Prabandha Telugu Literature: aShTadiggajAlu

prabandha vAj~nmayamu

aShTadiggajamulu (Introduction) allasAni peddana manu caritra nandi timmana pArijAtApaharaNamu mAdayyagAri mallana dhUrjaTi kALahastIsvara Satakamu kALahastIsvara mAhAtmyamu SrI kRShNadEvarAyalu AmuktamAlyada pingaLi sUrana praBhAvatee pradyumnamu kaLApurNOdayamu ayyalarAju rAmaBhadruDu rAmarAja BhUShaNuDu vasucaritra tenAli rAmakRShNuDu pAnDuranga mAhAtmyamu cEmakUra vEnjkaTa kavi vijaya vilaasamu ----	Introductory Note
	Prabandha style in Telugu classical compositions perhaps had its beginnings with nanne cODadEva in the 12^th century. Many great poets like SrInAtha and errApraggaDa have adopted and modified it. If fact, errApraggaDa (14^th century) declared that he was prabandha paramESvara (the Great Lord of the Prabandha). Many significant Prabandhas continued to be composed till as late as 18^th century. A famous example of later day Prabandha is the vijayavilAsam by cEmakUra vEnkaTa kavi.

	Although, Prabandhas were created over several centuries by many eminent writers, the aShTadiggajAlu were together responsible for the era named as Prabandha Yugam. Treatment of Prabandhas in this write-up is restricted to this era only. It would include writers like emperor Sri Krishna Devaraya, along with the poets referred to as the aShTadiggajamulu by common consensus. The pages in this section are slowly being updated to reflect some trivia and other details about them. For contributions by other writers of Prabandhas, please look elsewhere (or why not create a write-up yourself! say, on aDidamu sUra kavi's candramatee pariNayamu). As an exception to the above rule, viyayavilasaM is being included here. Sri Madhava Kumar Turumella is preparing the full text for this famous prabandham.

Seshu Madhava Rao Adluri
First posted: Feb. 1998, minor revision: March 1999.
Suggestions, additions and corrections to the above will be gratefully appreciated.
Kindly contact: adluri@engr.mun.ca