12 century Tikkanna pen stand proves Telugu age
An exquisitely carved sandal sheath which held writing implements used by great poet Tikkanna Somayaji in the 12th century is still carefully preserved by his descendant Paturu Harihara Sarma. This is not just a precious artefact but also living proof of the classical status of Telugu, which the Andhra Pradesh government is lobbying hard for. It is believed that Tikkanna used this iron stylus (Gamtamu) to translate the great epic Mahabharata on a mandap in the banks of the Pennar river. Tikkanna, one of the trinity of poets who translated the Mahabharata, was born in Nellore in a Saivaite Brahmin family. He was known as Vikrama Simhapuri and lived in Paturu, a small village about 10 km from Nellore. It was at the Siddeswara Swamy temple in this village that the poet composed parts of his great epic. Though a Saivaite, Tikkanna’s poems give the clear message that Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu are the same. Unfortunately, no serious effort has been made by either the archeology department