JANAPATHA GEETHALU:
The origins of Telugu folk literature:
This argument can naturally be applied in case of Telugu folk literature too. Telugu is the largest spoken Dravidian language in Earth and spoken in all of Andhra Pradesh parts of other southern states. The history of Telugu goes back as early as to 230 BC to 225 AD and the evidence for the existence of Telugu language is available in the Natya Shastra of the Bharatha People and a better evidence is shown from the inscription of Nandampudi written by none other than the first Telugu poet Nannya goes back to 11th century AD. The author of Samagrandhra Sahityam (The Comprehensive history of Telugu Literature) Aarudhra has developed a different kind of argument. He says the word "naagabu" is there in an inscription of Amaravati Bouddha Sthupa which was built between 200 BC to 200 AD the suffix of this word 'bu' is a typical Telugu suffix and it can not be there unless the language was considerably developed in spoken form. (He considered the word as a sacred 'mantra' and printed it on the top place of the cover page of his book). More reliable evidences for the existence of Telugu language were shown by him at least from 350 AD. Based on these evidences it is possible to come to a rough idea that the verbal expressive traditions of Telugus may be there even at the beginning of the common era.
An indisputable concrete historical evidence of Telugu folk literature is available in the poetical work the Kumara Sambhava of Nannechoda who belongs to the 11th and 12th centuries. He has mentioned different kinds of songs sung by different folk groups (goudu geetamulu or songs of gouds). Some more inscriptional evidences for the existence of folk literature are also available in the 6th century AD. According to Ramaraju some of the prosodic structures, found in this period, very closely resemble to the metrical order of folk songs of modern times. The evidence may not clearly show a particular song or its existence but one cannot rule out the possible existence of folk literature even before this period as the evidence for the existence of Telugu language was there from much earlier period.
Many traditional Telugu poetical works of earlier and medieval age, taking form the Palkuriki Somanadha’s Basava Purana to the Yakshagana (written works) of Nayaka kings of the 17th century, have mentioned about different performing castes and performing traditions, which were living and moving in the Andhra desa i.e., the present Andhra Pradesh.
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