Musunuri Nayakas
Musunuri Dynasty | |
|---|---|
| 13th century–14th century | |
| Capital | Warangal |
| Government | Monarchy |
| History | |
• Established | 13th century |
• Disestablished | 14th century |
| Part of a series on |
| Andhra Pradesh and Telangana |
|---|
 |
| History and Kingdoms |
The Musunuri Nayakas were warrior kings of 14th-century South India who were briefly significant in the region of Telangana.
Origins
Little is known of the Musunuri family; they are often described as "obscure".[1][2] The founding ruler of the family, Musunuri Prolaya Nayaka, suddenly appears as a new ruler at Rekapalle, near Bhadrachalam, around 1330, claiming heritage from the Kakatiyas.[3] It is assumed that the Musunuri Nayakas came from a family with previous martial experience as their rise to power was based on military ability.[4]
Telugu historians state that the Musunuri Nayaks belonged to the Kamma caste group[5][6][7][8][9][10]. However, the modern castes of Andhra region did not originate until the late stages of the Vijayanagara Empire.[11]
Opposition to Turks
After the fall of the Kakatiyas, their empire was annexed by the Delhi Sultanate and Warangal was renamed "Sultanpur". Ulugh Khan remained as the governor of the region for a short period, until he was recalled to Delhi to succeed Muhammad bin Tughluq in 1324. A former Kakatiya commander, Nagaya Ganna Vibhudu, now renamed Malik Maqbul, was appointed as the governor of the region.[12] However, the Tughluq hold over the erstwhile Kakatiya kingdom was tenuous and a number of local chieftains seized effective power.[13]
Prolaya Nayaka
The Vilasa grant of Prolaya Nayaka states that he ruled from Rekapalle, which is a hill location at the edge of the Papikondalu (part of the Eastern Ghats). It could control the Sabari river valley between the Bhadrachalam forest and the Papikondalu forest, populated by Konda Reddis.[3][14] It is also a strategic location, with the ability to control communications on the Godavari river passing through the hills.
Prolaya Vema Reddy of the Panta Reddi clan, who seems to have established his own independent rule in Addanki by 1325, took control of the region between Krishna and Godavari rivers, perhaps up to Rajahmundry.[15][16] Historian M. Rama Rao states that he and Prolaya Nayaka must have made a 'joint effort' to drive the Muslim rule out from the area.[16]
In 1330, Prolaya Nayaka published the Vilasa grant, a copper-plate grant near Pithapuram, in which he bemoaned the devastation of the Telugu country brought about by the Turks and attempted to legitimise himself as the rightful restorer of order.[17] Prolaya Nayaka left no children and was succeeded by a cousin, Kapaya Nayaka, who governed until 1368 and attempted to further expand his rule.[18][19]
Kapaya Nayaka
Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka (r. 1333–1368) is believed to have led a rebellion against the Tughluqs, driving them out of Warangal in 1336. According to the Kaluvacheru grant of Anithalli, a female member of the Panta Reddi clan in 1423, Kapaya Nayaka was assisted by 75 Nayakas, including Prolaya Vema Reddi, the founder of the Reddy dynasty.[20] Historians disagree on the veracity of this record.[a]
Muhammad bin Tughluq, who became the Sultan of Delhi in 1324, witnessed numerous rebellions starting in 1330, first in the immediate vicinity in the Ganga-Yamuna doab, which caused a famine in Delhi, and rebellions within ranks in Ma'bar (Madurai) and Bengal. It is possible that Kapaya Nayaka advanced in the direction of Warangal in this period, acquiring some of its territory. Consequently, Telangana was also counted among the rebellious territories.[23] In 1334–35, the Sultan marched on Deccan in an attempt to quell the rebellions, but his army was struck by some kind of epidemic and the Sultan himself fell gravely ill. He was forced to retreat to Delhi via Daulatabad. It is said about a third of his army perished due to the epidemic.[24]
In the meantime, Ferishta narrates that Kapaya Nayaka approached the Hoysala ruler Veera Ballala III for assistance in evicting the Sultanate from Warangal. After consideration, assistance was offered.
Bilal Dew [Ballala], convened a meeting of his kinsmen and resolved, first, to secure the forts of his own country. and then to remove his seat of government among the mountains. Krishn Naig [Kapaya Nayak] promised, on his part also, that when their plans were ripe for execution, to raise all the Hindoos of Wurungole and Telingana and put himself at their head.... He (Bilal Dew) then raised an army and put part of it under the command of Krishn Naig, who reduced Wurungole and compelled Imad-ool-Moolk, the governor, to retreat to Dowlatabad [Daulatabad].
Historian R. C. Majumdar characterises it as a 'national revolt' backed up by a regular army. Malik Maqbul found himself unable to withstand the rebellion and fled to Delhi.[26][27] Ferishta states that Kapaya Nayaka and Ballala III then jointly marched on the newly declared Madurai Sultanate and divested it of its outlying territories in particular Tondaimandalam.[25][26]
Kapaya Nayaka ruled over Telangana until 1368. Upon his death, the allied Nayakas are said to have returned to their own towns.[28] Despite his opposition to the Turks, Kapaya Nayaka continued using the Kush Mahal built by the Turks in Warangal and adopted the Persianised title "Sultan of the Andhra country". In 1361, he gifted to the Bahmani Sultan Mohammed Shah I the Turquoise Throne as part of a treaty agreement.[29]
He took control of Warangal from Malik Maqbul in 1336 and thus also of a wider swathe of eastern Telangana that was governed from there. He also tried to support other rebels in the surrounding areas, although in the case of aid given to Alauddin Bahman Shah, the outcome was that his fellow rebel turned on him. Several military engagements with Bahaman Shah followed over a period of years, during which Kapaya Nayaka had to cede various forts and territories. His weakened position was exploited by the Reddis and the Recherla Nayaks, the latter of whom caused his death in battle at Bhimavaram and ended the period of the Musunuri family.[30][31]
References
Notes
- ^ The Kaluvacheru grant states that Prolaya Vema Reddi became independent after the death of Kapaya Nayaka in 1368. However, it is known that Vema Reddi was already independent by 1325. M. Somasekhara Sarma recognises the mistake in the record, but nevertheless believes that Vema Reddi acted as a subordinate of the Musunuri Nayakas, while M. Rama Rao states that they bore no relation to each other.[21][22]
Citations
- ^ Talbot (2001), p. 177
- ^ Eaton (2005), pp. 26–28
- ^ a b Rama Rao (1947), pp. 295–296.
- ^ Talbot 2001, p. 179.
- ^ Rao, B. S. L. Hanumantha; India), Telugu University (Hyderabad (1995). Socio-cultural history of ancient and medieval Andhra. Telugu University. p. 157.
The Nayakas of Musunuru who are said to have been Kammas . . .
- ^ Satyamurthy, K. (1990). Political geography of India. Printwell Publishers. p. 32.
The Kamma-nayakas of the Musunuri family particularly Prolayanayaka and Kapayanayaka attempted successfully in freeing the land from the Muslim rule.
- ^ Rao, P. Raghunadha (1993). Ancient and medieval history of Andhra Pradesh. Sterling Publishers. p. 70. ISBN 9788120714953.
These chiefs took the lead in organizing a war of independence against the Muslim rule and elected as their leader, Prolaya Nayaka, the Kamma chieftain of Musunuru . . .
- ^ Prasad, G. Durga (1988), History of the Andhras up to 1565 A. D. (PDF), Guntur: P. G. Publishers, p. 168
- ^ "The Hindu : Telugu cultural history". www.thehindu.com. November 26, 2002.
He [Muppaalla Hanumantha Rao, the author of SAMAGRA ANDHRA DESA CHARITRA — SAMSKRITI — Third Volume] comes out with new evidence that, during this period, the Musunuri Kamma dynasty ruled Andhra for 50 years while the Reddy dynasty ruled the land for a hundred years plus another quarter of a century by the Reddy kings of Rajahmundry and the Velama kings had their sway over the region for some 150 years. He also finds that all these three major castes were one to begin with, but later split into three different sects
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Pramila, Kasturi (2002-01-01). Economic and social conditions of Āndhra Deśa, A.D. 1000 to 1323 A.D. Bharatiay Kala Prakashan. p. 162.
Prolayanayaka of the Musunuri family who is considered to belong to the Kamma caste established an independent kingdom at Rekapalli.
- ^ Talbot (2001), p. 86.
- ^ Wagoner & Rice (2001), p. 78.
- ^ Eaton (2005), pp. 26–27.
- ^ Hemingway (1915), pp. 4, 66–67.
- ^ Somasekhara Sarma (1946), pp. 76–77.
- ^ a b Rama Rao (1947), pp. 296–297.
- ^ Talbot (2001), p. 178; Eaton (2005), pp. 26–27; Chattopadhyaya (1998), pp. 57–59
- ^ Sarma, Mukkamala Radhakrishna; Committee, Osmania University Dept of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology Felicitation; History, Osmania University Dept of (2004). Glimpses of our past--historical researches: festschrift in honour of Prof. Mukkamala Radhakrishna Sarma, former emeritus fellow. Felicitation Committee, Dept. of Ancient Indian History, Culture, and Archaeology & Dept. of History, Osmania University. p. 264.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Chaturvedi, Sarojini (2006-01-01). A short history of South India. Saṁskṛiti. p. 222. ISBN 9788187374374.
- ^ Prasad (1988), p. 173. sfnp error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFPrasad1988 (help)
- ^ Somasekhara Sarma (1946), p. 81: "How this discrepancy arose and why such a wrong account was given in the Kaluvaceru grant is a mystery which is yet to be unravelled."
- ^ Rama Rao (1947), p. 295: "It is thus impossible that Prolaya Vema could at any time have been a subordinate of the Musunuri chiefs."
- ^ Jackson, The Delhi Sultanate 2003, p. 267.
- ^ Jackson, The Delhi Sultanate 2003, p. 268–269.
- ^ a b Somasekhara Sarma, M. (April 1931), "Kapaya Nayaka", Journal of the Andhra Historical Research Society, 5 (4): 227–228
- ^ a b Majumdar, The Delhi Sultanate—Muhammad Bin Tughluq 1967, p. 76.
- ^ Jackson, The Delhi Sultanate 2003, p. 268.
- ^ Talbot (2001), p. 178.
- ^ Eaton (2005), p. 50.
- ^ Prasad (1988), pp. 168–172 sfnp error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFPrasad1988 (help)
- ^ Talbot (2001), pp. 177–182
Bibliography
- Chattopadhyaya, B. D. (1998), Representing the Other? Sanskrit Sources and the Muslims, New Delhi: Manohar, ISBN 978-8173042522
- Eaton, Richard M. (2005), A Social History of the Deccan: 1300–1761, Cambridge University Press, pp. 15–16, ISBN 978-0-52125-484-7
- Jackson, Peter (2003), The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-54329-3
- Hemingway, F. R. (1915), Madras District Gazetters: Godavari (PDF), Government of Madras
- Majumdar, R. C. (1967), "Muhammad Bin Tughluq", in R. C. Majumdar; A. D. Pusalker; A. K. Majumdar (eds.), The Delhi Sultanate (Second ed.), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp. 61–89
- Prasad, J. Durga (1988), History of the Andhras up to 1565 AD, P. G. Publishers
- Rama Rao, M. (1947), "The Fall of Warangal and After", Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 10: 292–297, JSTOR 44137150
- Somasekhara Sarma, Mallampalli (1946), History of the Reddi Kingdoms (Circa. 1325 A.D., to circa. 144B A.D.), Waltair: Andhra University
- Talbot, Cynthia (2001), Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19803-123-9
- Wagoner, Phillip B.; Rice, John Henry (2001), "From Delhi to the Deccan: Newly Discovered Tughluq Monuments at Warangal-Sult̤ānpur and the Beginnings of Indo-Islamic Architecture in Southern India", Artibus Asiae, 61 (1): 77–117, doi:10.2307/3249963, JSTOR 3249963
Further reading
- Devi, V. Yashoda (1975), After the Kākatīyas, Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi
- A history of South India from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar, K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, Oxford Univ. Press, 1955.