Annamacharya

Tallapaka Annamacharya తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య
This statue is at Dwaraka Tirumala
Background information
Also known as	Annamayya pada kavitha pitaamahudu
Born	(1408-05-09)9 May 1408 Tallapaka, Rajampet, Kadapa District. Andhra Pradesh
Died	4 April 1503(1503-04-04) (aged 94) Tirumala, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh
Genres	Carnatic music
Occupation(s)	Saint, poet, composer, writer
Instrument	Tambura

Taḷḷapāka Annamācārya (or Annamayya) (Telugu: తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య; 22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503) was a 15th-century Hindu saint and is the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called sankirtanas in praise of the god Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu. He is the first known composer in carnatic music. Other composers like Purandaradasa came after him. The musical form of the keertana songs that he composed, which are still popular among Carnatic music concert artists, have strongly influenced the structure of Carnatic music compositions. Annamacharya is remembered for his saintly life, and is honoured as a great devotee of Vishnu by devotees and saintly singers.

He is believed to have been the avatar of Nandaka, the sword of Vishnu. He is widely regarded as the Andhra Pada kavitā Pitāmaha (Godfather of Telugu song-writing).

Personal life

Annamacharya was born on Vaishakha Shuddha Pournami in the year Sarwadhari (22 May 1408) in Tallapaka, Near Rajampet Mandal, a village in current day Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, India. He was born into Nandavarika Niyogi family. His wife, Timmakka, had written Subhadra Kalyanam, and is considered the first female poet in Telugu literature. Their son, Pedda Tirumalacharya, and grandson, Tallapaka Chinnayya, were also composers and poets. The Tallapaka compositions are considered to have dominated and influenced the structure of Carnatic music compositions. Annamacharya lived for 95 years until Phalguna Bahula (Krishna) Dvadashi (12th day after full moon) in the year Dhundhubhi (4 April 1503).

A statue of Tallapaka Annamacharya situated at the Sarada River Park in Anakapalle, Andhra Pradesh.

Literary career

10-story tall statue of Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya located at the entrance of Tallapaka.

Annamacharya is said to have composed as many as 32,000 sankeertanas (songs) on the god Venkateswara, of which only about 12,000 are available today. He is also the author of musical treatise called "Sankirthana lakshanamu".

Annamacharya considered his compositions as floral offerings to Venkateswara. In the poems, he praises the deity, describes his love for him, argues and quarrels with the Lord, confesses the devotee's failures and apprehensions, and surrenders himself to Venkateshwara. His songs are classified into the Adhyaatma (spiritual) and Sringaara (romantic) sankeertanas genres. His songs in the "Sringaara" genre worship Venkateswara by describing the romantic adventures of Venkateshwara and his consort Alamelu, while others describe the Bhakti of his devotees.

In his later keertanas, he espouses subjects such as morality, dharma and righteousness. He was one of the first few who opposed the social stigma towards the untouchable castes in his era, with his sankeertanas explaining that the relationship between God and human is the same irrespective of the latter's color, caste and financial status, in his songs "Brahmaṃ Okkatē Paraḥbrahmamokkatē" and "ē kulajuḍainanēmi evvaḍainanēmi". His prodigious literary career earned him a place among the all-time greats of Telugu literature.

Legacy

While he enjoyed popularity in his days, his compositions were forgotten for over three centuries. Mentioned in 1849, they were later found engraved on copper plates, hidden for centuries inside the Sri Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala, just opposite the Hundi, concealed in a very small room. An English translation of 150 of these verses was published in 2005.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, also known as TTD, has been endeavouring to preserve the rich heritage of his compositions. In the year 1950, The State Government of Andhra Pradesh created a committee and appointed the legendary musician late Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna as its head. He set music to over 800 compositions of Annamacharya and are still popular among the devotees. He was the Āsthāna Gāyaka of the Tirumala temple at Tirupati for two decades. He is regarded as a legend in rendering devotional music in classical style, especially the Annamacharya Sankirtanas. He was also an acclaimed poet, singer, and a musicologist.

Shobha Raju is the first recipient of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams scholarship in 1976 to study and set a trend for the propagation of Annamacharya's compositions, and was also chosen as the first exclusive artiste for the propagation of Annamacharya's compositions in 1978. Her first audio album, "Vēnkatēśvara Gīta Mālika" is globally popular among Telugu community. She is the founder of Annamacharya Bhavana Vahini (ABV) in 1983, which is located in Hyderabad, India. She has been awarded Padmashri by Government of India, in 2010 in recognition of her efforts to promote Annamayya Compositions.

In 1994, reputed Bharathanatyam artist Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala, and the daughter in law of the legenday singer Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao, for the first time produced and presented a mammoth dance production as a tribute to the divine composer titled "Annamaiyah". Rare and popular songs were woven into a story format and music by legendary stalwarts was set to action. This production was inaugurated by the former President of India H.E.R.Venkatraman and Bharat Ratna M.S.Subbulakshmi and later that year for the Tirumala bhramotsavam. The production went on to become a sensational hit and more dancers of different forms started choreographing for the saints composition. Based on popular demand in 2009, a DVD of the production was also launched which included several places visited by the saint himself. The production has traveled across the US, Europe and Asia and staged over 400 times till now.

A Telugu film named Annamayya was made on him by K. Raghavendra Rao in 1997. It starred Nagarjuna in the lead role as Annamacharya and also featured Suman as Lord Venkateshwara and Bhanupriya as Goddess Padmavathi Devi in important roles. The film became a huge blockbuster, and was the highest grosser of the year in Telugu cinema.

Kadayanallur Venkatraman, a brilliant composer has tuned a lot of Annamacharya's kritis with beautiful ragas for M.S.Subbulakshmi, who unveiled these forgotten kritis and brought them to the stage.

In 2017-18, one of Annamayya's compositions, Brahmam Okate, became a Youtube sensation. As of mid-2018, this video alone (produced by Kuldeep M. Pai) has garnered over 7 million views, and made the child singers Sooryagayathri and Rahul Vellal household names for their flawless rendering of the classic keerthana.

Famous Compositions

This is a partial list of some of the most famous Annamacharya compositions.

• Note – (చ =Ca; ఛ=Cha; శ=Śa; ష=Ṣ. For more see Romanization of Telugu)

Composition	Raga	Tala	Music Set By	Language	Other Info
Adivō Alladivō Śriharivāsamu అదివో అల్లదివో శ్రీహరివాసము	Madhyamavati	Adi		Telugu
Alara Cañcalamaina Ātmalanduṇḍa అలర చంచలమైన ఆత్మలందుండ	Rāga mālika	khanDa cApu	Garimella Balakrishna Prasad	Telugu
Alarulu Kuriayaga Āḍinadē అలరులు కురియగ ఆడినదే	Dheerasankarabharanam		Rallapalli Ananta Krishna Sharma	Telugu
Anni mantramulu nindē yāvahiñcenu అన్ని మంత్రములు ఇందే ఆవహించెనూ	Amritavarshini			Telugu
Antaryāmi Alaśiti Solaśiti అంతర్యామి అలసితి సొలసితి	Shivaranjani			Telugu
Bhāvayāmi Gōpālabālaṁ Manassēvitaṁ భావయామి గోపాలబాలం మనస్సేవితం भावयामि गोपालबालं मनस्सेवितम्	Yamunā Kaḷyāṇi	Khanda Chapu	Kadayanallur Venkataraman (The brilliant composer, who tuned a majority of Devotional songs sung by M.S.Subbalakshmi)	Sanskrit
Bhāvamulōna Bāhyamunandunu భావములోన బాహ్యమునందును	Śuddha Dhanyasi	Adi	Nedunuri Krishnamurthy	Telugu
Brahma Kaḍigina Pādamu బ్రహ్మ కడిగిన పాదము	Mukhāri	Adi	Rallapalli Ananta Krishna Sharma	Telugu'
Cakkani Talliki Chāngu Bhaḷā చక్కని తల్లికి ఛాంగుభళా	Paadi			Telugu
Cāladā Harināma Saukhyāmr̥tamu చాలదా హరినామ సౌఖ్యామృతము				Telugu
Cēri Yaśōdaku Śiśuvitaḍu చేరి యశోదకు శిశువితఁడు	Mohanam	Adi	Telugu
Candamāma Rāve Jābilli Rāve చందమామ రావే జాబిల్లి రావే				Telugu
Dēvadēvaṁ Bhajē Divya Prabhāvaṁ దేవదేవం భజే దివ్య ప్రభావం देवदेवं भजे दिव्यप्रभावम्	Hindolam	Khanda Chapu	Sripada Pinakapani	Sanskrit
ḍōlāyāṁ Cālā ḍōlāyāṁ డోలాయాం చల డోలాయాం	Khamas(raga)	'Thisra Adi	Telugu
ēmokō ciguruṭadharamuna eḍaneḍakastūri niṃḍenu ఏమకో చిగురుటధరమున కస్తూరి నిండెను				Telugu
ē Purāṇamuna Eṁta Vedakinā ఏ పురాణమున ఎంత వెదకినా				Telugu
GovindāŚrita Gōkula Br̥ndā గోవిందాశ్రిత గోకుల బృందా	Madhuvanti			Telugu
Harināmame Kaḍu Ānandakaramu హరినామమే కడు ఆనందకరము	Jonpuri			Telugu
Indariki Abhayammuliccu Cēyi ఇందరికి అభయమ్ములిచ్చు చేయి				Telugu
Inni Rāśulayuniki Inti Cheluvapu Rāśi ఇన్ని రాశులయునికి ఇంతిచెలువపు రాశి				Telugu
Ippuḍiṭu Kalagaṃṭi ఇప్పుడిటు కలగంటి				Telugu
Itarulaku Ninneruga Taramā ఇతరులకు నిన్నెరుగ తరమా				Telugu
Jō Acyutānanda Jō Jō Mukundā జో అచ్యుతానంద జో జో ముకుందా	Navroj			Telugu
Kanṭi Śukravāramu Gaḍiyalēḍiṁṭa కంటి శుక్రవారము గడియలేడింట				Telugu
Koṁḍalalō Nelakonna Kōnēṭi Rāyaḍu Vāḍu కొండలలో నెలకొన్న కోనేటి రాయడు వాడు	Hindolam			Telugu
kṣīrābdi kanyakaku Śrī Mahālakṣmikini క్షీరాబ్ది కన్యకకు శ్రీ మహాలక్ష్మికిని	Kurinji(raga)	Khanda Chapu		Telugu
Kulukaka Naḍavārō Kommalārā కులుకక నడవరో కొమ్మలారా	Atana	Adi		Telugu
Madhava Kesava Madhusoodhana మాధవ కేశవ మధుసూదన విష్ణు माधव केशव मधुसूदना	Kapi	Adi		Sanskrit
Mēdini Jīvula Gāva Mēlukōvayyā మీదిని జీవుల గావ మేలుకోవయ్యా				Telugu
Muddugārē Yaśōda Muṅgiṭa Mutayamu vīḍu ముద్దుగారే యశోద ముంగిట ముత్యము వీడు	Kuranji	Adi	Nedunuri Krishnamurthy	Telugu
Mūsina Mutyālakēlē Moragulu మూసిన ముత్యాలకేలే మొరగులు				Telugu
Nallani Mēni Nagavu Chūpulavāḍu నల్లని మేని నగవు చూపులవాడు				Telugu
Nānāṭi Batuku Nāṭakamu నానాటి బతుకు నాటకము	Rēvati	Adi	Nedunuri Krishnamurthy	Telugu
Nārāyaṇa Tē Namō Namō నారాయణ తే నమో నమో नारायण ते नमो नमो	Bihag	Adi		Sanskrit
Neyyamullallō Nērēḷḷo Voyyana ūreḍi Uvviḷḷo నెయ్యములల్లో నేరేళ్ళో వొయ్యన ఊరెడి ఉవ్విళ్ళో				Telugu
Nitya Pūjalivivō Nericinānōhō నిత్యపూజలివివో నేరిచినానోహో				Telugu
Paluku Tēnelatalli Pavaḷincenu పలుకు తేనెలతల్లి పవళించెను				Telugu
Poḍaganṭimayya mimmu Puruṣōttamā పొడగంటిమయ్యా మిమ్ము పురుషోత్తమా	Mohanam	Adi		Telugu
Śriman Narāyaṇā Śriman Narāyaṇā Nī Śri Pādamē Śaraṇu శ్రీమన్నారాయణ శ్రీమన్నారాయణ నీ శ్రీపాదమే శరణు	Bowli	Adi		Telugu
Rajīva Nētrāya Raghavāya Namō రాజీవ నేత్రాయ రాఘవాయ నమో राजीवनेत्राय राघवाय नमो	Madhyamavathi	Khanda Chapu	K. J. Yesudas	Sanskrit
Ramacandruḍitaḍu Raghuvīruḍu రామచంద్రుడితడు రఘువీరుడు				Telugu
Siruta Navvulavāḍu Sinnakka సిరుత నవ్వులవాడు సిన్నక్కా				Telugu
Ṣōḍaśa Kaḷānidhiki Ṣoḍaśōpacāramulu షోడశ కళానిధికి షోడశోపచారములు				Telugu
Brahmam Okate తందనాన అహి	Bowli	Adi		Telugu	Tatva Prabōdha Keertana
Tvamēva Śaraṇam త్వమేవ శరణం त्वमेव शरणम्				Telugu
Vandēhaṁ Jagadvallabhaṁ Sanskrit: वन्देहं जगद्वल्लभं Telugu: వందేహం జగద్వల్లభం	Hamsadhvani	Khanda Chapu		Sanskrit	In praise of lord Venkaṭēśvara
Vandē Vāsudēvaṁ Śrīpatiṁ వందే వాసుదేవం శ్రీపతిం वन्दे वासुदेवं श्रीपतिम्	Sri	Khanda Chapu		Sanskrit
Vēḍukoṁdāmā Vēṅkaṭagiri Veṅkaṭeśvaruni Veḍukoṁdāmā వేడుకొందామా వేంకటగిరి వేంకటేశ్వరుని వేడుకొందామా				Telugu
Vinnapālu Vinavale Viṁtaviṁtalu విన్నపాలు వినవలె వింతవింతలు				Telugu

అన్నమయ్య పాటలు (All Annamayya songs lyrics in Telugu Script)

See also

• List of Carnatic composers
• Annamacharya sankeertana

Further reading

• Jackson, William. 'Religious and Devotional Music: Southern Area' (1999). In Porter, James; Rice, Timothy; Goertzon, Chris. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. New York & London: Taylor & Francis.

External links

• Sri Annamacharya Project of North America
• Sri Annamacharya Project of North America
• Sri Venkateswara Annamacharya Society of America
• Carnatic music