Muslim dynasties patronised Telugu, used it as the second official language
- Telugu was immensely patronised by the Muslim dynasties ruling Telangana
- This led to a rich cultural, religious and literary backdrop
FollowThe Muslim dynasties-the Qutub Shahis and the Asaf Jahis-were said to have patronised the language of Telugu during their rule on Hyderabad between 1512 and 1948. While they promoted Dakkani and Urdu, they also encouraged Telugu without any bias. In fact they had many Telugu poets and academicians in their court. Some of the most famous included Rudrakavi, Marigunti Singacharyulu, and Ponanaganti Telangana. Addanki Gangadhara was also a very popular poet in that era and was responsible for tracing the genelogy of the Qutub Shahi dynasty.
According to professor of Osmania university, the Qutub Shahis, particularly were Telugu enthusiasts and bestowed it the second language status. In fact, the rural administration at that time was conducted in this language and the royal edicts were also translated into Telugu. Experts also suggest that Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah had honoured great Telugu poet Pattamitta Kavi with the title “Malik-u-Shura” and had also made him the chief pandit.
The linguistic and the cultural confluences were prominent in the era of Mohammed Qutub Shah and his grandson Abdullah Qutub Shah. While the former rewarded poets like Kami Reddy for their work, the latter encouraged the intermingling of the Hindus and the Muslims, which also saw considerable influences in Telugu poetry. During
Abdullah Qutub Shah's reign, brothers Akanna and Madanna came to prominence. Madanna became an important part of the court after being hired as a clerk. With his talent, he ascended the chair of the royal treasury. He was later appointed the Prime Minister in 1674 by the last and the eighthQutub Shahi ruler Abul Hasn Tana Shah. A great patron of the language, his son Shah Akbar translated the Alankara Shastra (written by Ranga Sai) into Sanskrit.
Kancherla Gopanna, a nephew of Akkanna and Madanna was appointed as a tahsildar in Khammam taluk. he had a major contribution in the Telugu Bhakti literature and was adorned with the title "Ram Bhakth" by teh kings.
The Asaf Jahis and the Nizams continued the practice of promoting the language, apart from other languages like Urdu, Kannada and Marathi that was spoken by majority of the population there.
