Tenali Ramakrishna (born Garlapati Ramakrishna; also known as Tenali Rama)( Telugu: తెనాలి రామకృష్ణ కవి / తెనాలి రామలింగడు/ తెనాలి రామకృష్ణుడు )was an Indian poet, scholar, thinker and a special advisor in the court of the Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya, who ruled from C.E. 1509 to 1529. He was a Telugu poet who hailed from a village called Tenali located at what is now the Andhra Pradesh region, generally known for the folk tales which focus on his wit. He was one of the Ashtadiggajas or the eight poets at the court of Krishnadevaraya. His father died when he was a child. To overcome the depression that Rama faced, his mother Lakṣamma took him to Vijayanagar where he became an advisor to Sri Krishnadevaraya and the 8th scholar in his court. He was a great scholar and poet of Telugu language. Tenali Ramakrishna was also a minister of the court. The Life of Rāmakr̥ṣṇa Tenali Rama was born in a Telugu speaking Niyogi Hindu Brahmin family as Garlapati Ramakrishna, in a village called Thumuluru or Tenali (currently a part of Tenali Maṇḍalam) during the late part of the fifteenth century. His father was Garlapathi Rama, who served as a priest in the Ramalingesvara Swami temple in Santharavuru. Rama died when Ramakrishna was young. His mother Lakṣamma returned to her native place in Tenāli to live with her brother. Ramakrishna grew up in his uncle's town and so came to be known as Tenali Ramakrishna. Tenāli Rāmakr̥ṣṇa did not receive any formal education during his childhood, but became a great scholar, due to his thirst for knowledge. As per a well-known tale, the Vaishnava (devotees of Vishnu) scholars rejected to accept him as a disciple, as he was a Śaiva. Ramakrishna was still determined to get educated so he went to many paṇḍits and begged them humbly to accept him as his disciple but they called him names and threw him out. Later while roaming aimlessly, he met a sage, who advised him to worship the Goddess Kali. He worshipped and invoked the Goddess with his devotion. Legends say that Maa Kali appeared before him and admired his sense of humor and blessed him that one day, he would be acclaimed as a great poet in the imperial court of emperor Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara. The Goddess also gave him the title "Vikaṭakavi", impressed by his wit and humor. His wife was Saarada and son