Tenali Ramakrishna
| Tenali Ramakrishna | |
|---|---|
| Native name | తెనాలి రామకృష్ణ |
| Born | Garalapati Ramakrishna 15th century Garalapadu, Guntur District Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Died | 15th century |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Language | Telugu |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Genre | Religion, Folk, |
| Subject | Telugu literature |
Tenali Ramakrishna, who was known as Vikatakavi (jester poet), was a Telugu poet who hailed from the present-day Andhra Pradesh region, generally known for his wit and humour. He was one of the Ashtadiggajas or the eight poets at the court of Krishnadevaraya, the Vijayanagara emperor (reign: 1509–1529).
Tenali Ramakrishna composed works on Hinduism. Ramalinga, as he was originally called, is said to have been Shaivite by birth but he eventually converted to Vaishnavism and changed his name to Ramakrishna.
Tenali Ramalingacharyulu was born in a Telugu Vishwabrahmin family as Garlapati Ramakrishna, in a village called Thumuluru during the early part of the sixteenth century while it is widely believed that he was born in Tenali. His father was Garlapati Ramayya, who served as a priest in the Ramalingesvara swami temple in Tenali.
Ramayya died when Ramakrishna was very young. His mother Lakshmamma returned to her native place Tenali to live with her brother. Ramakrishna grew up in his uncle’s town and so came to be known as Tenali Ramakrishna. He was also known as Tenali Ramalinga, a Shaiva (Shiva-worshipping sect) name. It is believed that he later converted to Vaishnavism.
Tenali Ramakrishna did not receive any formal education during his childhood, but became a great scholar, due to his thirst for knowledge. As per a well-known tale, the Vaishnava (devotees of Vishnu) scholars rejected to accept him as a disciple, as he was a Shaiva. Later while roaming aimlessly, he met a sage, who advised him to worship the goddess Kali. He worshipped and appeased the goddess with his devotion. Kali appeared before him and admired his sense of humour and blessed him that one day, he would be acclaimed as a great comic-poet in the court of King Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara. Later, he joined the famous troupe of 'Bhagavatha Mela'. When the troupe came to Vijayanagara to perform in front of the king, Ramakrishna's performance caught the eye of the King and other people. He shared his life story with Krishnadevaraya, who granted him the post of the comic poet in the court, completing the Ashtadiggajas (The eight scholars) group. Ramakrishna attained fame as a great jester poet. The records also state that Ramalinga was instrumental in protecting the King Rayalu many times, coming to his rescue in critical situations. A popular story narrates how Ramalinga protected Vijayanagara from the Delhi Sultanate by his timely wit and strategy.
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