Bhakti movement also provided an impetus to the growth of other regional languages such as Telugu and Kannada in the south
Mahabharata was translated into Telugu by Nannaya in the 11th century AD. This was considered as the beginning of literary work in Telugu. The kirtans written by the poet-saint Annamacharya on Lord Vishnu led to an increase in the popularity of Telugu. Vallabhacharya had enriched the Telugu literature with his works like the Bhagvata Tika, Subodhami etc.
In Kannada, the trio of Pampa, Ponna, and Ranna had produced their works which contributed to the development of the language.
In the 12th century AD, the Virashaiva religious movement began gaining popularity under Basavesvara. He advocated the use of simple Kannada as the medium for instruction, which increased in appeal among the common people. His contemporaries like Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi invented a new type of prose composition called the Vachanas. Noted for their directness, simplicity and poetic beauty, they played an important role in the enrichment of Kannada literature.
