Ajjada Adibhatla Narayana Dasu

ఆదిభట్ల నారాయణదాసు Ajjada Adibhatla Narayana Dasu
Pandit Ajjada Adibhatla Narayana Dasu
Born	August 31, 1864 Ajjada, Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh
Died	January 2, 1945(1945-01-02) (aged 80)
Occupation	Playwright, poet, musician
Nationality	Indian
Genre	Plays

The pandit Ajjada Adibhatla Narayana Das (31 August 1864 – 2 January 1945) is known as the versatile genius of Andhra Pradesh. He was a poet, musician, dancer, linguist and philosopher. He was born in Ajjada village, near Bobbili, presently in Balijipeta mandal of Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Narayana Das was a linguist with proficiency in as many as eight languages (including Arabic and Persian), poet, philosopher, playwright, composer, dancer, actor and the creator of the unique art form, Hari Katha.

Narayana Das was a scholar who had mastery over four classical languages (Sanskrit, Telugu, Arabic and Persian) and who translated from Persian and English into Sanskrit and Telugu; the only litterateur who wrote a comparative treatise on the works of Kalidas and Shakespeare; the only writer-composer who translated into Telugu and set to music Rig Vedic hymns and the only writer-composer who composed a geeta-malika comprising 90 Carnatic ragas. As a writer-composer who composed music in all the 72 Carnatic ragas he was next only to Tyagaraja.

Enraptured by his rendering of the Hindusthani Bhairavi raga, Rabindranath Tagore sought to introduce the curriculum followed by Narayana Das in his music college at Visva-Bharati University.

He had mastery over several Indian and classical languages like Telugu, Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, English, Arabic and Persian. He was also a performer of Ashtavadhanam. He has written over a hundred books in Telugu, Sanskrit. His works ranged from children's literature to philosophical treatises.

His literary output was extensive. He wrote original Kavyas and Prabandhas that reflect a rare creative genius, erudition and great felicity of expression. He wrote over fifty books in Telugu, Sanskrit and Atcha-Telugu (Desyandhramu or Telugu unmixed of Sanskrit). His works included original story-poems (Kavyas and Prabndhas), Harikathas, prose works, musical works, dramas, translations, treatises in philosophy and Vedic studies and children's literature.