Rama Ashtapadi (Gita Raghavam) has been composed by Sri Ramakavi, a great author belonging to the Hosani sect of Karnataka. Ramakavi belongs to the Viswamitra gotra and was a resident of the village, an agraharam exclusively established for the Vedic scholars by the Maratha King Sahaji of Tanjore (1864-1710 A.D). The village situated in the Chola desa, on the banks of the river cauvery and is presently known as Tiruvisanallur. The place has been home for many great scholars and devotees. Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval who was a Dewan under King Sahaji, was a native of this village and a prolific writer and votary of the Namasidhantha. Another writer of repute from Tiruvisanallur was Ramabadra Dikshita, the author of Svarasiddhanthachandrika and several devotional works on Rama such as Ramakarnarasayanastava, Varnamalastava, Ramaprasadastava. It is no wonder that Ramabhakti had its sway over the residents there. Though belonging to the Hosani Brahmins of Karnataka, Ramakavi settled at Tiruvisanallur. He is the brother of Vancheswara kavi (popularly known as kutti kavi) who has authored works such as Asirvatasatakam, Turagasatakam and the satire Mahisasatakam. He was the great grand son of Govinda Dikshita on the daughter's side. The two illustrious sons of Govinda Dikshita are Yagneswara Dikshita, author of Sahityaratnakara and Venkatamakhin, author of the Caturdandiprakasika. It is no wonder, hence that musical composition was in the blood of Ramakavi. He combined with it his devotional fervour by adopting the genre of Ashtapadi. Ramakavi's devotion towards Rama has taken definite shape in the form of this lyric. In the format of the composition, the work has followed the Ashtapadi of Jayadeva. But in conceptualization, it is very different from not only the Gita Govinda but many of this genre. For, it is not at all the 'love-theme' involving Rama and Sita as normally one would expect. The songs take us through the important events in the life of Rama in the chronological order as we find them in the original epic. The Rama story has provided the canvas on which Ramakavi has painted his lyrical skill.