''Kavijanasrayam'', also referred to as ''KavijanaaSrayam''
''Kavijanaasrayamu''
and ''Kavijanaashrayam'',
a Jain Literature,
is considered by scholars to be the earliest work detailing Telugu
prosody,
that is, how the basic rhythm of verses in
Telugu poetry
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 ...
is structured.
The work was authored by
Malliya Rechana,
a
Telugu language
Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language fam ...
poet and writer, who lived around 940 CE in the present-day
Vemulawada,
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...
region of India.
While there are differing opinions on the exact year when the book was written,
''Kavijanasrayam'' is estimated to have been written in the first half of the 10th century (between 900-950 CE).
This is the oldest surviving piece of Telugu literature
and was the reference for many next generation poets.
It is divided into five chapters. British scholar
Charles Philip Brown wrote an English book on Telugu prosodic techniques based on ''Kavijanasrayam''.
References
Telugu-language literature
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