Kancherla Gopanna

Kancharla Gopanna (Ramadasu)
Kancherla Gopanna Statue at Bhadrachalam
Background information
Birth name	Kancharla Gopanna (Goparaju)
Also known as	Ramadasu, Bhakta RamaDasu
Born	1621 Nelakondapalli Village, Khammam Dist, Telangana
Died	1680 (aged 60) Bhadrachallam
Genres	Carnatic music
Occupation(s)	Tahsildar and Poet

Kancherla Gopanna (Telugu: కంచర్ల గోపన్న) (c 1620 – 1680), popularly known as Bhakta Ramadasu or Bhadrachala Ramadasu (Telugu: భద్రాచల రామదాసు), was a 16th-century Indian devotee of Rama and a composer of Carnatic music. He is one among the famous vaggeyakaras (a person who not only composes the lyrics but also sets them to music; vāk = word, speech; geya = singing, singable; geyakāra = singer) in the Telugu language. Other famous vaggeyakaras in Telugu include Tyagaraja, Annamayya, Kshetrayya, and Shyama Sastri. He lived in the village of Nelakondapalli near Bhadrachalam, Telangana during the 16th century and is renowned for constructing a famous temple for Rama at Bhadrachalam. His devotional lyrics to Rama are famous in South Indian classical music as Ramadaasu Keertanalu. Even the doyen of South Indian classical music Saint Tyagaraja learned his musical compositions. He also wrote Dasarathi Shatakamu (దాశరథి శతకము) with a 'makuTamu' (మకుటము) 'Dasaradhee Karuna payonidhi' (దాశరథీ కరుణా పయోనిధీ!), a collection of nearly 108 poems dedicated to the son of Dasaratha (Lord Rama).

Legend has that Kancherla Gopanna (Goparaju) renowned as Bhaktha Ramadasu was born in an affluent Telugu Niyogi Brahmin family to Linganna Mantri and Kamamba in Nelakondapalli village of Khammam dist Taluk (Warangal Division of erstwhile Hyderabad State) of northern Telangana (Deccan region). He was the nephew of Madanna of the Madanna and Akkanna brothers who were ministers at the court of Tana Shah of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty in Golconda. Gopanna was later hired as the Tehsildar of Palvancha Taluk by Tana Shah.