 His father, Dadala Bhairvaswamy, was a farm worker; his mother's name was Ramanamma.Ramanayya was orphaned at the age of four and was taken under the care of his paternal grandmother Veeramma, alongside whom he had to work for food in the fields of landlords of the neighbouring villages.The French priests of Yanam Catholic Church, Father Artic and later Father Gangloff, took him under their patronage and educated him.