A history of Telugu literature; - Cristo Raul

72 A HISTORY OF TELUGU LITERATURE
Raya's services to Telugu literature are manifold. He
composed in Telugu himself, and encouraged other poets to
do so, often supplying them with materials and themes for
above all, as the hero of many battles, he was
composition ;
the inspiration of his age.
The royal court was adorned with many eminent poets, of
whom eight, called the '
Ashtadiggajas,' or eight elephants
supporting the world of literature, have become famous.
They are :
1. Allasani Peddana.
2. Nandi Timmanna.
3. Ayyala Raju Ramabhadriah.
4. Dhurjati.
5. Madiahgari Mallana.
6. Pingali Suranna.
7. Ramaraja Bhushana.
8. Tenali Ramakrishna.
It is almost certain that the last three poets did not write
in the reign of Krishnadevaraya, though it is unquestionably
true that they, along with the rest, are the classic
exponents of the kavya type of literature.
'
1. Allasani Peddana (Title, Andhra Kavita Pita Ma-
hudu ') was the Poet Laureate of Krishnadevaraya's court, and
the most illustrious and prominent of the poets of the day.
The author of a classic which was regarded as the ideal of
kavya literature, honoured by the king, looked up to for
guidance and help by the literati, Peddana occupies a unique
position in the literary world. His great influence in the
royal court, his undisputed eminence as a poet, made him
the autocrat of the world of letters. What he laid down
was law ; what he approved of was fame. While to Krishnadevaraya
belongs the honour of being the founder of
Prabandha literature, it was Peddana who, with his Manucharitra,
deflected the course of Telugu literature and made
the kavya the archetypal literary mode for centuries to
come.
Peddana 's celebrated kavya, Svarochisha Manucharitra
(shortly Manucharitra), has easily eclipsed all other poetical
efforts of the day. The story is an episode from the
Markandeya Purana relating to Svarochisha Manusam-