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{{Short description|17th century Indian composer and poet}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Bhadrachala Ramadasu
| image = Bhakta Ramadasu statue in Bhadrachalam.JPG
| caption = Bhakta Ramadasu singing a song in Rama's praise
| image_size =
| birth_name = Kancharla Gopanna (Goparaju)
| alias = Ramadasu, Bhakta Ramadasu
| birth_place = [[Nelakondapalli]], [[Golconda Sultanate]] (present-day [[Khammam District, Telangana]], India)
| birth_date = {{circa|1620}}
| death_place = Bhadrachalam
| death_date = 1688 (aged 68)
| instrument =
| genre = [[Carnatic music]]
| occupation = [[Tehsildar]] and [[Vaggeyakara]]
| years_active =
| label =
| associated_acts =
| website = {{url|bhadrachalaramadasu.com}}
}}

'''Kancharla Gopanna''' ({{lang-te|కంచర్ల గోపన్న}}) ({{circa|1620}} – 1688), popularly known as '''Bhakta Ramadasu''' or '''Bhadrachala Ramadasu''' ({{lang-te|భద్రాచల రామదాసు}}), was a 17th-century devotee of the [[Hindu deities|Hindu god]] [[Rama]], a saint-poet and a composer of [[Carnatic music]]. He is a famous ''Vaggeyakara'' (classical composer){{efn|name=a|This title denotes a person who not only composes lyrics but also sets them to music; ''Vāk'' denotes a word or speech while ''Geyakāra'' denotes a singer with the prefix ''Geya'' meaning singing or singable in Sanskrit.}} from the Telugu classical era. He was born in the village of [[Nelakondapalli]] in Khammam district, and orphaned as a teenager. He spent his later years in [[Bhadrachalam]] and 12 years in solitary confinement at the Golconda prison during the [[Qutb Shahi dynasty|Qutb Shahi]]-rule. Different mythical stories about his life circulate in the Telugu tradition. He is renowned for constructing the famous [[Sita Ramachandraswamy Temple, Bhadrachalam|Sita Ramachandraswamy Temple]] and pilgrimage center on the banks of river Godavari at Bhadrachalam. His devotional ''kirtana'' lyrics to Rama illustrate the classical Pallavi, Anupallavi and Caranam genre composed mostly in Telugu, some in Sanskrit and with occasional use of Tamil language. These are famous in South Indian classical music as ''Ramadaasu Keertanalu''.He influenced later composers such as the doyen of South Indian classical music and bhakti movement saint [[Tyagaraja]]. His songs continue to be sung at the Sita Ramachandraswamy Temple in Bhadrachalam.

Ramadasu was a [[Sri Vaishnavism|Sri Vaishnava]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Kuppuswamy|first1=Gowri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=93kHAQAAMAAJ|title=Glimpses of Indian Music|last2=Hariharan|first2=Muthuswamy|date=1982|publisher=Sundeep|isbn=978-81-7574-037-2|pages=13|language=en}}</ref> Ramadasu was a writer of Telugu [[satakam]]s. He wrote the Daasarathi Satakamu (దాశరథి శతకము) with a 'makuTamu' (మకుటము) 'Daasarathee Karunaa payonidhee' (దాశరథీ కరుణా పయోనిధీ!), a collection of nearly 108 poems dedicated to Rama.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rādhākr̥ṣṇaśarma|first=Callā|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JgZkAAAAMAAJ|title=The Ramayana in Telugu and Tamil: A Comparative Study|date=1973|publisher=Lakshminarayana Granthamala|pages=160|language=en}}</ref>

==Early life and background==
Kancherla Gopanna (Goparaju), later known as Bhakta Ramadasu, was born in a moderately well to do [[Telugu language|Telugu]] speaking [[Niyogi Brahmin]] family to Linganna Mantri and Kamamba in [[Nelakondapalli]] village in the [[Khammam district|Khammam District]] of [[Telangana]]. He was orphaned in the teens, triggering an impoverished life, sustained by singing bhakti songs to Rama and collecting rice door to door.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Rao|first=Balantrapu Rajanikanta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KTfuxeCsqrUC|title=Ramadasu|date=1988|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|pages=17–19|language=en}}</ref> His life story has been largely reconstructed from poems he composed or is assumed to have composed, where there is a mention of events of his life. For example, one bhakti song mentions ''Narayanadasulu'', a term linked to the Narayana mantra, is believed to be linked to Sri Vaishnavism guru Raghunatha Bhattacharya, who initiated him as a boy into the Dasarathi tradition. These and other hagiographic accounts found in Yakshagana or Harikatha compilations present him as a boy-prodigy with an impulsively creative mind composing lyrics on the Hindu god Rama.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rao|first=Balantrapu Rajanikanta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KTfuxeCsqrUC|title=Ramadasu|date=1988|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|pages=35–39|language=en}}</ref>

His maternal uncles were the [[Madanna and Akkanna]] brothers. They had helped [[Abul Hasan Qutb Shah]] (Tana Shah) gain power after the death of [[Abdullah Qutb Shah]] in 1672, Tana Shah's father-in-law. As reward for their material support during a period of power struggle with Aurangzeb and the Mughal Empire, the brothers were appointed ministers at the court of [[Tana Shah]] of the [[Qutb Shahi dynasty]] in [[Kingdom of Golconda]].<ref>B Rajanikanta Rao (1991), Ramadasu, Sahitya Akademi, {{oclc|20746068}}, pages 18–20</ref> They helped their orphaned nephew Gopanna. Beyond this, little is known about his early life and much is shrouded in mythistory created by the later hagiographic tradition. He is said to have learned [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Kannada]], [[Persian language|Persian]], and [[Urdu]].<ref name=":0" />

==Career==
In 1650, Gopanna traveled to Hyderabad to meet his maternal uncles, who were at that time working in the tax department of Golconda Sultanate under the minister Mirza Mohammed Sayyad. They persuaded the minister to give a job to their nephew Gopanna. Mirza Mohammed Sayyad appointed Gopanna in tax collection department in Bhadrachalam, where the temple dedicated to Rama already existed.<ref name=rao1720/>

A different version of his career is found in ''Ramadasu Charitra'', a hagiographic Telugu text. It states that sometime after 1672, Ramadasu in his early 50s, was appointed as the ''[[tahsildar]]'' (tax collector) of 'Palvoncha Paragana' by Akkanna, his uncle, who was then a minister and the administrative head in the court of [[Qutub Shahi]] Sultan [[Abul Hassan Tana Shah]].<ref name=rao1720/>

There are contradictory stories about his life after he became the tehsildar and led the tax collection activities at Bhadrachalam. All these stories share a common theme – he collecting Jizya religious tax from Hindus in Bhadrachalam area, he reconstructing or building anew the famed large Rama temple of Bhadrachalam, partly with donations and partly with tax he had collected for the Golconda Sultanate, his arrest on charges of fraud and misuse of the taxes, he spending 12 years in solitary confinement in Golconda prison where he composed poems for the Hindu god Rama, his release and return to Bhadrachalam. In some version, god Rama and his brother Lakshmana reappear on earth and pay the ransom demanded by Golconda Sultanate for his release. In other versions, the Sultan under attack from Aurangzeb forces and facing imminent collapse, opens a new trial, finds him innocent and acquits him. The varying accounts are found in the records of the Dutch East India company, the temple's hagiography, and the regional Telugu oral traditions.<ref name=rao1720>{{cite book | author1=Doug Glener | author2=Sarat Komaragiri | title=Wisdom's Blossoms: Tales of the Saints of India | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9COXAgAAQBAJ | year=2002 | publisher=Shambhala Publications | isbn=978-0-8348-2938-1|chapter=Chapter 23: The Might of the Mighty}}</ref><ref>B Rajanikanta Rao (1991), Ramadasu, Sahitya Akademi, {{oclc|20746068}}, pages 17–21</ref> Two Telugu movies provide additional creative versions of his career and events, again with different and conflicting accounts.<ref name="Bhrugubanda2018">{{cite book|author=Uma Maheswari Bhrugubanda|title=Deities and Devotees: Cinema, Religion, and Politics in South India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m-uuvgEACAAJ |year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-948735-6}}</ref>

=== Reconstruction of temple ===
[[File:12BCM11.jpg|right|thumb|x216px|Sri Ramanavami Kalyanam [[utsava]] at [[Bhadrachalam Temple]], in [[Telangana]]]]
Once, Ramadasu visited Bhadrachalam for a [[Fair|Jatara]] (fair) and was disturbed by the dilapidated state of the [[Sita Ramachandraswamy temple, Bhadrachalam|Rama temple]] there. Bhadrachalam is significant to devotees of Rama for many reasons. Lord Rama stayed near the Parnasala there with [[Sita]] and [[Lakshmana]] during his exile and also visited [[Shabari]] near Bhadrachalam (although it is believed that Shabari used to live near [[Kishkindha]], the kingdom of [[Vanaras]] in [[Ramayana]] which is believed to be near [[Hampi]] ). [[Pothana]] is believed to have been given direction by Rama to translate the [[Bhagavata Purana]] into [[Telugu language|Telugu]] here. In spite of its significance, the temple was utterly neglected. So, Ramadasu started to raise funds for the renovation and reconstruction of the temple. After he emptied his coffers and could raise no more money, the villagers appealed him to spend his revenue collections for the reconstruction and promised to repay the amount after harvesting crops. As such, Ramadas finished the reconstruction of the temple with six hundred thousand rupees collected from land revenues - without the permission of the [[Abul Hasan Qutb Shah]].

As the temple was nearing completion, he was perplexed one night about fixing the [[Sudarshana Chakra]] at the crest of the main temple. On the same night, it is believed that he saw Rama in his dream and asked him to have a holy dip in the [[Godavari River]]. When Gopanna did so the next day, it is believed that he found the holy Sudarshana Chakra in the river very easily.

=== Incarceration ===
The story continues that soon after the reconstruction, his miseries started. He was dismissed from his job by his enemies who spread a lot of fake news.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/article3143548.ece|title=Ramadasu 'Karagruham' in Golconda fort vandalized |date=6 April 2006|newspaper=The Hindu}}</ref> (near [[Hyderabad, Telangana|Hyderabad]]) Ramadas was cast into jail with orders that he be released only after the exchequer received all the taxes in full. Ramadas implores Rama through many emotional songs that were popularized from the stanzas of 'Dasaradhi Sathakam ' and 'Keertanas' of Bhakta Ramadasa. They praise the Lord for all his mysterious ways in popularizing his devotees and Ramadas regularly sings to the Lord. The songs end in a state of total and unconditional surrender to the will of the Almighty.

=== Release and Sultan's unanticipated devotion towards Rama ===
After twelve years, Sultan [[Tana Shah]] saw Rama in his dream and found ''Rama mudras'' (golden coins with Rama's image on it) beside him.<br />Thereafter he released Ramadasu and established a tradition to send [[Pearls]] to the [[Sita Ramachandraswamy temple, Bhadrachalam|Bhadrachalam temple]] on every [[Rama Navami]] festival and this tradition was continued by the next rulers like [[Nizams of Hyderabad]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The e-Abode of Bhadrachala Sree Seetha Ramachandra Swamy |url=http://www.bhadrachalarama.org/templehistory.html |website=www.bhadrachalarama.org}}</ref>

== Compositions ==
Ramadasu is one of the bhakti movement poet-saints of Hinduism, and a revered composer in the Carnatic music tradition. His compositions are largely ''kirtan'' genre, all focused on the Hindu god Rama of the ''Ramayana'' fame. He is most known for his pallavi, anupallavi and caranam compositions in Telugu and some in Sanskrit. His musical mudras vary and are remembered by his name or his favorite place Bhadrachalam; for example, Ramadas, Bhadrachalavasa, Bhadradri, Bhadragiri, Bhadrasyla and others. His compositions were popular in his days, and influenced many into the modern age. This includes Tyagaraja who dedicated 5 of his own compositions in praise of Ramadasu, with one equating him to figures such as the Narada muni and bhakta Prahlada, legendary and much loved personalities in Hinduism.<ref>T. Sharada (2003), ''Rescue of Bhadrachalam Ramadas from Imprisonment'', Sruti: Journal of the India Music and Dance Society, Volume 5, Issue 3, page 5</ref>

He composed ''Dasarathi Satakam'', a bhakti poem with didactic metric style whose lines and stanzas are often sung or shared in the regional Telugu tradition.<ref>B Rajanikanta Rao (1991), Ramadasu, Sahitya Akademi, {{oclc|20746068}}, pages 30–31</ref> However, like the works of many poet-saints and philosophers on the Indian subcontinent, it is unclear which of the poems attributed to Ramadasu were authentically composed by him. There are six compilations named after Ramadasu, four of which are all called ''Ramadasu Charitra'', one called ''Bhadrachala Ramadasu'' and another called ''Bhakta Ramadasu''. These are in the form of a Yakshagana or Harikatha about Ramadasu and his songs. They are from six authors – Yadavadasu, Singaridasu, Krishnadasu, Ayyagiri Veerbhadra Rao, Balaji Dasu, and Pentapati Rao. Many contain between 100 and 108, but one has 137 songs attributed to Ramadasu. Taken together, a total of 190 different compositions have been attributed to him, with one critical edition attributing 37 songs before he was arrested by Islamic authorities, 64 while he was held in jail for 12 years, and 31 songs in the final years after his release. Thus, 132 songs are likely to have been composed by Ramadasu. Further, a notable feature of Ramadasu's compositions is his knowledge and his use of ragas from both South Indian schools (20 ragas) and North Indian schools (17 ragas), thereby uniting the two classical musical traditions.<ref>B Rajanikanta Rao (1991), Ramadasu, Sahitya Akademi, {{oclc|20746068}}, pages 46–48</ref>

In non-scholarly claims feeding the popular imagination, many more compositions are attributed to him. For example, according to the Indian newspaper ''The Hindu'', Ramadasu composed nearly 300 songs and his works on Rama moved the Sultan.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-youngworld/article3227332.ece|title=Long long ago when faith moved a king|date=14 April 2006|newspaper=The Hindu}}</ref> The Navaratna krithis of Ramadasu are as follows:

{|class="wikitable"
! ''#'' !! ''Composition'' !! ''[[Raga]]'' !! ''[[Tala (music)|Tāḷa]]'' !! ''Language''
|-
| ''1'' || ''Adigo Bhadradri''|| ''[[Varali]]'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''2'' || ''Sree Rama Namame'' || ''[[Atana]]'' || ''Ādi''(Thisra) || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''3'' || ''Paluke Bangaramayena'' || ''[[Anandabhairavi]]'' || ''Rūpaka'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''4'' || ''Sree Ramula Divyanama'' || ''[[Saveri|Sāvēri]]'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''5'' || ''Ramajogi Mandu'' || ''[[Kamas (raga)|Kamas]]'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''6'' || ''Tarakamantramu'' || ''[[Dhanyasi]]'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''7'' || ''Hari Hari Rama'' || ''[[Kanada (raga group)|Kanada]]'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''8'' || ''Takkuvemi Manaku'' || ''[[Sorath (raga)|Saurashtra]]'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''9'' || ''Kantinedu Maa Ramula'' || ''Nadanamakriya'' || ''Khandachapu'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
|}
The above krithis are sung on the occasion of Bhadrachala Ramadasu Jayathi Utsavam, which falls in January and February of every year. Carnatic musicians and singers all over India will perform in this event.

Other popular compositions of ramadasu are as follows:-

{|class="wikitable"
! ''#'' !! ''Composition'' !! ''[[Raga]]'' !! ''[[Tala (music)|Tāḷa]]'' !! ''Language''
|-
| ''1'' || ''Ye teeruga''|| ''Nadanamakriya'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''2'' || ''Emayya rama'' || ''[[Kambhoji]]'' || ''Ādi''|| ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''3'' || ''Ennaganu rama bhajana'' || ''[[Kamavardhini|Pantuvaraali]]'' || ''Rūpaka'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''4'' || ''Antha ramamayam'' || ''[[Anandabhairavi]]'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''5'' || ''Iskshvaku kula tilaka'' || ''[[Yadukulakamboji]]'' || ''Chapu'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''6'' || ''Sri rama ni nama'' || ''[[Poorvi Kalyani]]'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''7'' || ''Ramachandrulu napai'' || ''[[Asaveri]]'' || ''Chapu'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''8'' || ''Rama rama bhadrachala'' || ''Nilambari'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''9'' || ''Dorikane bhadrachala nilayudu'' || ''[[Kambhoji]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''10'' || ''Bhajare sriramam''|| ''[[Kalyani (raga)|Kalyani]]'' || ''Ādi'' || ''[[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]''
|-
| ''11'' || ''Rama chandrayajanka'' || ''[[Kurunji]]'' || ''Eka''|| ''[[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]''
|-
| ''12'' || ''Dasaratha rama govindha'' || ''[[Sankarabharanam (raga)|Shankarabharanam]]'' || ''Kapu'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''13'' || ''Charanamule nammithi'' || ''[[Kapi (raga)|Kapi]]'' || ''Ādi''|| ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''14'' || ''Pahi Rama Prabho'' || ''[[Madhyamavati]]'' || ''Jhampa'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''15'' || ''Nanu brovamani cheppave'' || ''[[Kalyani (raga)|Kalyani]]'' || ''Chapu'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''16'' || ''Thakkuvemi manaku'' || ''[[Suryakantham]]'' || ''Chapu'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''17'' || ''Kamala nayana vasudeva'' || ''Shenjurutti'' || ''Roopakam'' || ''[[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]''
|-
| ''18'' || ''Pavana rama'' || ''[[Dhanyasi]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''19'' || ''Rama bhadra ra ra'' || ''[[Sankarabharanam (raga)|Shankarabharanam]]'' || ''Tisra'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''20'' || ''Nanda baalam'' || ''[[Manirangu]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]''
|-
| ''21'' || ''Garuda gamana ra'' || ''[[Saveri]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''22'' || ''Rama ra ra'' || ''[[Kamas (raga)|Kamas]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-
| ''23'' || ''Narahari deva janardhana'' || ''[[Yamunakalyani]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]''
|-
| ''24'' || ''Palayamam sri'' || ''[[Sri]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]''
|-
| ''25'' || ''Pahimam sri rama ante'' || ''[[Yadukulakamboji]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''
|-

|}
* ''Ramachandraya Janaka Rajaaja Manohara'' in Kurinji
* ''Tarakamantramu'' in [[Dhanyasi]]
* ''Ye Teeruga Nanu'' in Nadanamakriya
* ''Adigo Bhadradri'' in [[Varali]]
* ''Anta Ramamayam'' in [[Darbari Kannada]]
* ''Charanamulae Nammidhi'' in [[Kapi (raga)|Kapi]]
* ''Rama Ra Ra'' in [[Kamas (raga)|Kamas]]
* ''Dasharatha Rama Govindha'' in [[Kamas (raga)|Kamas]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2005/09/16/stories/2005091601940300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907163346/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2005/09/16/stories/2005091601940300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 September 2006|title=A classical salute to music|date=14 September 2005|pages=03|work=[[The Hindu]]|via=The Hindu (old)}}</ref>
* ''O Rama ni namamu'' in Poorvi Kalyani<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sify.com/carnaticmusic/season2003/fullstory.php?id=13360823&t=Concert%20Reviews|title=- Sify.com|access-date=2009-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105010028/http://www.sify.com/carnaticmusic/season2003/fullstory.php?id=13360823&t=Concert%2520Reviews|archive-date=2013-11-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* ''Paluke bangara mayena'' in [[Anandabhairavi|Ananda Bhairavi]]

==Popular culture==
*Thespian [[Chittor V. Nagaiah]] produced, directed, and essayed Kancherla Gopanna in [[Ramadasu]] which won the National Film Award.
*[[K. Raghavendra Rao]] directed [[Sri Ramadasu]] with [[Nagarjuna (actor)|Nagarjuna]] as Kancherla Gopanna.<ref>{{cite news |title=Raghavendra Rao plans to direct another spiritual film - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/Raghavendra-Rao-plans-to-direct-another-spiritual-film/articleshow/49025489.cms |access-date=20 August 2020 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*http://www.bhadradriramadarsini.com
*http://www.karnatik.com/co1015.shtml
*http://www.bhadrachalarama.org/templehistory.html

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhadrachala Ramadasu}}
[[Category:Telugu people|Ramadasu, Bhadradri]]
[[Category:17th-century Hindu religious leaders]]
[[Category:Telugu poets]]
[[Category:1620 births]]
[[Category:1680 deaths]]
[[Category:Carnatic composers]]
[[Category:17th-century classical composers]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian composers]]
[[Category:Indian male classical musicians]]
[[Category:17th-century male writers]]
[[Category:Poets from Telangana]]
[[Category:Musicians from Telangana]]
[[Category:17th-century male musicians]]

Bhadrachala Ramadasu - Revision history

UpdateBot at 14:59, 11 May 2022