#02 (Thyagaraja) The Kakarla Family Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

In a small Town Kakarla,
Kurnool District of Andhra,
The Saint’s ancestors lived
During sixteenth century period.

Kakarla town was under
The then Vijayanagar Empire,
Famous for its arts and culture,
Found in every nook and corner.

With the Moghuls’ invasion,
This great Empire broke down.
Many families left the Empire
To seek asylum elsewhere.

In South India, a Maratha King
Of Nayak race was then ruling.
A peaceful place they found
And there, they all settled.

Traced from Muriginadu Sect,
The ancestors of the Saint,
Brahmin priests by profession,
As Kakarla family, were known.

After the birth of the Saint
The family shifted and went
From the Town Tiruvarur,
And settled at Tiruvaiyar.

It was here, the Saint,
Rest of his life spent.
Here, in a peaceful place,
His Samadhi still lies.

As a gesture of royal honor
The then King of Thanjavur
Gifted him a house to stay
Comfortably till his last day.

His life, full of glory,
In the pages of history,
In indelible ink, is written
Never to be forgotten.