Contents

List of Telugu people

Ancient dynasties and kingdoms[edit]

Ancient dynasties

• Satavahana dynasty,^[1] also referred to as Andhras (2nd Century BCE – 3rd Century CE)
• Andhra Ikshvaku (3rd Century CE – 4th Century CE)
• Bruhatpalayana (270 CE – 285 CE)
• Salankayanas^[2] (300 CE – 440 CE)
• Eastern Ganga dynasty (505 CE – 1434 CE)
• Vishnukundina Dynasty^[3] (420 CE – 624 CE)
• Eastern Chalukyas^[4] (624 CE – 1189 CE)

Medieval dynasties

• Pericchedi Kingdom (626 CE – 1292 CE)
• Chalukyas of Vemulavada (7th Century CE – 10th Century CE)
• Kakatiya dynasty^[5] (1163 CE – 1323 CE)
• Kota Dynasty^[6] (1100 CE – 1270 CE)
• Kondapadumati Dynasty (1114 CE – 1250 CE)
• Chagi Dynasty^[6] (1100 CE – 1477 CE)
• Reddy dynasty^[7][3] (1325 CE – 1448 CE)
• Gona Dynasty (13th Century CE)
• Aravidu Dynasty^[8] (1336 CE – 1646 CE)

Telugu Chodas

• Renati Chodas^[6] (5th Century CE – 9th Century CE)
• Velanati Chodas^[6] (1076 CE – 1216 CE)
• Pottapi Chodas^[6] (11th Century CE)
• Konidena Chodas^[6] (1050 CE – 1300 CE)
• Nannuru Chodas^[6] (12th Century CE)
• Nellore Chodas^[6] (11th Century CE – 12th Century CE)

Nayaks of South India

• Musunuri Nayakas^[9] (14th Century CE)
• Recherla Nayakas^[10] (1368 CE – 1435 CE)
• Pemmasani Nayaks^[11] (1423–1685)
• Sayapaneni Nayaks^[12] (16th Century CE)
• Nayaks of Gingee (1509–1649)
• Madurai Nayak dynasty^[13] (1529–1736)
• Nayaks of Tanjore (1532–1673)
• Nayaks of Kalahasti^[14] (1542 CE – 1646 CE)

Foreign countries

• Nayaks of Kandy^[15][16] (1739–1815) ruled Sri Lanka.

Royalty[edit]

• Maharaja of Vizianagaram^[17]
• Bastar State^[17]
• Venkatagiri estate^[17]
• Thotapalle Estate^[17]
• Nuzvid Estate^[17]
• Pithapuram Estate^[17]
• Ettayapuram estate^[17]
• Bobbili Estate^[17]
• Rekapalle Estate^[17]
• Raja of Panagal^[17]
• Manyam Zamindar^[17]
• Gadwal Samsthanam^[17]
• Papannapet Samsthanam^[17]
• Wanaparthy Samsthanam^[17]

Historical warriors and rulers[edit]

• Gautamiputra Satakarni,^[1] He is the most powerful king of Satavahana Dynasty,
• King Kandara
• Madhava Varma II,^[3] He is the most powerful king of Vishnukundina Dynasty, He fought and won many more battles and he defeated Vakatakas King Prithivishena II.
• Rajaraja Narendra,^[4] He is the most powerful king of Eastern Chalukyas, and patronage to Telugu language.
• Ganapati Deva, He is the greatest king of Kakatiya Dynasty, He Unified Telugu Lands.
• Kulottunga I, He is the first Chalukya Cholas emperor, He Conqueror Kalinga, Sri Lanka, and Victory In Battle.
• Gonka II, He was regarded as greatest among of all Chodas and also fought as general in earlier battles during his father reign.
• Gopana,^[18] Army commander of Vijayanagara Empire.
• Madanna and Akkanna,^{[citation needed]} Two Brothers and Historical Warriors.
• Jayapa Nayudu,^[19] He defeated a Velanati Chodas, Jayapa participated in the Kakatiya conquest of Ganapatideva and was honoured with the title "Vairigodhuma Gharatta".
• Gona Budda Reddy, He was a poet and ruler lived in Southern India.
• Prolaya Vema Reddy,^[7] First ruler of Reddi Kingdom, He was part of the confederation of states that started a Guerilla Tactics Movement against the invading Turkic Muslim armies of the Delhi Sultanate.
• Rama Raya,^[8] Vijayanagara Emperor, Founder of Aravidu Dynasty.
• Venkatapati Raya, Aravidu dynasty. He dealt successfully with the Deccan SultansofBijapur and Golkonda, the internal disorders, promoting economic revival in the country.
• Timmarusu, was the Prime Minister of Krishna Deva Raya . He had also served as Prime Minister under Viranarasimha Raya and Tuluva Narasa Nayaka.
• Kapaya Nayaka,^[9] Historical warrior and opposed Muslim rule.
• Palanati Brahmanaidu, Historical warrior.
• Nagama Nayaka, He defeated Veerasekhara chola, and is the father of Viswanatha Nayak.
• Viswanatha Nayak, Founder of Madurai Nayak Dynasty, He defeated Five Pandiyan kings.
• Thirumala Nayaka,^[13] He is the most powerful king of Madurai Nayak Dynasty, war Against Bijapur Sultanate and Victory in the Battle.
• Bangaru Thirumala Nayaka, He was a member of Madurai Nayak royal family and Military Commander of the Madurai Nayak King Vijaya Ranga Chokkanatha(1704–1731).
• Sevappa Nayak, first ruler of Nayaks of Tanjore.
• Raghunatha Nayak, He is the most powerful king of Nayaks of Tanjore.
• Khem Nayak, He led a Rebellion as the Military CommanderofThanjavur Nayak against the Portuguese in their conquest of the Jaffna kingdom in 1619.
• Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu,^[11] won the Battle of Raichur for Sri Krishna Devaraya. Commander of Vijayanagara Empire Army.
• Malik Maqbul Tilangani, He was a Military Commander in the Kakatiya Dynasty.
• Shitab Khan, He joined as a foot soldier in the army of Humayun Shah, the Bahmani Sultan.
• Damarla Chennappa Nayaka,^[14] Notable Ruler of Nayaks of Kalahasti.
• Sri Vikrama Rajasinha,^[16] Last king of the Kingdom of Kandy
• Venkatarama Reddy, was the first Hindu kotwal of Kingdom of Hyderabad as in the late 19th and early 20th century,

Order of the Indian Empire

• Sir Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju,^[20] Maharaja of Vizianagaram, awarded Grand Commander of theOrder of the Indian Empire from the United Kingdom.
• Sir Rajagopala Krishna Yachendra,^[21] Maharaja of Venkatagiri, awarded Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire and Companion of the Order of the Star of India from the United Kingdom.
• Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau,^[17] Maharaja of Pithapuram, He Awarded Order of the Indian Empire From United Kingdom.
• Venkata Ranga Rao,^[17] Maharaja of Bobbili, He Awarded Order of the Indian Empire From United Kingdom.
• Panaganti Ramarayaningar,^[17] He is Raja of Panagal, He Awarded Order of the Indian Empire From United Kingdom.

Women Rulers

• Rani Rudrama Devi,^[22] She is the most powerful queen of Kakatiya Dynasty.
• Rani Mangammal,^[23] She is the most powerful queen of Madurai Nayak Dynasty.
• Bhagmati^[24] was a mystic Hindu queen.
• Govindamamba Pemmasani^[12]
• Nayakuralu Nagamma^[25] was a renowned statesperson and minister to King Nalagama, the ruler of PalanaduinGuntur District. In the epic war—Palnati Yudham (War of Palnadu).

Governors of States[edit]

• Bezawada Gopala Reddy – Governor of Uttar Pradesh
• P. Chandra Reddy – Governor of Andhra Pradesh
• Bandaru Dattatreya – Current Governor of Haryana and Former Governor of Himachal Pradesh
• Kambhampati Hari Babu – Current Governor of Mizoram
• C. Vidyasagar Rao – Former Governor of Maharashtra and Governors of Tamil Nadu
• V. V. Giri – Former Governor of Karnataka
• Kasu Brahmananda Reddy – Governor of Maharashtra
• Konijeti Rosaiah – Former Governor of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
• B. Satya Narayan Reddy – Governor of Odisha
• K. V. Raghunatha Reddy – Governor of Tripura
• Kona Prabhakara Rao – Former Governor of Maharashtra
• Pendekanti Venkatasubbaiah – Former Governor of Bihar
• Marri Chenna Reddy – Former Governor of Tamil Nadu
• P. S. Ramamohan Rao – Former Governor of Tamil Nadu
• V. Rama Rao – Former Governor of Sikkim
• K. V. Krishna Rao – Former Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura
• V. S. Ramadevi – Former Governor of Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka

Speaker of the Lok Sabha[edit]

• Neelam Sanjiva Reddy – Former Speaker of the Lok Sabha
• G. M. C. Balayogi – Former Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Chief Ministers[edit]

• Tanguturi Prakasam – Former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency and Former Chief Andhra State
• Burgula Ramakrishna Rao – Former Chief Minister of Hyderabad State
• A. Subbarayalu Reddiar – Former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency
• Panaganti Ramarayaningar – Former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency
• B. Munuswamy Naidu – Former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency
• Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili – Former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency
• Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu – Former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency
• P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja – Former Chief Minister of Madras Presidency
• Bezawada Gopala Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Neelam Sanjiva Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Damodaram Sanjivayya – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Kasu Brahmananda Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• P. V. Narasimha Rao – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Jalagam Vengala Rao – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Marri Chenna Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Tanguturi Anjaiah – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Bhavanam Venkatarami Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• N. Janardhana Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• K. Rosaiah – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• N. Kiran Kumar Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• K C Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Mysore state
• V. Venkatasubha Reddiar – Former Chief Minister of Puducherry
• N. T. Rama Rao – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• N. Chandrababu Naidu – Current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy – Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• K. Chandrashekar Rao – Former Chief Minister of Telangana
• A.Revanth Reddy – Current Chief Minister of Telangana

Deputy Chief Ministers[edit]

• Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Damodar Raja Narasimha – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Koneru Ranga Rao – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• J.V. Narsing Rao – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• C. Jagannatha Rao – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• K. E. Krishnamurthy – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• Nimmakayala Chinarajappa – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• T. Rajaiah – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana
• Kadiyam Srihari – Former Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana
• M. Bhatti Vikramarka – Current Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana
• K. Pawan Kalyan – Current Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

Presidents, Governors-General, Vice-Presidents & Prime Ministers[edit]

Presidents

• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan – Former President of India and former Vice President of India
• V.V. Giri – Former President of India^[26] and former Vice President of India
• Neelam Sanjiva Reddy – Former President of India^[27]

Vice Presidents

• Venkaiah Naidu – Former Vice President of India^[28]

Governors-General

• Anand Satyanand – Governor-General of New Zealand from 2006 to 2011, the first Roman Catholic, Asian, ethnic minority as well as ethnic Indian officeholder of the position

Prime Ministers

• P. V. Narasimha Rao – Former Prime minister of India^[29]

Revolutionaries[edit]

• Alluri Sitarama Raju – freedom fighter & Revolutionary (Viplava Jyothi)
• Komaram Bheem – was an Indian tribal leader who fought against the Asaf Jahi Dynasty for the liberation of Hyderabad .He took up arms against Nizam's soldiers, who he fought until his last breath.
• Anabheri Prabhakar Rao – was a Telangana guerrilla leader and is also considered a foremost authority of the Telugu language. He was an Indian freedom fighter, considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement.
• Arutla Ramchandra Reddy – was an Indian freedom fighter. He was among the leaders and fighters in the armed freedom struggle against the rule of Nizam.
• Kaloji Narayana Rao – was an Indian poet, freedom fighter, anti-fascist and political activist of Telangana.
• Raavi Narayana Reddy – was a leader in the Telangana Rebellion against the rule of Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII.
• Baddam Yella Reddy – was an Indian Communist politician from Telangana. He was one of the prominent leaders in the Telangana armed struggle against the Nizam Regiment.
• Puchalapalli Sundarayya – was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a leader of the peasant revolt in the former Hyderabad State of India, called the Telangana Rebellion. He is popularly known as Comrade PS.
• Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy – was a freedom fighter and a leader of the Telangana Rebellion, he was known, fought the Razakars during the Nizam's rule for six years by being underground.
• Nandyala Srinivasa Reddy – was a Member of Legislative Assembly, Andhra Pradesh and a leader of the Telangana Rebellion. He is popularly known as NSR.
• Burgula Ramakrishna Rao – was among the Telugu-speaking leaders to resist the Nizam in the princely state of Hyderabad.
• Chakali Ilamma – was an Indian revolutionary leader during the Telangana Rebellion.
• Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy – is a freedom fighter who fought the Telangana Rebellion against the Jagirdars.
• Chandra Rajeswara Rao – was an Indian freedom fighter from Andhra Pradesh. He was one of the leaders of the Telangana Rebellion (1946–1951). He also worked as Communist Party of India (CPI).

Militants and Rebels[edit]

• Nambala Keshava Rao,^[30] his nom de guerre “Basavraj”, He is a Leader and General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), currently on National Investigation Agency Most Wanted.
• Muppala Lakshmana Rao,^[31] by his nom de guerre “Ganapathy”, He is a Commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (India)^[32] is the Armed Wing of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• Mallojula Koteswara Rao,^[33] commonly known by his nom de guerre “Kishenji”, was an Indian political terrorist who was a Politburo and Central Military Commission member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• Patel Sudhakar Reddy,^[34] was a leader of the central committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• Yalavarthi Naveen Babu, He was a Naxalite leader in India, He was founder of All India Revolutionary Students Federation.
• Thippiri Tirupathi,^[35] is an Indian Maoist leader and Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• Cherukuri Rajkumar, (alias Azad),^[36] was the spokesperson and one of the seniormost members of the Central Politburo of the banned Maoist group Communist Party of India (Maoist) . On 1 July 2010, he was killed by Andhra Pradesh Police in an encounter.
• Sadanala Ramakrishna,^[37] is an Indian Maoist politician, senior leader of Communist Party of India (Maoist) and head of the Central Technical Committee of the party.
• Ginugu Narsimha Reddy,^[38] is a Maoist politician and Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• Kondapalli Seetharamaiah,^[39] was a senior Communist leader and Maoist organizer in India.
• Mallujola Venugopal,^[40] is a Politburo and Central Military Commission member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned Maoist insurgent communist party in India .
• Katakam Sudarshan,^[41] commonly known by his nom de guerre,(Anand) is a Politburo member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• B. Sudhakar,^[42] is a Maoist leader and members of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• Varkapur Chandramouli,^[43] was an Indian Maoist leader and Central Committee member of Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• Varanasi Subramanyam,^[44] is an Indian Maoist and Central Committee member of Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• Kadari Satyanarayan Reddy,^[45] known by his nom de guerre, “Kosa”, he is a banned Maoist Insurgent Communist Party of India, he was a Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist)
• George Reddy,^[46] He was a university student, remembered now primarily for his promotion of Marxist ideas, Reddy was killed in an attack at his college campus on 14 April 1972.
• Varavara Rao,^[47] is an Indian activist, poet, teacher, and writer, He is an accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence and has been arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
• Gummadi Vittal Rao,^[48] is a poet, revolutionary Telugu balladeer and local Naxalite activist from what is now the state of Telangana.
• Gita Ramaswamy,^[49] is an Indian social activist and writer.
• Belli Lalitha,^[50] founder of Telangana Kala Samithi who was murdered in 1999.
• Narmada Akka,^[51] was one of the "senior-most" female cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
• Arunodaya Vimala,^[52] popularly known as vimalakka, Telugu balladeer and Social Activist.

Military Chiefs[edit]

Indian Army

• General K. V. Krishna Rao, Chief of the Army Staff, 1981–1983

Indian Navy

• Admiral Ram Dass Katari, Chief of the Naval Staff, 1958–1962

Politicians[edit]

India

P. V. Narasimha Rao

• P. V. Narasimha Rao – 9th Prime Minister Of India
• N. T. Rama Rao, Founder of Telugu Desam Party.
• N. Chandrababu Naidu
• Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy
• K. Chandrashekar Rao, Founder of Telangana Rashtra Samithi
• Pawan Kalyan, Founder of Jana Sena Party
• Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga (born 1947), MLA from Vijayawada East
• Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Founder of YSR Congress Party
• Shabbir Ali, Minister during Indian National Congress rule in AP.

United States of America

• Aruna Miller – American politician and former members of the Maryland House of delegates representing District 15 in Montgomery County, Maryland
• Raja Kumari – Rapper, songwriter and singer
• Satya Nadella – The executive chairman and CEOofMicrosoft.
• Suhail A. Khan – American conservative political activist
  

  Satya Nadella
  
  Aruna Miller
• Surya Yalamanchili – Democratic nominee who ran for Congress in Ohio's 2nd congressional district in 2010
• Upendra Chivukula – Democratic politician who currently serves as a Commissioner on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities after serving more than 12 years in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he had been the Deputy Speaker
• Vinai Thummalapally – U.S. Ambassador to Belize

South Africa

• Jay Naidoo – South Africa Independence Movement Activist
• Ama Naidoo – South Africa Independence Movement Activist
• Kumi Naidoo – South Africa Independence Movement Activist
• Naransamy Roy Naidoo – South Africa Political Activist
• Shanti Naidoo – South Africa Politician and Anti – Apartheid Activist

Freedom fighters[edit]

Scientists[edit]

• Satya N. Atluri, renowned aerospace scientist, Padma Bhushan awardee in 2013 in science and engineering; recipient of the Global Aerospace Prize of $100,000, the Walter & Angelina Crichlow Trust Prize of AIAA; recipient, "Excellence in Aviation Award", from the United States Federal Aviation Administration
• G. D. Naidu, the "Edison of India"
• G. Satheesh Reddy, Chairman of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D.
• Yellapragada Subbarao (1895–1948), Indian biochemist who made many important discoveries while working in the United States
• P. Varadarajulu Naidu, Indian physician, politician, journalist and Indian independence activist.
• Raj Reddy, renowned computer scientist and former Dean of the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science. Currently, the only Turing Award winner from India.
• Suri Bhagavantam, famous Indian scientist and administrator who worked and collaborated with C.V.Raman He worked as Director of the Indian Institute of Science and the Defence Research and Development Organisation and as adviser to the Indian defense ministry.
• Yelavarthy Nayudamma
• M. Visvesvaraya, Indian engineer, scholar and statesman on whose memory Engineer's day is celebrated across India
• C. Radhakrishna Rao, famous for his works in Maths and Statistics. The Cramer Rao bound theory and the Rao-Blackwell theorem are among his best known discoveries

Economists and Policy makers[edit]

• M. Narasimham – Thirteenth Governor of RBI, Chaired Committee of Banking Sector reforms
• C. H. Hanumantha Rao – Member of the National Advisory Council from 2004 to 2008[2] and chaired the Technical Committee on Drought prone Areas Programme and Desert Development Programme of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.
• Y. Venugopal Reddy – Former Reserve Bank of India Governor from 6 September 2003 until 5 September 2008 – credited with imposing tough lending standards which shielded India from 2008 financial crisis
• Duvvuri Subbarao – Former Governor of Reserve Bank of India
• M. Narasimham – Former Governor of Reserve Bank of India
• C. R. Krishnaswamy Rao – Former Cabinet Secretary
• V. K. R. V. Rao – Noted economist
• Narayana Kocherlakota – Former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Professor of Economics at the University of Rochester

Writers[edit]

• Paravastu Chinnayasuri
• C. Narayana Reddy – Winner of Jnanapeeth award
• Tapi Dharma Rao Naidu – Writer
• Suravaram Pratap Reddy – Writer and historian from Telangana
• Kethu Viswanatha Reddy – Poet from Rayalaseema
• Kesava Reddy – Telugu novelist from Chittoor
• Ravuri Bharadhwaja – Winner of Jnanapeeth award Telugu novelist
• Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy – Maximum number of stories written in Telugu – Over 3000
• Pullella Sriramachandrudu – Sanskrit and Telugu scholar
• Gidugu Venkata Ramamoorty – Writer
• Vegunta Mohan Prasad – Poet

Contribution to Telugu Language[edit]

Medieval Poets

• Adikavi Pampa(c. 10th century) wrote a Jain text called the Jinendra Puranam
• Malliya Rechana wrote the first Telugu prosody (chandassu) book called Kavijanasrayam.
• Nannaya Bhattaraka, also known as the First Poet "Aadi Kavi", the first poet of the Kavi Trayam, or "Trinity of Poets", that translated Mahabharatamu into Telugu over the course of a few centuries
• Tikkana also called "Tikkana Somayaji" (1205–1288), poet and member of Kavi Trayam
• Errana also known as "Yellapregada" or "Errapregada" (fl. 14th century).
• Gona Budda Reddy, 13th-century poet
• Annamacharya (1408–1503), mystic saint composer of the 15th century, widely regarded as the Telugu pada kavita pitaamaha (grand old man of simple poetry); husband of Tallapaka Tirumalamma
• Sri Krishnadevaraya, Vijayanagar Emperor, Telugu language patron, Telugu language poet
• Allasani Peddana, 15th century poet and known as foremost of Asthadiggajas (Eight elite Telugu poets under Sri Krishnadevaraya)
• Nandi Thimmana, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Madayyagari Mallana, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Dhurjati, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Ayyalaraju Ramambhadrudu, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Pingali Surana, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Ramarajabhushanudu, a member of Ashtadiggajas
• Tenali Ramakrishna, poet, scholar, thinker and a special advisor in the court of Krishnadevaraya, nicknamed Vikatakavi
• Molla, also known as "Mollamamba", both popular names of Atukuri Molla (1440–1530), poet who wrote Telugu Ramayan; a woman
• Potana, born Bammera Pothana (1450–1510), poet best known for his translation of the Bhagavata Purana from Sanskrit; the book is popularly known as Pothana Bhagavatham
• Tallapaka Tirumalamma, also known as "Timmakka" and "Thimmakka" (fl. 15th century), poet who wrote Subhadra Kalyanam; wife of singer-poet Annamacharya and was popularly known as Timmakka
• Vemana (fl. 14th century), poet
• Bhadrachala Ramadasu, 17th-century Indian devotee of Lord Rama and a composer of Carnatic music

Renaissance Poets

• Kandukuri Veeresalingam (1848–1919), social reformer, poet, scholar, founded the journal Vivekavardhani, introduced the essay, biography, autobiography and the novel into Telugu literature
• Gurajada Apparao (1862–1915), poet, writer and playwright who wrote the first Telugu play, Kanyasulkam; also an influential social reformer sometimes called Mahakavi ("the great poet")
• Gurram Jashuva (1895–1971), a dalit poet and writer and producer of All India Radio, awarded "Padma Bhushan" by the Govt of India, known for poetry on social evils
• Srirangam Srinivasa Rao (1910–1983), marxist poet notable for his work Maha Prasthanam
• Jwalamukhi, pen name of Veeravalli Raghavacharyulu (1938–2008), poet, novelist, writer and political activist
• Viswanatha Satyanarayana (1895–1976), popularly known as the Kavi Samraat ("Emperor of Poetry")
• Balijepalli Lakshmikantham (1881–1953), poet and dramatist
• Chellapilla Venkata Sastry, poet and scholar
• Devulapalli Krishna Sastry (1887–1981), poet and writer of radio plays, known as "Andhra Shelly"
• Devarakonda Balagangadhara Tilak
• Divakarla Tirupati Sastry
• Rayaprolu Subba Rao
• C. R. Reddy

Modern Poets

• C. Narayana Reddy (born 1931), poet, academic and songwriter
• Aarudhra (1925–1998), author, poet, essayist, writer of stories (including detective stories), playwright, translator, composer of film songs
• Mohammad Ismail (born 1928–2003), Telugu-language poet, critic, academic and university administrator.
• Suravaram Pratap Reddy, writer and historian from Telangana
• Kethu Viswanatha Reddy, poet from Rayalaseema
• Gunturu Seshendra Sarma (1927–2007), also known as Yuga Kavi
• Papineni Sivasankar, poet and critic from Andhra Pradesh
• Sirivennela Sitaramasastri, popular poet and lyricist

Religious Leaders and Philosophers[edit]

• Vallabhacharya – one of the prominent Bhakthi movement leaders
• Acharya Nagarjuna – Buddhist philosopher and alchemist
• Yogi Vemana – poet and philosopher
• Pothuluri Veerabrahmam – well-known saint and astrologer in the 17th century
• U. G. Krishnamurti – world-famous 20th century philosopher
• Jiddu Krishnamurti – 20th century spiritual teacher and philosopher
• Sringeri Shankaracharya
• Nimbarka – one of the four principal Vaishnav acharyas of India
• Vishnuswami – one of the four principal Vaishnav acharyas of India
• Vallabha – another major Vaishnav acharya
• Satya Sai Baba – internationally renowned Spiritual Master, based in Puttaparti
• Sadasiva Brahmendra – Bhakthi Poet
• Bhakta Potana – realised Soul and a Bhakthi poet who translated Bhagavatam to Telugu
• Kancherla Gopanna – also popularly known as Ramadasu
• Annamacharya – great devotee of Tirumala Lord Venkateswara who has written 40,000 songs and composed them
• Tyagaraja – great devotee of Lord SriRama who is excelled in carnatic music and have written and composed some 30,000 songs majorly on Sri Rama. He is born of a Telugu family, and brought up in present Tamil Nadu.
• Syama Sastri – oldest among the Trinity of Carnatic music, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar being the other two. All his compositions are in Telugu. He is born of a Telugu family, and brought up in present Tamil Nadu.
• Sadhguru – mystic and yogi. Founder of Isha Yoga, a non profit organization. Born in Mysore to a Telugu-speaking family .^[53]

Academics[edit]

• Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy – First Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University
• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan – Second President of Republic of India, and noted Philosopher
• G. Ram Reddy – Former University Grants Commission chairman
• Sarvepalli Gopal – Indian historian
• Veluri Venkata Krishna Sastry – Archaeologist
• J. N. Reddy – Oscar S. Wyatt Endowed Chair in Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University
• Arjula Ramachandra Reddy – biologist, First vice-chancellor of Yogi Vemana University
• Pavani Parameswara Rao – a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India

Award winners[edit]

Olympic Medalists[edit]

• Karnam Malleswari – Bronze medal for Weightlifting, first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics.
• P. V. Sindhu – Silver medal in 2016 and Bronze medal in 2020 for Badminton, the first Indian to become the Badminton World Champion and the only badminton player from India to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic Games.

Commonwealth Games medallists[edit]

Bharat Ratna[edit]

• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, awarded 1954
• Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, awarded 1955
• V. V. Giri, awarded 1975
• P. V. Narasimha Rao, awarded 2024

Padma Vibhushan[edit]

Padmabhushan[edit]

Padmasri[edit]

Sahitya Akademi Award[edit]

Bala Sahitya Puraskar winners[edit]

Khel Ratna Award[edit]

The Khel Ratna Award is India's highest sporting honor.

• Karnam Malleswari – For Weightlifting
• Pullela Gopichand – For Badminton
• P. V. Sindhu – For Badminton
• Rohit Sharma – For Cricket

Jnanpeeth Award[edit]

• Viswanatha Satyanarayana for his work Ramayana Kalpavrukshamu for the year 1970.
• C. Narayanareddy for his Telugu poetic work Viswambara for the year 1988.
• Ravuri Bharadhwaja for his Telugu poetic work Pakudu Rallu (Crawling Stones) for the year 2012.

Sahitya Akademi Award[edit]

• Viswanadha Satyanarayana for his poetry book Viswanadha Madhyakaralu
• Balantrapu Rajanikanta Rao for Andhra Vaggeyakara Charitramu
• Suravaram Pratap Reddy for his social history book Andhrula Sanghika Charitamu (1955)
• Kethu Viswanatha Reddy for his short stories book Kethu Viswanatha Reddy Kathalu

Dada Saheb Phalke award[edit]

• Bomireddi Narasimha Reddy (1974)
• Paidi Jairaj (1980)
• L. V. Prasad (1982)
• B. Nagi Reddy (1986)
• Akkineni Nageswara Rao (1990)
• D. Ramanaidu (2009)
• K. Viswanath (2016)

Dronacharya Award[edit]

• A. Ramana Rao – Volleyball (1990)
• Shyam Sunder Rao – Volleyball (1995)
• S. M. Arif – Badminton (2000)
• E. Prasad Rao – Kabaddi (2002)
• Koneru Ashok – Chess (2006)
• Pullela Gopichand – Badminton (2009)
• Nagapuri Ramesh – Athletics (2016)
• G. S. S. V. Prasad – Badminton (2017)
• Achanta Srinivasa Rao – Table Tennis (2018)

Arjuna Award[edit]

Ramon Magsaysay Award[edit]

The Ramon Magsaysay Award was established in 1957 in memory of Ramon Magsaysay, the late president of the Philippines. It is often considered to be Asia's Nobel Prize.

• Palagummi Sainath
• Shantha Sinha
• Bezwada Wilson

Guinness World Records[edit]

• S. P. Balasubrahmanyam – holds the Guinness World Record for having sung the most songs for any male playback singer in the world, with the majority of his songs sung in Telugu.
• P. Susheela – She entered the Guinness Book of World Records for recording the highest number of songs in musical history.
• Dasari Narayana Rao – holds the Guinness World Record as the most films directed with 151 films.
• D. Ramanaidu – holds the Guinness World Record as the most prolific producer with 130 films.
• Ramoji Film City – Guinness Record had been awarded to Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad as the largest film studio complex in the world, it opened in 1996 and measures 674 hectares (1,666 acres). With 47 sound stages, it has permanent sets ranging from railway stations to temples.
• Brahmanandam – M.R Brahmanandam holds the Guinness World Record for acting in the most films in a single language, 1000+ films.
• Vijaya Nirmala – in 2002, the Guinness Book of Records named Vijaya Nirmala as the female director with the most films, having made 47 films. In a career spanning approximately two decades, she has acted in over 200 films with 25 each in Malayalam and Tamil and produced 15 films.

Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship[edit]

• V. Satyanarayana Sarma
• Nataraja Ramakrishna
• Vempati Chinna Satyam
• Rallapalli Ananta Krishna Sharma
• V. Satyanarayana Sarma
• M. Balamuralikrishna
• Yamini Krishnamurthy

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award[edit]

International Positions[edit]

United States

South Africa

• Anand Naidoo – South African journalist
• Jailoshini Naidoo – South African actress
• Leeanda Reddy – South African actor

French Yanam

• Diwan Bouloussou Soubramaniam Sastroulou – (Ancien Membre du Conseil Local et Conseil Municipal de Yanaon, Ancien JuryDeYanaon, Former Diwan of Manyam ZamindariofFrench Yanam)
• Bezawada Bapa Naidou – (Ancien Maire De Yanaon)
• Kamichetty Venugopala Rao Naidou – (Ancien Maire De Yanaon)
• Kamichetty Sri Parasurama Varaprasada Rao Naidu – Former MLAofYanam for six consecutive terms and Deputy Speaker, SpeakerofPuducherry Legislative Assembly.
• Dadala Raphael Ramanayya – Freedom fighter
• Samatam Krishnayya – Poet and Pro-French Activist, Maire(interim) de Yanaon
• Malladi Krishna Rao – Puducherry Health Minister^[59]

Modern writers[edit]

Billionaires & CEOs[edit]

Sports[edit]

Cricket

Tennis

• Mahesh Bhupathi – First Indian to win a major tournament^{[citation needed]}
• Saketh Myneni – He won a gold medal in Mixed doubles and a silver medal in Men's doubles event at Incheon Asian Games 2014
• Laxmi Poruri – the first Indian-American female to play professional tennis on the WTA Tour in the modern era
• Rushmi Chakravarthi – She won a record 52 ITF titles, the highest number set by an Indian female player
• Pranjala Yadlapalli – Pranjala has won four singles titles and six doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit
• Vishnu Vardhan – He won bronze medal in men's doubles at 2010 Asian games in Guangzhou, China. He paired-up with and Sania Mirza for mixed doubles and won silver medal at the same event^{[citation needed]}
• Jafreen Shaik – She claimed a bronze medal in the mixed doubles at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics partnering with Prithvi Sekhar
• Sowjanya Bavisetti – Women Tennis player
• Rekha Boyalapalli – Women Tennis player
• Rishika Sunkara – Women Tennis player
• Vishal Punna – Tennis Player
• Bhanu Nunna – Tennis Player

Speedcubing

• Krishnam Raju Gadiraju – is an accomplished Indian speedcuber and unicyclist. He is a six-time world record holder and the first Indian to ever set a world record in speedcubing and unicycling.

Human Calculator

• Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash – is a human calculator from India, and is titled as the "World's Fastest Human Calculator". BBC said "Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash is to math (mental calculation) what Usain Bolt is to running".

Chess

Football

Other Countries

• Vikash Dhorasoo – French international footballer, played for France in 2006 World Cup

Others

• Neelapu Rami Reddy – Sprinter and athletics champion
• K. Krishna Mohan – the first Indian to break the 14 second barrier in 110 metre hurdles^[60]
• Shamsher Khan – was an Indian swimmer who represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics^[61][62]
• Anup Kumar Yama – Roller Skater
• Aruna Reddy – an Indian female artistic gymnast, representing at international competitions. She won bronze medal in 2018 World Cup Gymnastics in women's vault event in Melbourne. She created history by becoming the first Indian to clinch a medal at Gymnastics World Cup
• K. Srinivas – He was the Indian national carrom champion and the winner of the 4th Carrom World Cup held at the Maldives
• Ambati Prudhvi Reddy – Basketball player
• B. V. Satyanarayan – He competed in the men's long jump at the 1960 Summer Olympics and the 1964 Summer Olympics

Boxing

• Usha Nagisetty – She won the gold medal at the 2008 Asian Women Boxing Championships^[63] and the silver medal at the 2008 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship.^[64]
• Mohammad Hussamuddin – Hussamuddin won a Bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held at Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia
• Nikhat Zareen – She won gold medal at the 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships.She has become the fifth Indian woman to win a gold medal at the IBA World Boxing Championships
• Bharadwaj Dayala – the first Indian to complete a solo tour around the world on an Indian-made Karizma motorcycle
• Sri Vyshnavi Yarlagadda – the first Indian to set a Junior World Record and also the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in World Junior Memory Championships.She is the youngest and the first woman in India to achieve the International Master of Memory title

Archery

• Jignas Chittibomma – He is noted as the youngest archer in India's team and being instrumental in winning team silver medal in Commonwealth Games of 2010 that was held at New Delhi in India
• Pranitha Vardhineni – Pranitha Vardhineni represented India in the women's individual and team archery events at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
• Cherukuri Lenin – he won a silver medal at the Asian Grand Prix in Malaysia
• Jyothi Surekha Vennam – At the age of 13, she won an Olympic round gold medal at the Mexican Grand Prix. At the Mexican Grand Prix, she also won bronze (20m) and three silver (50m and 40m)
• Dhiraj Bommadevara
• Jayalakshmi Sarikonda – She competes in the compound women event. She won medals in international archery events

Volleyball

• A. Ramana Rao – He was the head coach for the Indian men's volleyball team at the Asian Men's Volleyball Championship at Perth in 1991. He was also the first Indian volleyball coach to qualify as FIVB Instructor in the German Democratic Republic in 1986
• Shyam Sunder Rao – former Indian volleyball player and coach.He is a recipient of Arjuna award and, in 1995, the Dronacharya award
• Yejju Subba Rao – He was the President of Volleyball Federation of India honored Y Subba Rao with Five Gold coins for his extraordinary contribution towards Indian volleyball
• P. V. Ramana – He was a member of the India men's national volleyball team. In the 1986 Asian Games, he was part of the team that won a bronze medal
• Tilakam Gopal – is a former volleyball player from India. He captained the India national team at the 1966 Asian Games

Weight Lifting

• Karnam Malleswari – Olympic medalist in weight lifting
• Ragala Venkat Rahul – He won a gold medal in the men's 85 kg weight class at the 2018 Commonwealth GamesinGold Coast, Australia
• Valluri Srinivasa Rao – Weight lifter, winner of bronze medal in the 2010 Commonwealth GamesinDelhi in the Men's 56 kg category
• Santoshi Matsa – She won the silver medal in the women's 53 kg weight class at the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow
• Shailaja Pujari – She won 3 Gold Medals in the women's 75 kg weight class at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Manchester
• Neelam Setti Laxmi – She won two silver medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
• Badathala Adisekhar – He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics
• Manikyalu Malla Venkata – He competed in the men's flyweight event at the 1984 Summer Olympics
• Kamineni Eswara Rao – He competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics and the 1956 Summer Olympics
• Dandamudi Rajagopal Rao – First Indian weightlifting champion continuously for 13 years from 1945 to 1958 popularly known as Indian Tarzan

Body Builders

• Kodi Rammurthy Naidu – Bodybuilder and wrestler
• Laxman Reddy – Body Building champion – Winner, Mr. World 2010
• Thota Narasayya Naidu – Professional Wrestler and Freedom fighter

Table tennis

• Sharath Kamal – The first Indian table tennis player ever to become ten times Senior National Champion
• Sreeja Akula – Table Tennis

Field Hockey

• Mukesh Kumar – represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics. Triple Olympian and winner of Arjuna award-1995, Padmashri Award-2003
• Rajani Etimarpu – The first Women from Andhra pradesh to be part of the Indian women's hockey team and 2016 Rio Olympics
• Alloysius Edwards – Olympian Atlanta and Sydney Olympics 1996^[65]

Badminton

Racing

• Narain Karthikeyan – India's first Formula 1 driver
• S. Karivardhan – car constructor and National Champion
• Anindith Reddy – National Champion Driver in the 2016 Euro JK 16, JK 17 Championship

Mountain climbing

• Malavath Purna – Youngest female to climb Mount Everest
• Malli Mastan Babu – World record of climbing the Seven Summits in the shortest span of time at that point

Films[edit]

Actors

Actresses

Producers, Writer and Directors

Singers

• Ghantasala – Legendary Singer and music Composer.
• S.P. Balasubrahmanyam – Singer, Guinness record holder having sung most songs by any male
• S. Janaki – a legendary South Indian playback singer
• P. Susheela – a legendary South Indian playback singer
• S.P. Sailaja – Singer
• Mano – Singer
• Madhavapeddi Satyam – Singer

Artists[edit]

• Pakhal Tirumal Reddy – Artist
• Siddharth Katragadda – Artist Writer Filmmaker Poet
• Krishna Reddy – Printmaker and sculptor
• Laxma Goud
• Damerla Rama Rao
• Vempati Chinna Satyam – Exponent of Kuchipudi dance
• Raja and Radha Reddy – Kuchipudi dancers
• Shobha Naidu – Kuchipudi dancer
• Yamini Reddy – Kuchipudi dancer
• Eelapata Raghuramaiah – Stage and Cine Actor of Andhra Pradesh

Musicians and Composers[edit]

Journalists[edit]

• Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao – journalist of early twentieth century and father of the library movement in Andhra, Founder of Andhra patrika
• N. Subba Rao Pantulu and D.Kesava Rao pantulu (Co Founders of The Hindu)
• Patanjali – ex-chief editor, Sakshi
• G. K. Reddy – Journalist
• Suravaram Pratapareddy – Founder of Golconda Patrika, a journal in Hyderabad State
• Palagummi Sainath – Rural India Affairs Reporter, The Hindu
• Puripanda Appala Swamy.
• Panchajanya - Founder, Mahanagar Dinapatrika
• Devaraaya Atluri - Owner, Mahanagar Dinapatrika
• Nadimpalli Seetharamaraju – Journalist^[66]

See also[edit]

• List of Telugu poets

References[edit]