Gopana

The idol of Ranganatha was restored to its own home.

• Name — Gopanarya • Title — mirror of earthly fame, • Born — 14th century • Birthplace — Gingee, Tamil Nadu • Occupation — Governor of Gingee, Commander-in-chief • Father — Narasanamatya

Gopana was born in an Arvela Niyogi Brahmin family and belonged to the Bharadwaja gotra. His father was one Narasanamatya.

Gopana joined the service of the Vijayanagara Empire at an early age and was one of the leading commanders in Kumara Kampana's 1371 expedition against the Madurai Sultanate which resulted in the successful conquest of Srirangam and restoration of the Ranganathaswamy Temple to its former glory. Gopana marching of srirangam at the head of large army destroyed the Muslim forces who replaced the three images in their shrine at Srirangam, after re- consecrating the god and his two consorts. The Writing on the Wall: The Śrīrangam and Kāñcī Inscriptions Second inscription- After he carried Rańga's exiled king, the Lord of the World, down the slopes of Bull Mountain to his royal city, Gopana-the brahman chieftain-cut down, with his bare hands, the Muslim soldiers; mingling the soil of Srīrangam with the earth of the Golden Age he installed the king in his city again, with his wives Lakşmī and Earth, and offered worship worthy of the Lotus-Born Brahmā.

Gopana's only literary work of merit is the Sindhumati Vilasamu, a poem in Telugu. It relates the love affair between Jaya and Sindhumathi in Madurai. The poem consists of a total of two cantos and has a lot of Sanskrit shlokas interspersed in between.

Gopana was an ardent devotee of Venkateswara and attributed his literary prowess to Venkateswara's grace. During his expedition into the Tamil country, Gopana came under the influence of Vedanta Desika and became a follower of visishtadvaita