Navanadhacharitra is a classical poem in Dvipada metre composed by Gauranamatya who belonged to the middle of the fifteenth century. Poet Gaurana is already known to the Telugu world by his Harischandra Dvipada which is considered a work of high literary merit in the Telugu Literature of the middle period. Sankara Kavi of a latter age has followed this Dvipada Hari schandra of Gaurana in his rendering of the story of Harischandra into Champu form. This Navanadhacharitra, the only other Telugu work of the poet Gaurana, yet unpublished, is a Saivite work describing the adventures of Navanadhas, i.e., the nine Nadhas or Yogic Siddhas, the most important personage among them being the Meenanadha who is said to be the son of Siva and Parvati, sent to this world for the propagation of the Saivite religion and faith. It is significant that Gaurana, has like his great predecessor and Saivite poet Palkuriki Somanadha, adopted Dvipada metre for his poetic composition, while adding classical dignity to the poem according to the manner of his age. Though most of the important works of the period have taken the Champu form, works generally intended for popular apeal were still being written in the simple indigenous form of Dvipada. Palkuriki Somanadha has declared in the Introduction to his works that he undertook to write in what is called Janu-Telugu and Dvipada metre, because the Sanskritic style adopted by the Champu writers could not easily be understood by the general masses. That is why perhaps though Bharata and Ramayana were translated into Telugu in the Champu form by eminent hands, these were rendered again into the Dvipada form by later poets. Since the upper classes of the society were most influenced by Brahmanism, the appeal of the Saivites was generally made to the masses and so they have chosen the simple Dvipada form for their literary compositions. Even this story of Navanadhas has already been written in Champu form, (i.e., as a Padya Prabandha) by one Srigiri Kavi, and the poet Gaurana rendered it into a dvipada form as required by his patron, to popularise it among the masses.
Poet Gaurana has been encouraged to write this work Navanadhacharitra by Bhikshukavritti Santa Raya the head of an important Matha in Sreesaila, and at his request it has been dedicated to God Siva Mallikarjuna of Sreesaila. It was this Santa Bhikshukavritti Yatiswara who encouraged the Poet Sreenadha to dedicate his work Sivaratrimahatmya to his own attendant Mummidi Santayya. Hence it is clear that Gaurana was a contemporary of Sreenadha, perhaps a younger contemporary of his.
The first two Chapters of the work while describing the adventurous wanderings of the Saivite Guru Meenanadha, particularly deal with the story of Sarangadhara which is of specal interest to the Telugu world, in so far as it clears the doubt regarding the country and the persons in which and about whom the incidents related in this story have taken place. There is a general tradition among the Telugus that this story centres round Raja Narendra, the Eastern Chalukyan King who ruled the Telugu country in the early part of the 11th century A.D. with Rajamahendravaram, otherwise called Rajahmundry, as his capital and who, being a great patron of letters, got Mahabharata as narrated by Krishnadyypayana translated into Telugu by Nannaya Bhatta, his court poet.
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