Shower Your Mercy, O Śr ī Rāma! (Bhadrācala Rāmadāsu Kīrtanās in English)

Kancerla Gōpanna (1620-1688), popular as Rāmadāsu, was an ardent composer-singer (vāggēyakāra) who earned fame as a popular lyricist and people's poet. His kīrtanās have become invariably a part of sankīrtanā gōṣṭhīs and bhajans in the cultural tradition of Bhakti not only in Telugu states but also in the adjoining states. Their influence is evident on the composers of successive generations. As Tahasildār of Bhadrācalam area, Rāmadāsu created history by renovating the Bhadrācalam temple of Lord Rāma with the official revenue collections, as the donations he collected for the purpose got exhausted half way through the work. For this, he was imprisoned and tortured for twelve years under Tānāṣa (1665 to 1677). It is believed that Lord Rāma and his brother Lakṣmaṇa visited Tānāṣa and paid the dues of 6 lakh varāhās and got Rāmadāsu released from prison. Hewart and Martin of Dutch East India Company, and a few Harikathās on Rāmadāsu attest this fact.