Nannayya: Difference between revisions

Nannayya Bhattaraka
Nannayya Bhattaraka
	Nannaya as depicted on a 2017 postage stamp of India
Born	Rajamahendravaram.; (present-day Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died	11th century
Occupation	Poet, writer
Period	11th century
Genre	Poet
Literary movement	Bhakti movement
Notable works	Andhra Mahabharatam

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Latest revision as of 17:34, 26 February 2026

Nannayya Bhattaraka or Nannayya Bhattu (sometimes spelled Nannaya; c. 11th century) was a Telugu poet and the author of Andhra Mahabharatam, a Telugu retelling of the Sanskrit-language Mahabharata. Nannaya is generally considered the first poet (Adi Kavi) of Telugu language.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[1] He was patronised by Rajaraja Narendra of Rajamahendravaram.^[5]^[1]^[3] Rajaraja Narendra was an admirer of Mahabharata and wanted the message of the Sanskrit epic to reach the Telugu masses in their own language and idiom.^[6] He commissioned Nannaya, a scholar well versed in Vedas, Puranas, and Itihasas for the task. Nannaya began his work in c. 1025 CE^[7] and wrote Adi Parvam, Sabaparvam, and a part of Aranyaparvam.^[6]

Nannaya is the first of the three Telugu poets, called the Kavitrayam ("trinity of poets"), who wrote Andhra Mahabharatam. His work, which is rendered in the Champu style, is chaste and polished and of a high literary merit. The advanced and well-developed language used by Nannaya suggests that prior Telugu literature other than royal grants and decrees must have existed before him. However, these presumed works are now lost. Legends also credit him with writing the Sanskrit-language Andhra-shabda-chintamani, said to be the first work on Telugu grammar.

Early life[edit | edit source]

Nannaya was born in a Telugu Brahmin family.^[8] He resided in Rajamahendravaram under the patronage of Eastern Chalukya king Rajaraja Narendra.^[1]^[6]

Andhra Mahabharatam[edit | edit source]

Rajaraja Narendra was an admirer of Mahabharata and wanted the message of the Sanskrit epic to reach the Telugu masses in their own language and idiom.^[6] He commissioned Nannaya, a scholar well versed in Vedas, Puranas, and Itihasas for the task. Nannaya wrote Adi Parvam, Sabaparva, and a part of Aranyaparvam.^[6] Later in the 13th century Tikkana left the remainder of Aranyaparvam and wrote 15 parvams from Virata Parvam to Svargarohana Parvam.^[9] After that in the 14th century Errana Aranyaparva filled the remainder.^[6]

Grammar[edit | edit source]

Some legends credit Nannaya with writing Andhra-shabda-chintamani ("Magic Jewel of Telugu Words"), a Sanskrit-language work that was the first treatise on Telugu grammar. This lost work is said to have contained five chapters with 82 verses in the Arya metre.^[10] Nannaya is said to have written this text with help of his friend Narayana Bhatta.^[11] Nannaya's grammar is said to have been divided into five chapters, covering samjnā, sandhi, ajanta, halanta and kriya.^[12]

Yelakuchi Bala-sarasvati wrote a Telugu gloss (commentary) on this work, and his Bala-sarasvatiyamu refers to this legend in brief. A more elaborate version of the legend appears in Appa-kavi's Appakavīyamu (1656). According to this version, Bhimana, who was jealous of Nannaya, stole and destroyed Andhra-shabda-chintamani by throwing it in the Godavari River. Unknown to others, King Rajaraja-narendra's son Saranga-dhara, an immortal siddha, had memorised Nannaya's grammar. He gave a written copy of Nannaya's work to Bala-sarasvati near Matanga Hill (at Vijayanagara), and Bala-sarasvati wrote a Telugu gloss (commentary) on the work. With help of the god Vishnu, Appa-kavi received a copy of Nannaya's work, and wrote Appakavīyamu as a commentary on this text. Ahobala-panditiya (also known as Kavi-siro-bhushana), a Sanskrit commentary on Andhra-shabda-chintamani, also retells this story.^[10]

While some of the grammatical sutras in Appa-kavi's work may be from Nannaya's time, Andhra-shabda-chintamani is an imaginary work,^[10] and was probably fabricated by Bala-sarasvati himself.^[13] Although Appa-kavi describes his work as a commentary, it is really an original work.^[10]

References[edit | edit source]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Knipe, David M. (2015). Vedic Voices: Intimate Narratives of a Living Andhra Tradition. Oxford University Press. pp. 12, 27. ISBN 978-0-19-939768-6.
↑ Devadevan, Manu V. (3 December 2020). The 'Early Medieval' Origins of India. Cambridge University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-108-49457-1.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Das, Sisir Kumar (2005). A History of Indian Literature, 500-1399: From Courtly to the Popular. Sahitya Akademi. p. 139. ISBN 978-81-260-2171-0.
↑ Rao, Sonti Venkata Suryanarayana (1999). Vignettes of Telugu Literature: A Concise History of Classical Telugu Literature. Jyeshtha Literary Trust. p. 57.
↑ Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Vol. 1. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 179, 984. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 ^6.4 ^6.5 Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Vol. 1. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 172, 173. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.
↑ Johnson, W. J. (2009). "Āndhra Bhāratamu". A Dictionary of Hinduism. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-861025-0.
↑ Social Scientist Volume 23. Indian School of Social Sciences. 1995. The genre and style created by Nannayya became the standard for marga poets. Nannayya was a Brahmin and a respected Sanskrit scholar of his time in the court of King Rājarājanarendra who ruled the central Andhra deltaic region.
↑ Pollock, Sheldon, ed. (19 May 2003). Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia. University of California Press. pp. 393, 397. ISBN 978-0-520-22821-4.
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 ^10.2 ^10.3 Velcheru Narayana Rao; David Shulman, eds. (2002). Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology. University of California Press. pp. 230–238. ISBN 9780520344525.
↑ Paniker, K. Ayyappa (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. Sahitya Akademi. p. 538. ISBN 978-81-260-0365-5.
↑ Gopavaram, Padmapriya; Subrahmanyam, Korada (2011). "1". A Comparative Study Of Andhrashabdachintamani And Balavyakaranam. Hyderabad: University of Hyderabad.
↑ Sonti Venkata Suryanarayana Rao, ed. (1999). Vignettes of Telugu Literature: A Concise History of Classical Telugu Literature. Jyeshtha Literary Trust. p. 151. OCLC 49701372.

Sources

History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh, P. R. Rao
Andhrula Saanghika Charitra, Pratapareddy Suravaram
Andhra Vagmaya Charitramu, Dr. Venkatavadhani Divakarla
Andhra Pradesh Darshini, Parts 1 and 2, Chief Editor Y. V. Krishnarao

External links[edit | edit source]

About Nannaya Bharatham By Dr. Garikapati

[VV-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Knipe, David M. (2015). Vedic Voices: Intimate Narratives of a Living Andhra Tradition. Oxford University Press. pp. 12, 27. ISBN 978-0-19-939768-6.

[2] Devadevan, Manu V. (3 December 2020). The 'Early Medieval' Origins of India. Cambridge University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-108-49457-1.

[:0-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Das, Sisir Kumar (2005). A History of Indian Literature, 500-1399: From Courtly to the Popular. Sahitya Akademi. p. 139. ISBN 978-81-260-2171-0.

[4] Rao, Sonti Venkata Suryanarayana (1999). Vignettes of Telugu Literature: A Concise History of Classical Telugu Literature. Jyeshtha Literary Trust. p. 57.

[5] Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Vol. 1. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 179, 984. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.

[:1-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 ^6.4 ^6.5 Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Vol. 1. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 172, 173. ISBN 978-81-260-1803-1.

[7] Johnson, W. J. (2009). "Āndhra Bhāratamu". A Dictionary of Hinduism. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-861025-0.

[8] Social Scientist Volume 23. Indian School of Social Sciences. 1995. The genre and style created by Nannayya became the standard for marga poets. Nannayya was a Brahmin and a respected Sanskrit scholar of his time in the court of King Rājarājanarendra who ruled the central Andhra deltaic region.

[9] Pollock, Sheldon, ed. (19 May 2003). Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia. University of California Press. pp. 393, 397. ISBN 978-0-520-22821-4.

[VNR_DS-10] 10.0 ^10.1 ^10.2 ^10.3 Velcheru Narayana Rao; David Shulman, eds. (2002). Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology. University of California Press. pp. 230–238. ISBN 9780520344525.

[11] Paniker, K. Ayyappa (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. Sahitya Akademi. p. 538. ISBN 978-81-260-0365-5.

[Padmapriya_ch1-12] Gopavaram, Padmapriya; Subrahmanyam, Korada (2011). "1". A Comparative Study Of Andhrashabdachintamani And Balavyakaranam. Hyderabad: University of Hyderabad.

[13] Sonti Venkata Suryanarayana Rao, ed. (1999). Vignettes of Telugu Literature: A Concise History of Classical Telugu Literature. Jyeshtha Literary Trust. p. 151. OCLC 49701372.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{about|the Telugu author|the Mesopotamian goddess|Nanaya}}
+{{Short description|11th-century Telugu-language poet}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
+{{about|the Telugu author|the Mesopotamian goddess|Nayana}}
-{{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}
-{{more citations needed|date=July 2015}}
+{{Use Indian English|date=December 2025}}
 {{Infobox writer
-| name         = Nannaya Bhattaraka
+| name             = Nannayya Bhattaraka
-| image        = Portrait of Nannayya.JPG
+| image            = Nannaya Telugu Poet (Stamp of India - 2017 - Colnect 741696 - Adikavi Nannaya Telugu Poet (cropped).jpeg
-| alt          =
+| caption          = Nannaya as depicted on a 2017 postage stamp of India
-| caption      =Portrait of Nannaya Bhattaraka
+| pseudonym        =
-| pseudonym    = Nannaya
+| birth_place      = [[Rajamahendravaram]].<ref name=VV/><br/>(present-day [[Rajamundry]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]])
-| birth_name   = Nannyya Bhattaraka
+| death_date       = 11th century
-| birth_date   =
+| death_place      =
-| birth_place  = [[Tanuku]]
+| occupation       = Poet, writer
-| death_date   =
+| period           = 11th century
-| death_place  = [[Rajahmundry]]
+| genre            = Poet
-| occupation   = Poet, writer
+| movement         = [[Bhakti movement]]
-| education    =
+| notableworks     = [[Andhra Mahabharatam]]
-| alma_mater   =
+| spouse           =
-| period       = Eleventh century
+| native_name      =
-| genre        = Poet
+| native_name_lang =
-| subject      =
-| movement     = [[Bhakti movement]]
-| notableworks = [[Andhra Mahabharatam]]
-| spouse       =
 }}
-'''Nannaya Bhattaraka''' (sometimes spelled Nannayya or Nannaiah; ca. 11th century AD) was a [[Telugu people|Telugu]] poet and the author of the first ''[[Andhra mahabharatam]]'', a Telugu retelling of the [[Mahabharata]]. Nannaya is the first of Trinity of poets ([[Kavitrayam]]). Nannaya is held in high regard as the person who revived the [[Telugu language]]. This work, which is rendered in the [[Champu]] style, is chaste and polished and of a high literary merit.
+'''Nannayya Bhattaraka''' or '''Nannayya Bhattu''' (sometimes spelled '''Nannaya'''; {{Circa|11th century}}) was a [[Telugu language|Telugu]] poet and the author of ''[[Andhra Mahabharatam]]'', a Telugu retelling of the [[Sanskrit]]-language ''[[Mahabharata]]''. Nannaya is generally considered the first poet (''Adi Kavi'') of Telugu language.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Devadevan |first=Manu V. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=exzhDwAAQBAJ&dq=Nannaya+first+poet+(adi+kavi)&pg=PA18 |title=The 'Early Medieval' Origins of India |date=3 December 2020 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-108-49457-1 |pages=18 |language=en |author-link=Manu V. Devadevan}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Das |first=Sisir Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BC3l1AbPM8sC&dq=Nannaya+first+poet+(adi+kavi)&pg=PA139 |title=A History of Indian Literature, 500-1399: From Courtly to the Popular |date=2005 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |isbn=978-81-260-2171-0 |pages=139 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=Sonti Venkata Suryanarayana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fXJkAAAAMAAJ&q=Nannaya+first+poet+(adi+kavi) |title=Vignettes of Telugu Literature: A Concise History of Classical Telugu Literature |date=1999 |publisher=Jyeshtha Literary Trust |pages=57 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="VV" /> He was patronised by [[Rajaraja Narendra]] of [[Rajahmundry|Rajamahendravaram]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Datta |first=Amaresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObFCT5_taSgC&dq=Rajaraja+Narendra+nannaya&pg=PA984 |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature |date=1987 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |isbn=978-81-260-1803-1 |volume=1 |pages=179, 984 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=VV>{{Cite book |last=Knipe |first=David M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2P8TDAAAQBAJ&dq=Rajaraja+Narendra+nannaya&pg=PA12 |title=Vedic Voices: Intimate Narratives of a Living Andhra Tradition |date=2015 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-939768-6 |pages=12, 27 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Rajaraja Narendra was an admirer of ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and wanted the message of the Sanskrit epic to reach the Telugu masses in their own language and idiom.<ref name=":1" /> He commissioned Nannaya, a scholar well versed in [[Vedas]], [[Puranas]], and [[Itihasa|Itihasas]] for the task. Nannaya began his work in {{Circa|1025 CE}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=W. J. |chapter=Āndhra Bhāratamu |date=2009 |chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001/acref-9780198610250-e-183 |title=A Dictionary of Hinduism  |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-861025-0}}</ref> and wrote [[Adi Parva|Adi Parvam]], [[Sabha Parva|Sabaparvam]], and a part of [[Vana Parva|Aranyaparvam]].<ref name=":1" />
-The first treatise on Telugu grammar, the "Andhra Shabda Chintamani", was written in [[Sanskrit]] by Nannaya, who was considered first poet and translator of Telugu in the 11th century A.D. There was no grammatical work in Telugu prior to it. This grammar followed the patterns which existed in grammatical treatises like [[Aṣṭādhyāyī]] and [[Pāṇini|Vālmīkivyākaranam]] but unlike [[Pāṇini]], Nannaya divided his work into five chapters, covering [[samjnā]], [[sandhi]], ajanta, [[halanta]] and [[kriya]].<ref name="Padmapriya ch1">{{cite book |title= A Comparative Study Of Andhrasabdachintamani And Balavyakaranam |last= Gopavaram |first= Padmapriya |author2=Subrahmanyam, Korada |year= 2011 |publisher= University of Hyderabad |location=Hyderabad|chapter=1}}</ref>
+Nannaya is the first of the three Telugu poets, called the ''[[Kavitrayam]]'' ("trinity of poets"), who wrote ''Andhra Mahabharatam''. His work, which is rendered in the [[Champu]] style, is chaste and polished and of a high literary merit. The advanced and well-developed language used by Nannaya suggests that prior [[Telugu literature]] other than royal grants and decrees must have existed before him. However, these presumed works are now [[Lost literary work|lost]]. Legends also credit him with writing the Sanskrit-language ''Andhra-shabda-chintamani'', said to be the first work on [[Telugu grammar]].
-He is also known as ''Adi Kavi'' in recognition of his great literary work. He also holds the titles ''Sabda Sasanudu'' and ''Vaganu Sasanudu'' (Law giver of the language) after his Telugu grammar work ''Andhra Sabda Chintamani''.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}
+==Early life==
+Nannaya was born in a [[Telugu Brahmin]] family.<ref>{{cite book|title=Social Scientist Volume 23|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=06WaAAAAIAAJ|publisher=Indian School of Social Sciences|year=1995|quote=The genre and style created by Nannayya became the standard for marga poets. Nannayya was a Brahmin and a respected Sanskrit scholar of his time in the court of King Rājarājanarendra who ruled the central Andhra deltaic region.}}</ref> He resided in [[Rajahmundry|Rajamahendravaram]] under the patronage of [[Eastern Chalukyas|Eastern Chalukya]] king [[Rajaraja Narendra]].<ref name="VV" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Datta |first=Amaresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObFCT5_taSgC&dq=Nannaya+tikkana&pg=PA173 |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature |date=1987 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |isbn=978-81-260-1803-1 |volume=1 |pages=172, 173 |language=en |author-link=Amaresh Datta}}</ref>
-The advanced and well-developed language used by Nannaya suggests that Nannaya Mahabharatamu may not be the beginning of [[Telugu literature]]. Unfortunately, no [[Telugu literature]] prior to Nannaya is available, except royal grants and decrees, though Telugu language started to develop even before the [[Common Era]].
+== Andhra Mahabharatam ==
-<!--  Commented out because image was deleted: [[File:Nannaya.jpg|thumb|100px|Center|Great Poet Nannaya]] -->
+Rajaraja Narendra was an admirer of ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and wanted the message of the Sanskrit epic to reach the Telugu masses in their own language and idiom.<ref name=":1" /> He commissioned Nannaya, a scholar well versed in [[Vedas]], [[Puranas]], and [[Itihasa|Itihasas]] for the task. Nannaya wrote [[Adi Parva|Adi Parvam]], [[Sabha Parva|Sabaparva]], and a part of [[Vana Parva|Aranyaparvam]].<ref name=":1" /> Later in the 13th century [[Tikkana]] left the remainder of Aranyaparvam and wrote 15 parvams from [[Virata Parva|Virata Parvam]] to [[Svargarohana Parva|Svargarohana Parvam]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ak9csfpY2WoC&dq=Nannaya+tikkana&pg=PA393 |title=Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia |date=19 May 2003 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-22821-4 |editor-last=Pollock |editor-first=Sheldon |editor-link=Sheldon Pollock |pages=393, 397 |language=en}}</ref> After that in the 14th century [[Errana]] Aranyaparva filled the remainder.<ref name=":1" />
-==Political reason==
+== Grammar ==
-{{unreferenced section|date=March 2018}}
-[[Pulakesin II]] (609–642) of Chalukya Dynasty, the ruler of Vatapi ([[Badami]] of [[Karnataka]]) conquered [[Vengi]] ([[Andhra in Indian epic literature|Andhra]]) and sent  [[Kubja Vishnuvardhana]], his brother, as viceroy for the Vengi region.  Later in 634 AD, Vishnuvardhana declared himself independent and established [[Eastern Chalukya]] Dynasty in Andhra Pradesh that lasted for five centuries.  Rajaraja Narendra of [[Eastern Chalukya]] Dynasty ascended to the throne in 1022 AD.  At the time of [[Rajaraja Narendra]],  two literary works in Kannada language, viz., ''Vikramarjuna Vijaya'' and ''Gadayudda'' already popularized the story of Sanskrit Mahabharata in Karnataka.  Kannada translations of Mahabharata were available by the Seventh and Eighth centuries.  But, Puranaas were not available in Telugu. Brahmins used to recite Puranaas such as Sanskrit Mahabharata in Temples and courts.
-[[Eastern Chalukya]] Dynasty supported [[Jainism]] and [[Shaivism]] ([[Veerashaiva|Veera Shaivism]]).  [[Rajaraja Narendra]] was a Shaivite.  He respected Brahmins, and went on patronizing Shaivism and Sanskrit language.  He learned from the success of Jains and Buddhists that the only way to popularize the new religions and Puranaas was to translate them into Telugu. Even a thousand years before, [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]] became very popular using local languages for their sermons and teachings.  So, [[Rajaraja Narendra]] requested his teacher, adviser and court poet Nannaya Bhattaraka to translate Sanskrit Mahabharata into Telugu for his subjects.
+Some legends credit Nannaya with writing ''Andhra-shabda-chintamani'' ("Magic Jewel of Telugu Words"), a [[Sanskrit]]-language work that was the first treatise on [[Telugu grammar]]. This [[Lost literary work|lost work]] is said to have contained five chapters with 82 verses in the [[Arya metre]].<ref name="VNR_DS">{{cite book |editor1=Velcheru Narayana Rao |editor1-link=Narayana Rao (author) |editor2=David Shulman |editor2-link=David Dean Shulman |title=Classical Telugu Poetry: An Anthology |year=2002 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520344525 |pages=230–238 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SFXVDwAAQBAJ }}</ref> Nannaya is said to have written this text with help of his friend Narayana Bhatta.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Paniker |first=K. Ayyappa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYLpvaKJIMEC |title=Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1997 |isbn=978-81-260-0365-5 |pages=538 |language=en}}</ref> Nannaya's grammar is said to have been divided into five chapters, covering samjnā, [[sandhi]], ajanta, [[halanta]] and [[kriya]].<ref name="Padmapriya ch1">{{cite book |title= A Comparative Study Of Andhrashabdachintamani And Balavyakaranam |last= Gopavaram |first= Padmapriya |author2=Subrahmanyam, Korada |year= 2011 |publisher= University of Hyderabad |location=Hyderabad|chapter=1}}</ref>
-Nannaya Bhattaraka took the challenge very seriously.  He scrutinized all the Telugu vocabulary that was in usage at that time,  introduced Sanskrit vocabulary, and  took characteristics of already well developed Kannada literature.  Thus he developed a distinct literary style, meter and grammar.  Nannaya translated about 142 verses of  Aadi, Sabha and Aranya chapters of Sanskrit Mahabharata.  But, he didn't stick to the original.  He almost created his own version of Andhra Mahabharatamu by modification, addition and deletion, while maintaining the story line.
+Yelakuchi Bala-sarasvati wrote a Telugu gloss (commentary) on this work, and his ''Bala-sarasvatiyamu'' refers to this legend in brief. A more elaborate version of the legend appears in [[Appa-kavi]]'s ''Appakavīyamu'' (1656). According to this version, [[Vemulawada Bheemakavi|Bhimana]], who was jealous of Nannaya, stole and destroyed ''Andhra-shabda-chintamani'' by throwing it in the [[Godavari River]]. Unknown to others, King [[Rajaraja Narendra|Rajaraja-narendra]]'s son Saranga-dhara, an immortal ''[[siddha]]'', had memorised Nannaya's grammar. He gave a written copy of Nannaya's work to Bala-sarasvati near Matanga Hill (at [[Vijayanagara]]), and Bala-sarasvati wrote a Telugu gloss (commentary) on the work. With help of the god [[Vishnu]], Appa-kavi received a copy of Nannaya's work, and wrote ''Appakavīyamu'' as a commentary on this text. ''Ahobala-panditiya'' (also known as ''Kavi-siro-bhushana''), a Sanskrit commentary on ''Andhra-shabda-chintamani'', also retells this story.<ref name="VNR_DS"/>
-It took 300 more years and two more writers, [[Tikkana|Thikkana]] and [[Yerrapragada|Errana]], to complete the work started by Nannaya.  Nannaya died while working on the 3rd (aranya parvam) and it was rumored subsequently that it is inauspicious (leading to immediate death) to touch on that episode. So Tikkanna who undertook the completion of this great work, started the work from chapter 4. Yerrapragada, later completed the half portion of the 3rd chapter and lived a full life. This period was known as period of translations, because during this period various Sanskrit texts and Puranaas were translated into Telugu by scholars.  This resulted in a very long lasting impact of Sanskrit on Telugu language and literature and the beginning of a new era in the history of Telugu literature.  Nannaya was the first to translate a Sanskrit text into Telugu language and he rightly holds the titles ''Aadi Kavi'' (the First Poet) and ''Vaaganusaasanudu'' (the dictator of the language).
+While some of the grammatical ''sutras'' in Appa-kavi's work may be from Nannaya's time, ''Andhra-shabda-chintamani'' is an imaginary work,<ref name="VNR_DS"/> and was probably fabricated by Bala-sarasvati himself.<ref>{{cite book |editor=Sonti Venkata Suryanarayana Rao |title=Vignettes of Telugu Literature: A Concise History of Classical Telugu Literature |year=1999 |publisher=Jyeshtha Literary Trust |page=151 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fXJkAAAAMAAJ |oclc=49701372 }}</ref> Although Appa-kavi describes his work as a commentary, it is really an original work.<ref name="VNR_DS"/>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 58: / Line 53: @@
 * Andhra Pradesh Darshini, Parts 1 and 2, Chief Editor Y. V. Krishnarao
+== External links ==
+* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbnBvsL25lA&t=2125 About Nannaya Bharatham By Dr. Garikapati]
 {{Authority control}}
-[[Category:Telugu people]]
 [[Category:Telugu poets]]
-[[Category:Telugu writers]]
 [[Category:11th-century Indian writers]]
 [[Category:Indian male writers]]
-[[Category:People from Rajahmundry]]
+[[Category:Writers from Rajahmundry]]
 [[Category:Writers from Andhra Pradesh]]
+[[Category:Sanskrit–Telugu translators]]