Nannayya – These are the hallmarks of his poems in Telugu

Nannaya (or Nannayya) was a Telugu poet and the author of Andhra Mahabharatam, a Telugu retelling of the Sanskrit Mahabharata. He is generally considered the first poet of Telugu language. He lived in the 11th century and was patronized by Rajaraja Narendra of Rajamahendravaram. He wrote the first three parvas (books) of the epic: Adi, Sabha, and Aranya. He also wrote a Sanskrit work on Telugu grammar called Andhra-shabda-chintamani. He is regarded as the Adi Kavi (first poet) and the Shabda-shasana (master of words) of Telugu literature.