INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH CULTURE SOCIETY

Abstract:    This paper is a comparative study of Kshetrayya’s padam and Muddupalani’s Radhika Santawanam, two prominent works of Telugu literature within the oft underlooked devadasi tradition of pre-colonial south India. Like many bhakti poems of ancient India, both the poets blur the distinction between sensual and sacred by employing the Radha-Krishna paradigm in their devotion. Even though their works are considerably different in poetic structure, form and representation of erotic  elements differ considerably in literary form, representation of desire, and authorial perspective, the texts converge in their treatment of Śṛṅgāra Rasa. Through a study of selected padams and episodes from Radhika Santawanam, the paper explores how Kshetrayya’s lyrical compositions and Muddupalani’s narrative kāvya construct feminine subjectivity, erotic agency, and devotional intimacy. Significant attention is given to authorship, text reception and the treatment of erotic consciousness in both the texts. Through this literary analysis the study aims to address the questions of gender, cultural legitimacy, and power that influenced the preservation, marginalization, and interpretation of Telugu literary traditions.