Among the galaxy of literary stalwarts from Guntur district, Kasi Krishnacharyulu, a Sanskrit scholar, stands out as a legend whose contribution towards the enrichment of Telugu language was no less valuable.
He was conferred the title ‘Avadhani Siromani’ by none other than Tirupati Venkata Kavulu for his stellar performance of ‘Avadhanam’ in a function held at Machilipatnam in the late 1900s. Krishnacharyulu had many such titles to his credit in his illustrious life that spanned 95 years. He was born in Machilipatnam in 1872 but brought up in Guntur from the tender age of five when he began his pursuit of Sanskrit language and went on to win laurels including felicitation by President of India Rajendra Prasad in a function held in Delhi.
More importantly, Kasi Krishnacharyulu was ‘Andhra Pradesh Prabhutva Asthana Kavi’ after Sripada Krishna Murthy Sastry who was the first poet/writer to adorn the post of ‘Asthana Kavi’.
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Krishnacharyulu was also honoured with the title ‘Samskruta Samrat’ by Governor of Uttar Pradesh Burgula Ramakrishna Rao in a function organised at Ramanama Kshetram in Guntur.
Krishnacharyulu had worked as a Sanskrit teacher in the Hindu High School in Guntur and extensively toured the State as part of his literary activities. The foundations of his literary edifice were laid by his earliest teachers Adharapurapu Srinivasacharyulu and Maheesura Bheemacharyulu.
Kasi Krishnacharyulu was not only a literary genius but also talented in playing musical instruments like Mrudangam, flute and even fiddle. Besides, he used to present ‘Harikadhalu’. These skills won for him the title ‘Vividhakalavichakshana’.
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His sound knowledge of ‘Panchamahakavyas’ in Sanskrit helped him in gaining expertise in Telugu whose features were mainly borrowed from Sanskrit’’, Krishnacharyulu’s grandson Kasi Narasimha Murthy, who was a Telugu lecturer in the Hindu College, Machilipatnam, told The Hindu .
Krishnacharyulu lived for many years in his ancestral house at R.Agraharam in Guntur.