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Nannaya Bhatta was a pivotal figure in Telugu literature, a Dravidian language spoken in India. He is credited with composing the first literary work in Telugu, a poetic translation of a portion of the Mahabharata. This work dates to the 11th century, marking the beginning of Telugu literary tradition. Bhatta is also believed to have authored the first Telugu grammar, Andhra shabda chintamani, written in Sanskrit. Telugu literature, which began around the 10th or 11th century, is characterized by poetry and epics, with the shataka form being particularly popular. The language itself is the third most frequently spoken in India, after Hindi and Bengali.12

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