History of Telugu land. 1. Ancient Foundations and Antiquity (c. 800 BCE – 3rd Century CE) Early References and Tribal Beginnings The earliest textual references to the Telugu-speaking tract appear in Vedic literature, notably the Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda (c. 800–500 BCE). In these texts, the Andhras are described as a distinct non-Aryan tribal group living on the southern fringes of Indo-Aryan settlement near the Yamuna, who migrated across the Vindhya range into the

Telugu ranks as the fourteenth most spoken native language worldwide and stands as the most widely spoken Dravidian tongue.