A.P. Languages Commission disagrees on inscription finding

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Official Languages Commission has stated that it was stunned by the “false picture” presented by Iravatham Mahadeven of the Indus Research Centre and Roja Muthiah Research Library, Chennai, about the earliest Telugu inscriptions.
In a rejoinder to Mr. Mahadevan’s statement published in The Hindu on April 30 under the heading ‘Andhra and the Indus civilisation,’ the Commission Chairman A. B. K. Prasad stated in a release here that litterateurs as well as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) experts knew that both Tamil and Telugu languages were ancient with a culture of their own as leading members of the Dravidian family of languages, spread over a period of 2400 years and beyond.
‘Blatant distortion’
“But, Mahadevan’s contention that the earliest Telugu inscription is dated only in the 6th century A.D., in the post-Christian era, and also that the earliest Telugu literature in the 11th century C.E. is not only far from truth but also blatant distortion of the recorded facts.”
“It is regrettable that he [Mr. Mahadevan] should conveniently avoid mentioning of the most unassailable evidence of the earliest Bhattiprolu (Guntur district) inscriptions of 3rd century B.C. which contained several Telugu roots or words even a century before the Emperor Ashoka of 300 B.C. All the three inscriptions of Bhattiprolu dated back to 400 B.C. i.e. 2400 years ago! Likewise, the Telugu language found at Kantamanenivarigudem, Guntupalli in West Godavari district and Gummadidurru and Ghantasala in Krishna district, all dated back to 2nd century A.D.,” Mr. Prasad said.
Special Correspondent
Sunday, May 04, 2008
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