A Family History of Venkatagiri Rajas/22nd Generation
Twenty-second Generation.
Rajah Bangaru Yachama Naidu Bahadur.
Died 1693 A.D.
Kumara Yachama Naidu (21) = Varadamma
Banagaru Yachama Naidu (22).
= Akkamma (1).
= Vengamma (2).
= Nalinakshamma (3).
Muddu Akkalla.
Kumara Naidu.
Sarwagna Kumara Yachama Naidu.
Pedda Akkalla.
Chinna Akkalla.
General.—Rajah Bangaru Yachama Naidu had his capital at North Mallur in the district of Chittoor and held sway over the neighbouring Purgannahs. But he seems to have spent a good part of his life-time in the northern districts with his seat of Government at Venkatagiri as plain from the two religious endowments at Kumara Yachasamudram and Varadamambapuram and from his military career at Lakkireddipalli, these being described in due course. The chief event of his line is the grant of Armugam to the English in 1625 A.D. Armugam was the first place of English settlement on the Coromandel Coast and was obtained, as says Sewell in Volume I, page 146 of Lists of Antiquities, from the Rajah of Venkatagiri, by the karnam of the village, whose name Armugam, the new settlers gave in gratitude to their factory. Cox in page 42 of his North Arcot Manual bears testimony to the same when he writes "the English (in 1625) had moved their factory from Masulipatam to Armugam." The Nellore Manual of Mr. Bornell has the following description on page 24 about Armugam. "This is a small depot about a mile south of the village, which is now chiefly occupied by salt manufacturers and is often mentioned by the early historians of British India as Armugam being our first settlement on the Coromandel Coast. Armugam Lighthouse is the only lighthouse in the district. Armugam shoal is about ten miles long. The shallowest part is 1 ¾ fathoms. There is a scheme for improving it and converting it into a harbour of Madras. This shoal presents a natural harbour which might be made exceedingly beneficial at a small outlay." The other events come under two heads :
Religious.— On account of their importance, the religious endowments and buildings find the chief place Once during his stay at North Mallur, he gave as a free gift or agraharam to a family of his Purohits, the village of Mahadevamangalam in the taluk of Tiruvennemala of Jinji Purgannah. When enquiries were made by the late Maharajah Sir V. Rajagopala Krishna Yachendra Bahadur, G.C.I.E., about the condition of the agraharam, it was ascertained that the descendants of the first recipients had it in their possession for a long time, though already mortgaged and had only recently sold it away. The second endowment belongs to the year 1679 A.D. That year the village of Mannur belonging to Venkatagiri taluk, which came under the control of these Rajahs during the days of Venkatadri Naidu, the seventeenth member of this line, was named Kumara Yachasamudram in revered memory of his father, was declared an agraharam and given as free gift in forty-six equal shares to several Brahmins.
Thirdly it was in 1682 A.D. that the village of Siddavaram, two miles to the west of Venkatagiri, was named Varadamambapuram, in revered memory of his mother and given over as agraharam.
Once during his stay in the capital in the south, he constructed a mandapam, a stone-built hall opposite to the temple of Vijayaraghava Swami in Thirupagudi, near Mosaravaka, as a visiting hall of the said Deity during the time of His festival. On Sree Rama Navami and other festive occasions the Image of God is taken in a grand procession to this place. The hall is still extant and in good order.
Military.— In the year 1604 A.D., Matla Appala Rai, a powerful chieftain living in the neighbourhood of Arcot once gathered forces from the wild tribes such as Boya and Chenchu Varu races and aided by his relations and several minor Poligars fearlessly entered the parts of country now known as Guntur, Kadavagunta, Ontimitta, Nandalur and Cuddapah and freely robbed and plundered and thus caused much havoc to the inhabitants. The Nawab, Sultan Abdul Hassan Khudaff came to know this and once offered a great reward to Bangaru Yachama Naidu in the event of his capturing the rebel. The Rajah readily consented and was making arrangements to attack the enemy. With the assistance of Damara Venkatapathi Naidu and his followers, he marched to the hilly tracts of Rapur, and leaving behind some part of his forces to keep watch in the hills and search for the foe, he soon marched to Lakkireddipalli.
Meanwhile Appala Rai heard all this and knowing that his enemy was there aided only by a few followers, he at once besieged him at Lakkireddipalli with a big army of 5,000 sardars chief among them being Koravi Ramanna and Amarachinta Krishnappa. Then the Rajah, weak as he was, gave open conflict unmindful of the odds and boldly charged into the enemy's quarters. His forces soon put to flight hundreds of Appala Rai's followers, and he himself on account of his great strength and courage, put Ramanna and several other sardars to sword. The two Telugu verses sung in praise of the victor serve to show the unequalled valour and warrior spirit that he possessed. In the end the result was that Appala Rai understood his fate, escaped in disguise and hid himself in Rapur hills. The fight ended in a signal success to the Rajah.
News of the victory soon reached the ears of the Nawab who at once conferred on him the titles of Rajah Bahadur and Shash Hazari Mansab (a commander of 6,000 followers). Besides, he presented him with the valuable gifts of Sabju Ambari and Gosh Pesh and granted him the honours of Panchamarathib and others. The Sabju Ambari, a covered seat arranged on the back of the elephant in procession, is to this day regarded as the State Ambari and finds its main use at the time of Installation. Panchamarathib too is fixed to the Ambari at its top as a special mark of honour.
The second important achievement in the battle brought upon him and with him on several members of his family the sad and destined end. Aurangzib the Mogul Emperor returned to his capital at Delhi after his conquest of the Deccan. Soon after, Surap Singh the Chief, commanding the fortifications of Senji (Jinji) and a few others joined together and rose in rebellion. They refused to pay the annual tribute to the Emperor. When Aurangzib heard this, he soon appointed Zulphur Khan Bahadur, a son of his favourite Vizier Asaf Khan Bahadur as the Nawab of Arcot and sent him to the Deccan with a large army and with a mandate to quell the rebels. But the new Nawab on reaching his capital at Arcot neglected the duty entrusted to him and this disobedience on the part of Zulphur Zung Bahadur much displeased the Emperor. It is said that for a time, on account of the Emperor's wrath, all correspondence ceased between him and his Deccan agent. There is mention made of this in Persian Records Thuhvathul Akvar. Aurangzib then thought of appointing Rajah Bangaru Yachama Naidu as the next Nawab to replace the disobedient agent, for he thought the Rajah to be the ablest and fittest person for the place, having already heard of his courage and loyalty in putting down the rebel Matla Appala Rai and having also received his personal help in his Deccan campaign. But Zulphur Khan received information about this from his friends at Delhi and so began to plan his murder and be rid of the Rajah. On the day of Mahar-Navami in 1693 A.D., he went on some pretext to North Mallur, the Rajah's capital, and knowing that on that day all weapons of war were reserved for special worship, and were not therefore available for war or wear, he invited the Rajah to his own tent for a short interview. The latter of course went unarmed, and after a few minute's conversation with him in the tent, the Nawab withdrew on some plea leaving the guest inside. Soon the ropes were cut and the whole tent was instantly pulled down on the head of the Rajah inside to cause him sudden death. The followers, being also unarmed, were of no avail in helping the Rajah.
When news of this treachery reached the Rajah's palace, his son by the first wife Sarwagna Kumara Yachendra and son by the third wife Kumara Nayana and Rama Rao, a Brahmin boy, kindly brought up in the palace, were all entrusted to the care of a servant-woman Polu to be safely handed over to their relations Jupalli Varu and Brahmin house-holders, known as Pasupati Avaru and Divi Varu, living in distant parts and the maid-servant was secretly despatched out of the palace with the three children and with a small sum of money to cover the expenses of the journey. The ladies in the Harem, namely, the three wives of the Rajah, his two daughters by first wife, and one other by the third committed suicide preferring death to falling into the hands of the heinous Nawab and being dishonoured. This dreadful incident occurred in 1693 A.D. The destruction of palace records consequent on the Nawab's occupying North Mallur marks the end of any history of the previous members of the royal line. Several valuable gifts and glorious presents of the ancestors, along with the throne of gold, the chief asset of Yerra Dacha Naidu, the fourth member of this line, fell into the hands of the Nawab. What a different history would have been possible if the several Pharmanas gained by the predecessors down from the parent member Bhetala Naidu had been intact without being destroyed by the Muhammadans. The few Pharmanas now available in the records are only those that were granted to the subsequent Rajahs. The historic nature of the tragedy was examined and proclaimed to the world during the days of the late Maharajah Sir V. Rajagopala Krishna Yachendra Bahadur. The particular plot of ground where the tent treachery took place is even now known as Dera Gunta (tent-pit) and there are two temples with the images of the heroic women who thus sacrificed their lives.