Telugu is a Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language family, and one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India. It is one of the few languages that has primary official status in more than one Indian state, alongside Hindi and Bengali. Telugu is one of the six languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India. It is the 14th most spoken native language in the world. Modern Standard Telugu is based on the dialect of erstwhile Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Coastal Andhra.
Gurram Jashuva was a Telugu poet. He is legendary figure in the Telugu literary world. With his immense wisdom and through the struggle he faced due to the caste-based discrimination, Jashuva wrote his poetry with a universal approach. He was called the "Poet of the Millennium" for his timeless pieces of poetry and literature.
The Reddi kingdom or Kondavidu Reddi kingdom was established in southern India by Prolaya Vema Reddi. Most of the region that was ruled by the Reddi dynasty is now part of modern-day coastal and central Andhra Pradesh.
Telugu literature is the body of works written in the Telugu language. It consists of poems, short stories, novels, plays, and song lyrics, among others. There is some indication that Telugu literature dates at least to the middle of the first millennium, the first extant works are from the 11th century when the Mahabharata was first translated to Telugu from Sanskrit by Nannaya. The language has experienced a golden age under the patronage of the Vijayanagara Emperor-Poet Krishnadevaraya.
Kadapa district is one of the twenty six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In the 2022 reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh districts, the district boundary was largely restricted to the Kadapa parliamentary constituency area. It is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region. Kadapa is the administrative headquarters for this district.
Kadiri is a major city in Sri Sathya Sai District the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a Special Grade Municipal City Council and headquarters of Kadiri Mandal and Kadiri Revenue Division. Kadiri Taluka ('Tehsil') was the largest taluk in the state of Andhra Pradesh when there was taluka system in Andhra Pradesh Kadiri is known for its jasmine and saffron flowers. Kadiri saffron is widely sold in Andhra and Karnataka. The Sri Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy Temple is reminiscent of Kadiri to the people of Karnataka, Telangana And Tamil Nadu. The name of Kadiri has also some interesting past. The habitation was initially named as Khadripuram as ‘khadara’ plants were largely found in the surrounding forests and Khadri has later transformed as Kadiri.
Charles Philip Brown was a British official of the East India Company. He worked in what is now Andhra Pradesh, and became an important scholarly figure in Telugu language literature.
Telugu theatre is Indian theatre in the Telugu language, based in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Gurajada Apparao wrote the play, Kanyasulkam in 1892, which is often considered the greatest play in the Telugu language. C. Pullaiah is cited as the father of Telugu theatre movement.
The Tank Bund Road is a road in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, India. The Tank Bund dams Hussain Sagar lake on the eastern side and connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It has become an attraction with 33 statues of famous people from the region.
Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma, popularly known as Chittoor Nagayya, was an Indian actor, singer, music composer, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, and Telugu theatre. Nagayya was one of the first multilingual filmmakers in India. Indian film journalist Baburao Patel described Nagayya as "The Paul Muni of India". Nagayya was considered the best character actor in South Indian cinema during 1940s and 1950s. In 1965, he became the first South Indian actor to receive the Padma Shri in Arts from the Government of India for his contributions to Indian cinema.
Yogi Vemana University is a university in the Kadapa district with its West Campus at Idupulapaya. Earlier, it was a part of Sri Venkateswara University. It is named after a great thinker, philosopher, and social reformer Yogi Vemana, a Telugu poet and philosopher.
The culture of Andhra Pradesh embodies some very exclusive and special entities.
Potuluri Veerabrahmendhra swami varu, was an Indian Hindu saint, who lived in gadapa Andhra Pradesh region. He is known for his work Kalagnanam, a book of predictions written in Telugu around 16th century. It forecasts many incidents which are proved to be correct by the posterity. His texts in Kalagnanam are the Govinda Vakyas and Jeevaikya Bodha.
Hussain Sagar is a heart-shaped lake in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, built by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah in 1563. It is spread across an area of 5.7 square kilometres (2.2 sq mi) and is fed by the River Musi. A large monolithic statue of the Gautama Buddha, erected in 1992, stands on Gibraltar Rock in the middle of the lake. The lake separates the city centre of Hyderabad from the neighbourhood of Secunderabad. The maximum depth of the lake is 32 feet (9.8 m).
Andhra Mahabharathamఆంధ్ర మహాభారతం is the Telugu version of Mahabharatha written by the Kavitrayam, consisting of Nannayya, Thikkana and Yerrapragada .The three poets translated the Mahabharata from Sanskrit into Telugu over the period of the 11–14th centuries CE, and became the idols for all the following poets. More than calling "Andhra Mahabharatham" as a translation of Sanskrit Mahabharatha written by Lord Ganesha under the supervision of Veda Vyasa, this Andhra Mahabharatham was an independent translation. Thus, this translation is not a stanza by stanza translation. These three poets wrote Andhra Mahabharatham in Telugu literature style, but keeping the same exact essence as that of Sanskrit Mahabharatham
Kolakaluri Enoch is an Indian writer, teacher, and former Vice Chancellor of Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2014, by bestowing on him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the field of literature.
N. Gopi is an eminent Indian poet, and literary critic in Telugu and Sahitya Akademi Award recipient. He has also been in the University system as a professor and Dean since 1974, until retiring in 2008. He has also held the post of the Vice Chancellor of Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad. Gopi's poetry displays nativity and a national outlook.
Asavadi Prakasa Rao was an Indian poet, critic, translator and scholar, who is known for his poetry and prose works. He is noted for his significant contribution to Telugu and Sanskrit literature. In January 2021, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian award the Padma Shri in the Arts and Literature category. As Ashtavadhani, he has given 170 performances and has written and published 50 books across various genres. His most notable literary contribution is his performance of Avadhanam – a literary performance. He has received an honorary D Litt from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University and a Distinguished Teacher award from the Department of Higher Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Korada Mahadeva Sastri was an Indian linguist. His classic work Historical Grammar of Telugu was the first systematic study on the development of Telugu Language. It provides a survey of the historical development of the Telugu Language from the earliest times. This work helped decipher some Indus Valley seals. He was a founder member of the Dravidian Linguistics Association of India. He was awarded the 2011 C.P.Brown award and Sri Kalapurna award for his lifetime achievements.
