Person · Telugu poet & revenue officer
Bhadrāchala Rāmadāsu
Also known as Ramadasu, Kancharla Gopanna, Gopanna, Bhakta Ramadasu
Tahsildār of Bhadrāchalam under the Qutb Shāhī state who spent the land revenue he had collected on rebuilding the Rāma temple there about 1674, and was imprisoned in Golconda for twelve years for it. The kīrtanas he wrote in prison are still core Telugu devotional repertoire.
- Date
- 1620 – 1680
- Function
- Text & inscription
- Tradition
- Dāśarathi Śatakamu; Rāmadāsu kīrtanas
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
Worth knowing
The Telangana state, successor to the Nizām's, still sends pearls to the temple for Rāma's wedding each year — a practice begun under Tānā Shāh, the ruler who jailed him. Tyāgarāja names him as a predecessor, which places him in the Carnatic line as well.
Connections (1)
- PatronageBhadrāchalam
Gopanna built the Bhadrāchalam temple about 1674 with revenue he was supposed to remit to Golconda, and was jailed twelve years for the shortfall. The songs he wrote in that cell are still sung; the Telangana government still sends pearls for Rāma's wedding, continuing a practice begun by the ruler who imprisoned him.
Sources
Wikipedia, “Bhadrachala Ramadasu”. The subject’s own writings where they survive, and the standard biographical literature.
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