Monday, January 21, 2013

India's Telugu history (World Conference)

Gudipoodi Srihari, "Reviewing the Glorious Past" (The Hindu, 12-27-12); Wisdom Quarterly
All of the states of India using the Telugu language (mapsofindia.com)
 
Students at Sri Venkateswara U., Tirupati
Even as we celebrate the fourth World TELUGU Conference, it is time to work towards restoring the past glory of Telugu's language and culture.
 
Telugu land produced numerous scholars like Nagarjuna the founder of Mahayana Buddhism, Apasthamba the celebrated author of sutras, the reputed logician Dignaga, and others. A university of merit flourished in Amaravati. 

India The Boss (thehindu.com)
The Buddhist burial mounds (stupas) and carvings of Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda are reflected in the Ajanta cave complex. Their empires stretched from India to Nepal in the north and Sri Lanka in the south. 

Telugus gave India the era of Salivahana, who colonized the west coast of Burma. 

Andhra’s oldest communities are said to date back to 500 BCE, as mentioned in Aitareya Brahmana literature. Buddhist "Rebirth Tales" (jatakas) show that their reign extended from the river Telavaha in the central province to the present Telangana region and to Tirupati in the south. 
  
The Hatigumpha inscription of Kharvela (180 BCE) indicates that the powerful Satavahana Dynasty established by Srimukha ruled over the Deccanin the last quarter of the third century. The Mughals invaded these lands after the rule of Chalukyas, Satavahanas, and Kakatiyas. 

Greater India (Maha Bharat) before partition
People in the region gradually developed their language, literature, and culture. Enterprising rulers -- Pallavas of Kanchi, Rayas of Vijayanagara, and Nayakas of Tanjore and Madurai -- were all Telugus. 
 
According to Prof. Dubreuil, the Pallava Prince Mahendravarman ruled the Telugu region; rock-cut temples were commissioned by him in Kanchi along the lines of buildings in Amaravati.

These kings not only acquired political identity but also patronized great architecture. The literature from the time of Hala down to Vijayanagara was enriched by poets in their royal courts. 

Works based on the Puranas and epics by Nannaya down to Ketana, Nachana, Pothana, and Srinatha enriched their  literature. Ships sailed from the Krishna and Godavari rivers to distant Burma, Indo-China, and Java (Indonesia), all indicated on coins that Satavahana and Pallava princes minted.

The later period of Krishnadevaraya, who ruled most of the south with Vijayanagara as his capital, bore a great history that is still cherished. More

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