Vernell29N at 01:08, 25 February 2026

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{{Short description|Telugu Poet (1600–1680)}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2008}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2019}}


'''Kshetrayya''' ({{circa|1600}}–1680) was a prolific [[Telugu language|Telugu]] poet.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kamath|first=Harshita Mruthinti|title=Kṣētrayya: The making of a Telugu poet|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334305892|access-date=2021-07-04|language=en}}</ref> He lived in the area of what is now [[Andhra Pradesh]] in [[South India]]. He composed a number of ''padams'' and ''keertanas'', the prevalent formats of his time. He is credited with more than 4000 compositions, although only a handful have survived. He composed his songs on his favourite Hinduism deity [[Krishna]] (Gopala) in [[Telugu language|Telugu]].

He was born to a Telugu Brahmin family in a village called [[Movva]] (or Muvva), in [[Krishna district]], Andhra Pradesh. His parents named him Varadayya. Because of his habit of traveling from one place to another singing his songs at temples, he came to be called ''Kshetragna'' or ''Kshetrayya'' (one who travels). He married a [[Devadasi]] named Mohanangi. He learned his music from guru VenkaTamakhi (author of 72-melakartha scheme).

He perfected the ''padam'' format that is still used today. His ''padams'' are sung in dance ([[Bharatanatyam]] and [[Kuchipudi]]) and music recitals. A unique feature of his padams is the practice of singing the ''[[anupallavi (music)|anupallavi]]'' first then the ''[[pallavi]]'' (second verse followed by first verse). Most of the padams are of the theme of longing for the coming of the Lord [[Krishna]].

He wrote with [[Sringara]] as a main theme in expressing ''madhurabhakti'' (devotion to the supreme). Sringara is a motif where the mundane sexual relationship between a Nayaki (woman) and a Nayaka (man) is used as a metaphor, denoting the yearning of [[Jiva|jeeva]] (usually depicted as the Nayaki) to unite with the divine (usually depicted as the man). In most of his compositions, Kshetrayya has used the ''[[mudra (music)|mudra]]'' (signature) "Muvva Gopala" as a reference to himself, which is also a name for the Lord [[Krishna]] in Kshetrayya's village Muvva in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh State, now called as [[Movva]].

Kshetrayya's work has played a major role in influencing poetry, dance, music of the South Indian tradition. Kshetrayya was intimately connected with the [[devadasi]] women of the temples of south India, who were the subject of many of his compositions. The devadasis traditionally possessed the musical/poetic interpretations of his work for a long period till the devadasi system was abolished and the compositions became more accepted in the musical community as valuable works of art. The musical community owes a lot to the legendary [[Veena Dhanammal]], [[T. Brinda]], [[T. Muktha]], [[T. Balasaraswathi]] and T. Jayammal, who popularized Kshetrayya's songs with their beautiful musical interpretation.

Kshetrayya's padams now form an integral part of the dance and musical traditions of South India, where his songs are rendered purely as musical works or as accompaniments to dance.

==Telugu film==
''[[Mahakavi Kshetrayya]]'' is a 1976 Telugu film produced by [[Anjali Pictures]] and starring [[Akkineni Nageswara Rao]] and [[Anjali Devi]]. The film's soundtrack was sung by [[V. Ramakrishna]] and composed by [[P. Adinarayana Rao]].

==Biographic novel==
The life of Kshetragna is depicted in the novel ''Bliss Of Life'' by M. V. Rama Sarma, professor of English and former vice chancellor, S.V. University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is translated into Telugu with the title ''Kshetrayya''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Prof. M. V. Rama Sarma, [http://profmvramasarma.in/the-bliss-of-life/ Kṣetrayya, the poet-musician]{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} retrieved as on 26 July 2015

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Performers of Hindu music]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:1680 deaths]]
[[Category:Carnatic composers]]
[[Category:Telugu poets]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Bharatanatyam]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Kuchipudi]]
[[Category:Telugu-language writers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian composers]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:Indian male classical musicians]]
[[Category:Indian male composers]]
[[Category:Poets from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:17th-century Indian male musicians]]

Kshetrayya - Revision history

Vernell29N at 01:08, 25 February 2026