The Vijayanagara Empire or the Karnata Kingdom was a late medieval Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belonging to the Yadava clan of Chandravamsa lineage.
Tenali Ramakrishna was a Telugu poet, scholar, and advisor in the court of Sri Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire. Hailing from Tenali, he earned acclaim as one of the Ashtadiggajas, a group of eight celebrated Telugu poets in Sri Krishnadevaraya's court, and is best known for his sharp wit and humour. His literary contributions include the notable work Panduranga Mahatmyam, which is regarded as one of the five great Telugu Kāvyas. He is often referred to by the title "Vikatakavi," meaning "jester poet," reflecting his unique ability to blend humour with wisdom. Tenali Ramakrishna's legacy continues to inspire various cultural adaptations in literature and media.
Krishnadevaraya was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the greatest rulers in Indian history. He ruled the largest empire in India after the fall of the Islamic Delhi Sultanate. Presiding over the empire at its zenith, he is regarded as an icon by many Indians. Krishnadevaraya earned the titles Andhra Bhoja, Karnatakaratna Simhasanadeeshwara, Yavana Rajya Pratistapanacharya, Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana, Gaubrahmana Pratipalaka and Mooru Rayara Ganda. He became the dominant ruler of the peninsula by defeating the sultans of Bijapur, Golconda, the Bahmani Sultanate and the Gajapatis of Odisha, and was one of the most powerful Hindu rulers in India.
Ashtadiggajas is the collective title given to the eight great Telugu scholars and poets in the court of Emperor Krishnadevaraya, who ruled the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 until his death in 1529. During his reign, Telugu literature and culture reached its zenith. In his imperial court, these eight poets were regarded as the eight pillars of his literary assembly. The age of Ashtadiggajas is called the Prabandha Age. Each Ashtadiggaja had composed at least one Prabandha Kavyamu, and it was the Ashtadiggajas who gave Prabandha its present form. Most Ashtadiggajas were from Rayalaseema. The Ashtadiggajas Allasani Peddana, Dhurjati, Nandi Thimmana, Madayyagari Mallana and Ayyalaraju Ramabhadrudu were from Rayalaseema. Pandit Ramakrishna hailed from Tenali in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. Ramarajabhushanudu and Pingali Surana were the other two Ashtadiggajas.
Bindiganavile Srinivas Iyengar Ranga was an Indian photographer, actor, producer and director who has made many landmark movies in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil. He was also the owner of Vikram Studios. He has directed and produced about 87 films in these three languages with a maximum of 18 films in Kannada alone starring matinee idol Rajkumar.
Ramakrishna (1836–1886) or Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was an Indian Hindu religious teacher.
Tenali Ramakrishna is a 1956 Indian Telugu-language political drama film produced and directed by B. S. Ranga based on Ch. Venkataramaiah's stage play of the same name. Produced for the banner Vikram Productions, it stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, N. T. Rama Rao, V. Nagayya, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, and Jamuna in key roles. Ranga handled the cinematography with his brother-in-law B. N. Haridas while P. G. Mohan edited the film. Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy composed the soundtrack and background score.
Swargaseema is a 1945 Telugu-language drama film produced and directed by B. N. Reddi and starring V. Nagayya, B. Jayamma and Bhanumathi. The film marked the debut of Ghantasala as a playback singer and Marcus Bartley as a cinematographer.
Mahamantri Timmarusu is a 1962 Indian Telugu-language historical drama film directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Devika, Gummadi with music composed by Pendyala Nageswara Rao. The film was produced by N. Ramabrahmam, A. Pundarikakshayya under the Gowtami Productions banner. The film won the President's silver medal for Best Feature Film in Telugu at the 10th National Film Awards.
Dasari Yoganand was a South Indian film director.
Aditya 369 is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language science fiction film written and directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna and Mohini with supporting roles played by Amrish Puri, Tinnu Anand, and Suthivelu. The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, and the dialogues were written by Jandhyala. Produced by S. Anitha Krishna under the Sridevi Movies banner and presented by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, the film was a commercial success. It also received critical acclaim earning two state Nandi Awards.
Manamagan Thevai is a 1957 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film produced and directed by P. S. Ramakrishna Rao. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Bhanumathi. Based on the American film The Fabulous Senorita (1952), it was simultaneously produced in Telugu as Varudu Kaavaali with Jaggayya replacing Ganesan. Manamagan Thevai was a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres.
Marma Veeran is a 1956 Indian Tamil-language film written by A. L. Narayanan and directed by T. R. Raghunath and was produced by actor Sriram. The film starred Sriram and Vyjayanthimala with N. T. Rama Rao, Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan in guest appearances with Rajasulochana, V. Nagayya, P. S. Veerappa, J. P. Chandrababu, K. A. Thangavelu, M. N. Rajam and T. S. Balaiah forms an ensemble cast. V. Govindarajan of Jubilee Films was the co-producer.
Viswanatha Nayakudu is a 1987 Telugu historical film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. The film won four Nandi Awards.
Hasyaratna Ramakrishna is a 1982 Indian Kannada language comedy film directed by B. S. Ranga. The film stars Anant Nag in the role of a poet, Ramakrishna. It also features Aarathi, Manjula, Sripriya and Srinath in the pivotal roles. The film was a remake of director's own Telugu film Tenali Ramakrishna (1956) which was based on the story of Tenali Rama.
Tenaliraman may refer to:
Tenali is a city in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Engirundho Vandhaal is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar and produced by K. Balaji. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa, with K. Balaji, M. Bhanumathi, Nagesh, Sundarrajan and Raja in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 1963 Telugu film Punarjanma, which in turn was based on the novel Patthar Ke Honth by Gulshan Nanda. The film was released on 29 October 1970, and became a silver jubilee hit. It later won the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Tamil.
Tenali Rama is an Indian Hindi-language historical comedy drama based on the life of the legendary Telugu poet Tenali Ramakrishna, one of the Ashtadiggajas at the court of Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya, who is often cited as the greatest Vijayanagara emperor.
Tirumala Devi was the senior wife and chief empress of Emperor Krishnadevaraya, who is considered to be the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire. She was also the most honoured wife of Krishnadevaraya, and the mother of his heir-apparent, Prince Tirumala, who died in his childhood.
