Pingali Surana
Encyclopedia
Pingali Surana (16th century CE
) was a Telugu
poet
and was one of the Astadiggajas
(literally "eight great men") in the court
of the king
Krishnadevaraya
.
village in the Krishna
District. According to his works, he is believed to be from a village called Nidumanuri Krishnaraya Samudramu, somewhere in the Kurnool
or Nellore
districts.
Surana's parents were Abbamamba (mother) and Amarana (father), scholars themselves. Surana dedicated a work to Nandyala Krishna Raju, a subject of the Vijayanagara Empire
in Krishna District
. It is now settled that he was from Kanala villae, near Nandyala, on Nandyala and Koilakuntla Road. There is his samadhi and also the potter community celebrates his Jayanthi year after year. There is an old oriental High School in Kanala, which is said to be a legacy from Pingali Surana. Surana Saraswatha Sangham, Nandyal is a literary organisation in existence for more than 25 years. Dr. G.Sahadevudu, a practicing doctor, Gottimukkala Subrahmanya Sastri, a retired teacher and Koduri Seshapani Sarma , a retired teacher are the president, the secretary and the joint secretary of the organization respectively.
. He dedicated Garuda Puranam to his father and Kalapurnodayam to the Nandyal King.
Prabhavati Pradyumnamu has been translated into English as The Demon's Daughter: A Love Story from South India by Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman
, and published by SUNY Press in 2006.
Kalapurnodayamu means full bloom of art. Surana used advanced literary techniques in Indian literature such as flashbacks and character transformation. Coincidentally it was produced around the same time as Shakespeare's As You Like It
which contained many of the same literary techniques.
Each poem of Raghava Pandaveeyam references to the stories of Ramayanam or Mahabharatam simultaneously. The entire work is double entendre. His first work Garuda Puranam is in Prabandha style, popular for romantic poems.
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
) was a Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and was one of the Astadiggajas
Astadiggajas
Astadiggajas is the collective title given to the eight Telugu poets in the court of the emperor Sri Krishna Deva Raya who ruled the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 until his death in 1529. During his reign, Telugu literature and culture reached its zenith. In his court, eight poets were regarded...
(literally "eight great men") in the court
Noble court
The court of a monarch, or at some periods an important nobleman, is a term for the extended household and all those who regularly attended on the ruler or central figure...
of the king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Krishnadevaraya
Krishnadevaraya
Śrī Kriṣhṇa Devarāya , , , and also known as Krishna Devarayulu in some inscriptions was the famed Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire who reigned from 1509–1529 CE.He is the third ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty. Presiding over the empire at its zenith, he is regarded as an icon by many Indians...
.
Early life
His exact birthplace is uncertain. He lived in Kanala village near to Nandyal. It is believed that his ancestors were from PingaliPingali
Pingali is the Indian surname of Telugu Brahmins of 6000 Niyogi Community of Andhra Pradesh, India. People with this surname have different Gothras for example: Bharadwaja, Gouthamasa ..etc.Some Of the notable people with this Surname are...
village in the Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
District. According to his works, he is believed to be from a village called Nidumanuri Krishnaraya Samudramu, somewhere in the Kurnool
Kurnool
Kurnool is located at . It has an average elevation of 273 metres .Kurnool lies on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. The Handry and Neeva rivers also flow through the city. The K.C...
or Nellore
Nellore
Nellore , is a city and headquarters of Potti Sri Ramulu Nellore District, formerly Nellore district.And in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Ancient name of Nellore was "Vikrama Simhapuri"....
districts.
Surana's parents were Abbamamba (mother) and Amarana (father), scholars themselves. Surana dedicated a work to Nandyala Krishna Raju, a subject of the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
in Krishna District
Krishna district
Krishna District is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. It is named after the Krishna River, the third longest river that flows within India, flows through the district and joins Bay of Bengal here in this district. It has a population of 4,529,009 of which 32.08% is urban as of...
. It is now settled that he was from Kanala villae, near Nandyala, on Nandyala and Koilakuntla Road. There is his samadhi and also the potter community celebrates his Jayanthi year after year. There is an old oriental High School in Kanala, which is said to be a legacy from Pingali Surana. Surana Saraswatha Sangham, Nandyal is a literary organisation in existence for more than 25 years. Dr. G.Sahadevudu, a practicing doctor, Gottimukkala Subrahmanya Sastri, a retired teacher and Koduri Seshapani Sarma , a retired teacher are the president, the secretary and the joint secretary of the organization respectively.
Literary works
Surana wrote Garuda Puranam, Prabhavatee Pradyumnamu, Raghava Pandaveeyam and Kalapurnodayamu in 1500 CECommon Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
. He dedicated Garuda Puranam to his father and Kalapurnodayam to the Nandyal King.
Prabhavati Pradyumnamu has been translated into English as The Demon's Daughter: A Love Story from South India by Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman
David Dean Shulman
David Dean Shulman is an Indologist and regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the languages of India. His research embraces many fields, including the history of religion in South India, Indian poetics, Tamil Islam, Dravidian linguistics, and Carnatic music...
, and published by SUNY Press in 2006.
Style
Two of his works were revolutionary in Telugu and the first of their kind. Kalapurnodayam is more of a novel than poetry and Raghava Pandaveeyam is in dvayarthi (double meaning) style.Kalapurnodayamu means full bloom of art. Surana used advanced literary techniques in Indian literature such as flashbacks and character transformation. Coincidentally it was produced around the same time as Shakespeare's As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
which contained many of the same literary techniques.
Each poem of Raghava Pandaveeyam references to the stories of Ramayanam or Mahabharatam simultaneously. The entire work is double entendre. His first work Garuda Puranam is in Prabandha style, popular for romantic poems.
Awards and Titles
- The critic Cattamanchi Ramalinga ReddyCattamanchi Ramalinga ReddyCattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy OM , also popularly known as Sir C.R. Reddy, was an educationist and political thinker, essayist and economist, and poet and literary critic...
praised Kalapunodayam as the best original book ever written in Telugu.
External links
- Pingal Surana
- Telugu literature at bloom in 15th and 16th centuries
- K.A. Nilakanta Sastry, History of South India, From Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar, (New Delhi: OUP, 1955, repr. 2002) ISBN 0-19-560686-8
- Golden age of Telugu Literature
- Literary activity in Vijayanagara Empire