Radhika Santvanamu: Revisiting a forgotten voice in Telugu literature

Muddupalani, an 18th century Telugu poet and Devadasi, composed Radhika Santvanamu, a bold and emotionally resonant work that remains one of India’s most significant, yet largely forgotten, contributions to women’s literature

By Sarani Oddiraju

In an era where Indian women are making global headlines, from Major Isha Thakur and Major Jagmeet Kaur recently becoming the first women to receive ‘instructor’ badges for the Remotely Piloted Aerial System at the Combat Army Aviation Training School to Banu Mushtaq winning the International Booker Prize for ‘Heart Lamp’, it is easy to forget that powerful, articulate female voices existed even in times when women’s public roles were severely restricted.

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One such extraordinary voice belongs to Muddupalani, an 18th-century Telugu poet and Devadasi who composed Radhika Santvanamu, a bold and emotionally resonant work that remains one of India’s most significant, yet largely forgotten, contributions to women’s literature.

Poet from the Margins

Muddupalani was a courtesan at the royal court of Thanjavur, a space where select Devadasis — women trained in music, dance and literature — enjoyed rare access to education and social agency. Far from being passive figures, Devadasis like Muddupalani owned property, influenced culture and crafted sophisticated literary works.

In Radhika Santvanamu (The Appeasement of Radhika), a sweeping narrative poem of 584 verses, Muddupalani tells a deeply human story of love, jealousy, longing and emotional complexity. Set against the familiar mythological love triangle of Krishna, Radha and Iladevi, the poem stands out for its feminine perspective and psychological depth.

Written in the Śṛṅgāra (erotic) tradition, it is infused with sensuality, but never mere lust — it is a poem of self-awareness, agency and emotional truth. Structured as a philosophical dialogue between two sages, Maharishi Suka, the son of Vyasa, and the philosopher-king Janaka, the poem draws on classical traditions to frame its emotional and sensual themes within a deeply reflective context.

From Obscurity to Controversy

Muddupalani’s poetic legacy, however, has not been easy. Although Radhika Santvanamu was once considered a gem of Telugu literature, it remained mostly confined to elite literary circles in Andhra Pradesh. The first printed edition appeared in 1887, heavily censored and annotated by Paidipati Venkatanarasu under the supervision of colonial scholar Charles Phillip Brown.

It wasn’t until 1910 that the entire text was reissued by Bangalore Nagarathnamma, another Devadasi, scholar and activist. Her vision, intended to restore the poem’s full artistic and emotional range, was met with moral outrage. In 1911, British colonial authorities banned the text and several others by the same publisher, citing obscenity – a ban that continued until India’s Independence in 1947.

Yet even after legal censorship ended, societal discomfort remained. The frank expression of female desire in Radhika Santvanamu was too often dismissed as “just erotica” rather than embraced as a unique literary achievement by a woman navigating and narrating her world with rare honesty.

Revisiting A Voice

Radhika Santvanamu represents more than just a historical curiosity, it is a cultural reckoning. In an age when the stories of women, particularly from marginalised communities, are being reclaimed and celebrated, Muddupalani’s voice resonates anew. Her work is a testament to the complex lives women have always lived, lives full of longing, insight, wit and courage.

Muddupalani reminds us that history is not just made by kings and warriors but also by women who wrote, danced and sang their truths into the margins of memory. As India celebrates modern women breaking new ground across sectors, revisiting voices like hers deepens our understanding of the layered tapestry of Indian womanhood.

Let Radhika Santvanamu be not only a poem to read but also a story to remember.

(Sarani Oddiraju is Diploma Holder from Kalakshetra and is pursuing Master’s in Bharatanatyam from University of Madras)