Dhurjati

Mahakavi Dhurjati (Telugu: దూర్జటి; c. 15th and 16th centuries CE) was a Telugu poet and an Ashtadiggaja in the imperial court of the Emperor Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara.

Biography
Dhurjati was born to Singamma and Narayana in Srikalahasti and was the grandson of Jakkayya. He was a great devotee of the God Shiva, also known as Kalahasteeshwara.

In his works, he referred to his birthplace as being a part of Pottapi Nadu, named after an earlier Telugu Chola Kingdom based at Pottapi in Cuddapah.

Works
His works are to the praise of God Shiva.

His famous works include Sri Kalahasteeshwara Mahatyam (lit. 'The glory of the Lord of Srikalahasti') and Sri Kalahasteeshwara Satakam (lit. 'Over a hundred poems in the praise of the Lord of Srikalahasti').

He was known as Pedda Dhurjati (lit. 'the Elder Dhurjati') as there were four other people from the same family line who went by the name of Dhurjati during the same period and after him. His grandson Venkataraya Dhurjati wrote Indumati Parinayam (lit. 'the marriage of Indumati'), a story from Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa.

He is also credited with many chatuvus, stand-alone extempore poems.

Style
Like his contemporaries during the Vijayanagara Empire's Prabandha period, he has taken themes from the Puranas and added regional lore to them in his works. Unlike some of his contemporaries like Peddana and Mallana, who have chosen the stories of monarchs for their works, he choose faith as the central theme of his poetry.

Emperor Krishnadevaraya described his poetry with "Stutimati yaina Andhrakavi Dhurjati palkulakelagalgeno atulita madhuri mahima...." (lit. 'How is Dhurjati's poetry so immeasurably beautiful').