Nannaya

Before Nannaya, next to Sanskrit, Karmada is the language that commanded prestige and position in the literary world. Ponna (Santipurana). Pampa (Jaina Bharata, Adipurana and Vikramarjuna Vijaya) and Nagavarma (Chhandombudhi and Kadambari), the three great Kannada poets, who were Jains by faith, were closely associated with Kammanadu and Vangipuram (Guntur district). Telugu literature owes its origin to the Chalukyas.

 Despoetry makes its first appearance in the Addanki and Kandukus inscriptions of Pandaranga in the time of Gunaga Vijayaditya (III) in the later half of the ninth century. However no literary work of any value appeared till 11th century A.D. Nannaya Bhatta's Mahabharata is the earliest extant work of Telugu literature. Nannaya was the Purohit and poet-Iaureatte of Rajarajanarendra in the middle of eleventh century A.D. being an erudite scholar, who was well-versed in Vedas. Sastras, Itihasas and Puranas, he undertook the Telugu version of the  Great Epic in order to counteract the influence of Pampa's Bharata (Jaina) in Karmada. He was ably assisted in his endeavour by Narayana Bhatta who was proficient in eight languages. Though incomplete, his work is universally acclaimed as a masterpiece of art. It remains unrivalled for its graceful end dignified diction and sweet, mellifious and elegant verse.