places. Had they failed, the other two remaining in the forest were bound by the same oath to perform the deed or perish in the attempt.'
The situation of this historic fort can still be traced on the west side of the town, its site being a little higher than the ground about it, and here the present Mahárája of Bobbili erected in 1891 an obelisk bearing inscriptions on stone commemorating the tragedy. In these, and also in the Ranga Rao Charitram, the popular ballad on the subject which is still sung all over the district, the slaying of Viziaráma Rázu is attributed, not to two men as in Orme's account, but to a single individual named Tándra Pápayya, a sirdar of the fort at Rázám. To keep his memory green, the Velamas of Bobbili town erected there in 1900 a chávadi which bears his name.
Two members of the Bobbili family escaped from the massacre of the 24th January 1757; namely, the zamindar's brother, Vengal Ranga Rao, and his infant son Venkata Ranga Rao referred to by Orme, who was usually known as Chinna Ranga Rao. .Mr. Carmichael says that ' they fled to Bhadráchalam, but two years afterwards (1759) when Ananda Rázu of Vizianagram was at Masulipatam with Colonel Forde, they returned, and assembling their old retainers, got possession of the fort at Rázám. The Púsapátis at last were glad to compromise with them, giving them a lease of the Kavite and Rázám hundas for Rs. 20,000 a year. Vengal Rao lived three years after this, and was succeeded by Chinna Ranga Rao for four years, when in 1766, Sítaráma Rázu, growing apprehensive of his influence, managed to seize him and, imprisoning him in the fort at Vizianagram, resumed the taluks. Chinna Ranga Rao was in confinement till the year 1790, when he found means to make his escape. He fled into the Nizam's country, whence he was invited back by the Collector of the Northern Division in 1794, on the dismemberment of the Vizianagram zamindari. His old taluks were restored to him, and shortly afterwards he adopted a distant kinsman, Ráyadappa, for his son. He died in 1801, when great efforts were made by the Púsapátis to get his country incorporated with Vizianagram, but their prayer was rejected, the permanent settlement being made with the deceased's adopted son.
Chinna Ranga Rao was the builder of the oldest part of the present palace at Bobbili, the Saracenic arches on which its first floor is supported being perhaps due to ideas of architecture imbibed at Hyderabad. Ráyadappa, and after him his son Svétáchalapati (who succeeded in 1830 and lived till 1862), were excellent managers of their property. The latter made large
