Krishna

Buddha

Annamacharya or Annamayya as he is popularly known, the mystic saint of the 15^th century, is the earliest known musician of South India who composed lyrics—called sankeertanas in praise of the deity of the Seven Hills, Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala, set them to music and sang them during his lifetime, till his death in 1503. An ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara, Annamayya’s life was spread over a period of 95 years. It was through his grandson’s (Chinathirumalaraya—known as Chinnanna), Dwipada work that we come to know about the life and work of the great saint composer. Annamacharya (1408-1503) was a Telugu poet and musician widely regarded as the Telugu Pada Kavitha Pitamaha (grand old sire of simple poetry) a title given by his grandson in his ‘dwipada’ work.