Annamacharya

Uncommon card · No. 194737

Tallapaka Annamacharya (Telugu: తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య, romanized: Tāḷḷapāka Annamācārya; 9 May 1408 – 23 February 1503), also known as Annamayya, was a Telugu composer and Hindu saint. Born in Thallapaka, he composed devotional songs known as saṁkīrtanas in praise of Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu. He is the earliest known Indian musician to utilize this song form. Annamacharya composed approximately 32,000 saṁkīrtanas, of which 14,904 are extant. His kirtanas are classified into adhyatma (spiritual) and sringara (romantic) genres and are credited with influencing the structural development of Carnatic music. His work also addressed social issues of his era, including the status of untouchable castes. In the Sri Vaishnava tradition, he is identified as an avatar of Nandaka, the sword of Vishnu. He is referred to in Telugu literature as Āndhra Pāḍākavita Mahāpita ("Grandfather of Telugu Songwriting").

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