ancient origins (references to Andhras in texts around 700 BC; inscriptions from the 6th century; formal literature from about the 11th century).
• The Telugu script evolved from the Pallava script (7th century) and took its present form around 1000 AD; it shows similarity to Kannada script.

History of Telugu

• Early Telugu literature began with translations from Sanskrit; the Mahabharata translation started by Nannayabhatta in the 11th century was completed over centuries by Thikkana and Yerrapragada.
• kavitraya refers to the three great poets (Nannaya, Thikkana, Yerrapragada) who shaped early Telugu literary tradition.
• Original Telugu works appeared from the late 14th century (e.g., Srinatha, Potana, Jakkana, Talapaka Himmakka).
• The 16th century was a golden age under Krishna Devaraya, who promoted original prabandha writings; Allasani Peddana is famed as the "Grandfather of Andhra Poetry."
• Poetry declined between the 18th and mid-19th centuries while drama and folk forms persisted; modern influences from English and Bengali literature began shaping prose and novels.

Literature

• Telugu Mahabharata (started by Nannaya) blends prose and verse and spans contributions across centuries.
• Palkuri Somanatha (12th century) wrote Saivite Basava puranam; Nannechoda produced works like Kumara Sambhava; Srinatha and Potana made lasting contributions (Potana's Bhagavata remains widely read).
• Krishna Devaraya's reign saw prabandhas from authors such as Allasani Peddana, Molla, Pingali Suranna, and Ramaraja Bhushana; the sataka form and poets like Vemana gained popularity.
• The Southern School flourished under Nayaka rulers (17th century); later political upheavals and foreign rule led to a literary decline in the 18th-mid-19th centuries.
• A literary renaissance in the late 19th century emphasized prose in the spoken language by figures like Gidugu Venkata Ramamurty and Gurazada Apparao (author of Kanyasulkam); Kandukuri Veeresalingam adapted English models for Telugu prose.
• Special forms: avadhanam (literary acrobatics) and asukavita (extempore versification) thrived with noted practitioners.
• A progressive lyrical movement grew in the early 20th century; leaders like Sri Sri and Pattabhi Narayanababu influenced later poets (Arudra, Tilak Dasaradhi, Narayanareddi).
• Later trends included existentialist currents and the formation of the Digambara school (1966); cinema drew many writers into scriptwriting.
• Non-fiction expanded beyond textbooks to history, science, and journalism; pioneers in journalism include Mutnuri Krishna Rao and Kasinadhuni Nageswararao (founders of Krishna Patrika, 1902, and Andhra Patrika, 1912).
• Institutions like Vijnanachandrika Grandha Mandali, Andhra Sahitya Parishad, and Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi, plus regional bodies (Navya Sahitya Parishad, Visakha Writers Association), promoted literary activity.

Visual Arts

• Early Andhra paintings appear in Ajanta caves No. 9 & 10 (nearly 2000 years old), showing Buddhist themes and animated, elongated forms.
• Andhra art is also visible at Amaravati and Nagarjuna Konda from the early Christian era.
• Kakatiya sculptures (12th century, thousand pillar temple, Hanamakonda) reflect Chalukyan elegance; Vijayanagar monuments (Hampi, Tadipatri, 13th-16th centuries) and Lepakshi (16th century) are major classical examples.
• Modern contributors include Damerla Ramarao and Adivi Bapiraju; Hyderabad architecture (Charminar, Osmania University) shows Saracenic influence.
• Contemporary Andhra painters of note include Paidiraju, Mokkapati Krishnamurty, H.V. Ramgopal, Pilaka Lakshmi Narasimhamurty, K. Srinivasulu, Koduru Ramamurti, P.T. Reddy, M. Reddappa Naidu; S.V. Ramarao won the Lord Croft prize in England (1965).