In his 1965 historical fiction Tungabhadrar Teere (By the Tungabhadra), the Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay wrote:
Bandyopadhyay, while speaking of the lack of activity near the Tungabhadra, compares the river to her better-known counterparts in north India, such as the Ganga and Yamuna. His words, though a lament, belie the fact that the Tungabhadra is the sole remaining witness of the political upheavals in the Vijayanagara kingdom.
Set in the Vijayanagara empire, established in 1336, Tungabhadrar Teere discusses the historically relevant marriage of the princess of Kalinga, in present-day Odisha, to the Deva Raya (King of Vijayanagara), while weaving a story of political intrigue and secrets within this historical backdrop. In the book's foreword, Bandyopadhyay clarifies that it is not an entirely fictional story, but historical fiction.
Indian literary tradition is full of examples where trees and rivers have acted as witness to events. Stories related to the Mahabharata have often used time as a backdrop, and a sutradhar (narrator) to tell the stories connected with the epic. In a similar vein, Bandyopadhyay gives eyes and voice to the Tungabhadra, which narrates the historical events that played out there.