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and through the publication of his Prabandha [1]Srirangamāhātmyam in 1921. He is a Kshatriya of the solar race and a descendent of the famous Karikala Choda, who constructed the anicut (Kattu in Telugu) on the Kāvēri, from which his house or family name Katta is derived. He is the son of Haridāsarāju and Krsņāmba and his grandfather was Rangappa Raju, an ally of Ramadevarāyulu of the Aravidu dynasty. The latter ruled at Chandragiri from 1614 to 1633 and is a cousin of our Varadaraju. An inscription[2] states that Varadarāja's father was living in 1637 A.D. and hence it can be said that Varadaraju was living about 1650 A.D. This is confirmed from another source. The last Telugu poet whom Varadaraju mentions is Allasani Peddana the poet laureate in the time of Krishna Devaraya (1509—30), and one verse from Varadaraja's work is quoted by Ganapavarapu Venkatakavi who was a protege of Muddalagiri, the Madura Nayaka Prince who ruled in 1674 A.D.[3]
Varadaraju is a staunch vaishnavite and a disciple of one Etirājācharya. He is a sincere devotes of God Sri Venkateswara of Tirupati, and the following are his works that have come to our knowledge:—
- ↑ Printed as No. 8 of Amudritandhra grantha Sarpaswamu series, Sri Rama Vilasa Press, Chitrada (East Godavari Dist.)
- ↑ Vide Dr. N. Venkataramanayya M.A., Ph.D., "Main literary trends in 17th Century Telugu literature" - Bharathi.
- ↑ N. Venkatarao M.A. Vidyavathi Dandakanu of Ganapavarapu Venkatakavi dedicated to Muddalagiri. Edited for the first time in the Bulletin of the Govt. Oriental Manuscripts library. Vol. I No. 1. 1948 Madras.
