Dinavartamani began in 1855 as Bilingual in Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

 and Telugu

Telugu language

Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

 with a separate edition of Telugu started in 1856. Dinavartamani was a weekly edited by Peter Percival

Peter Percival

Peter Percival was a British born missionary, linguist and a pioneering educator in Sri Lanka and South India during the British colonial era. His work influenced prominent people such as Robert Bruce Foote a pioneering geologist and archeologist and Arumuka Navalar, a Hindu revivalist...

 and issued from Madras. Its Telugu edition in 1856 had a circulation of 700 copies. The journal covered routine news, science, tales and a few essays on topics of general interest.