UpdateBot at 22:05, 15 February 2022

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'''Gopana''' (c. 14th century CE) was an army officer and a [[Telugu language|Telugu]] poet who composed ''Sindhumati Vilasamu'', the first Telugu literary work of the Southern school. Gopana was also one of the important generals in the army of the [[Vijayanagara]] prince [[Kumara Kampana|Kumara Kampana II]] and played a leading role in the conquest of the [[Madurai Sultanate]].

Gopana who was the General of [[Kumara Kampana|Kumara Kampana II]], the son of [[Bukka Raya I|Bukka Raya]] the founder of [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara empire]] credited to sweep the country clear of Islamic invaders, killed the muslim governor at Madurai, restored the temple of [[Srirangam]] to its former condition. The idol of [[Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam|Ranganatha]] was restored to its own home.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ayyangar|first=Krishnaswami|title=Sources of Vijayanagar History|publisher=University of Madras|year=1911|isbn=|location=|pages=26}}</ref>

== Personal life ==

Gopana was born in an Arvela [[Niyogi]] [[Brahmin]] family<ref>{{Cite book|last=Saravanan|first=V. Hari|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y2noBgAAQBAJ&dq=Gopana+Niyogi&pg=PT383|title=Gods, Heroes and their Story Tellers: Intangible cultural heritage of South India|publisher=Notion Press|year=2014|isbn=978-93-84391-49-2|language=en|quote=Inspired by the resurgence of Sanatana Dharma in South India numerous Brahmins took up active military service, like Gopanna, a Arvela Niyogi Brahmin.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Vēṅkaṭarāvu|first=Niḍudavōlu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dYoOAAAAYAAJ&q=+niyogi|title=The Southern School in Telugu Literature|publisher=University of Madras|year=1978|pages=2|language=en|quote=The appellation ' Amatya ' suggests that Gopana belongs to the Arvēla Niyogi Brahmin sect of the Telugu Country .}}</ref> and belonged to the Bharadwaja gotra. His father was one Narasanamatya. Gopana joined the service of the Vijayanagara Empire at an early age and was one of the leading commanders in Kumara Kampana's 1371 expedition against the Madurai Sultanate which resulted in the successful conquest of [[Srirangam]] and restoration of the [[Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam|Ranganathaswamy Temple]] to its former glory. Gopana also played a part in the conquest of Madurai city in 1378.

== Literary works ==

Gopana's only literary work of merit is the ''Sindhumati Vilasamu'', a poem in Telugu. It relates the love affair between Jaya and Sindhumathi in Madurai. The poem consists of a total of two cantos and has a lot of [[Sanskrit]] shlokas interspersed in between.

== Religious affiliation ==

Gopana was an ardent devotee of Venkateswara and attributed his literary prowess to Venkateswara's grace. During his expedition into the Tamil country, Gopana came under the influence of [[Vedanta Desika]] and became a follower of [[visishtadvaita]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

* {{cite book|title=The southern school in Telugu literature|pages=1–2|first=N. Venkata|last=Rao|publisher=[[University of Madras]]|year=1978}}

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[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:Year of death missing]]
[[Category:Telugu poets]]
[[Category:14th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:14th-century soldiers]]

Gopana - Revision history

UpdateBot at 22:05, 15 February 2022