Annamacharya

Considered to be one of the greatest saints of medieval South India, Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya devoted his entire life to spreading Bhakthi Movement and The Glory of Vaishnavism and Lord Vishnu, chiefly The presiding Deity of Tirumala Temple Lord Venkateswara. In his long fruitful life of 95 years (1408-1503), he composed more than 32,000 songs on Sri Venkateswara of Tirumala, Sri Padmavathi Ammavaru of Tiruchanur, Sri Govindaraja Swamivaru of Tirupati, and several other Vaishnavait temples in the neighborhood, and also Srirangam. He is known as the First Vaaggeyakaara (one who can not only write lyrics but also compose them into Carnatic music Raagas, and also have a melodious voice to sing them) in a simple language able to be understood by common folks and regarded as Padha Kavitha Pithaamaha (Grandfather of the art of composing songs on divinity in commonly spoken language). He was a contemporary of great Saints Sri Purandara Dasa, and Saint Vyaasa Tirtha though there is no account of them having met. The Vijayanagara Emperor Saluva Narasimha Raya supported Sri Annamacharya's works and his social outlook very generously all thru his reign. Annamacharya's devotion to Lord Venkateswara was so exalted that The Vijayanagara emperor Sri Krishnadeva Raya started the practice of singing his Lullabies during the ritual of putting The Lord to Bed in The Temple at Tirumala, and later it came to be followed in all the temples of The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Sri Annamacharya's descendants continue to sing his kirtanas in the Temple at Tirumala even to this day in The Lord's service.