Birth and childhood

There were 60 brahmin families under the protection of King Mayuravarma, ruler of Kadamba. They belonged to 14 gotras, out of which Gautama was the prominent one. Over a period of time they migrated to the Vijayanagar empire. One of the key scholars in this was Sri Krishna Bhatta. He taught veena to King Krishnadevaraya and was honored in the court for his erudition as well as mastery over music. His son, Sri KanakAchal bhatta, followed in the footsteps of his father. His son was Sri Thimanna Bhatta. By this time the vijayanagar empire had fallen affecting many scholars who depended on royal patronage. Most of them moved south with their families, finding refuge with southern kings and chieftains. Thimmanna Bhatta reached kumbhakona and sought refuge under Sri SurEndra tIrtha, where he was treated with a lot of respect. His wife, Smt. GopikAmba was a very virtuous lady, suitable for her husband in all ways. Since the couple did not have any children, they went to Tirupati and performed seva to the Lord with devotion. In due course of time, they were blessed with a boy and a girl. They named them GururAja and Venkamma. The family settled down in Kaveripatnam, under the chieftain of Tanjore. After a few years, they again went to Tirupati and performed very rigorous seva to the Lord with utmost devotion. The Lord appeared in their dream and promised them a son who would be a very great soul and reach the pinnacle of fame. The couple was ecstatic. In 1595 a third son was born to this couple. They named him VenkaTanAtha (some books refer to him as Venkanna bhatta).

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