Srinatha ( – 1441) was a well-known 15th-century

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

who popularised the

Prabandha Prabandha is a literary genre of medieval Indian Sanskrit literature. The ''prabandha''s contain semi-historical anecdotes about the lives of famous persons. They were written primarily by Jain scholars of western India (Gujarat and Malwa) from 1 ...

style of composition.

Biography

Srinatha was born in Telugu Niyogi Brahmin family in Kalapatam village on Gudur Mandal in Krishna district to parents Bhimamba and Marayya in 1365/1370 Srinatha was respected as ''Kavi Sarvabhouma'' (King of poets) in

, and patronised by many kings. Srinatha worked as a minister in the court of Pedakomati Vema Reddy of Kondaveedu. He managed to get his king's prestigious knife ''Nandikanta Potaraju Katari'' which was taken away by Lingamanedu ruler of Devarakanda in return for his literary prowess. Srinatha produced and dedicated a host of books to kings and enjoyed a luxurious life. However, he seemed to have suffered from poverty at the end of his life. Srinatha died in 1441, after the conquest of Coastal Andhra by Kapileswara Gajapati. He was not the brother-in-law of another famous Telugu poet Potana as shown in the movies.

Works

Srinatha wrote, ''Panditaaradhyacharita'', ''Sivaratri Mahatyam'', '' Haravilāsamu'', ''Bhimakanda'', '' Kasikhandamu'', ''Srungara Naishadham'', ''Palanati Veeracharitra'', '' Dhananjaya Vijjayam'', Marrutaratcharithra, ''Srungaradipika'' and ''Kridabhiramam'' over the subjects of

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

. He translated ''Salivahana Gatha Saptasati'' in to Telugu from

Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...

Style

''Prabandha'' can be described as a story in verse form with a tight metrical structure. Srinatha's ''Srungara Naishadhamu'' is a well-known example of the form. He is also credited with hundreds of extempore poems called Chatuvulu in Telugu.

Awards and Titles

He was widely regarded as the ''Kavi'' ''Sarvabhouma'' (The emperor among poets). He had broken the drum of Gouda Dimdimabhattu by his conversation.

In popular culture

A biographical film on Srinatha named '' Srinatha Kavi'' directed by Bapu was released in 1993 starring veteran actor

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as List of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh fo ...

and Jayasudha. Srinatha is a prominent character in the Telugu film ''

Bhakta Potana ''Bhakta Potana'' is a 1943 Telugu-language biographical film directed by K. V. Reddy in his directorial debut. Based on the life of poet-saint Potana who translated Bhagavatham into Telugu language, the film was scripted by Samudrala Sr. The f ...

'' produced by the

Vauhini Studios Vauhini Studios was an Indian film production company and studio facility in Madras. It was founded by Moola Narayana Swamy and B. N. Reddy (Bommireddy Narasimha Reddy). In later years, Nagi Reddi, owner of Vijaya Productions, acquired Vauhini ...

in 1942. In the fim thespian

V. Nagayya V. Nagayya (born Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma; 28 March 1904 – 30 December 1978) also 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. ...

played the role of Bammera Potana, and Gowrinatha Sastry played the role of Srinatha as the brother-in-law of Potana.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Authority control Indian male poets Telugu people Telugu poets 1360s births 1441 deaths 14th-century Indian poets 15th-century Indian poets People of the Vijayanagara Empire Biographical films about poets Vijayanagara poets Scholars of Vijayanagara Empire