Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s27.t1.4

c23.s27.t1.4

The earliest extant Tamil literature, the Caṅkam works, are dated, even according to conservative estimates, from around the commencement of the Christian era. The earliest extant literary works in Kannada and Telugu were composed almost a millennium later. The earliest known literary work in Kannada is the *Kavirājamārga*, written early in the 9th century a.d. and the earliest known literary work in Telugu is the famous *Mahābhārata* of Nannaya composed in the middle of the 11th century a.d. It is also probable that *Kavijanāśraya*, a work in Telugu on prosody, composed by Malliya Rechana, is about a century earlier.⁴ There were earlier literary works in Kannada and Telugu, as known from references in earlier inscriptions and later literature. But none of them are extant.