VIZAGAPATAM.
seized Kurupám in 1794, claimed the estate on the ground that his father had been last in possession, but his claim was rejected because of his father's rebellion. It was afterwards in part conceded in order to keep him quiet, but he was still dissatisfied, and when Ganga Rázu died and the permanent settlement was made in 1803 with the latter's son Chandrasékhara, Jagannátha sued for the whole estate. He died soon after, but his son Vírabhadra continued the suit, was cast in costs and in his indignation, broke out into open rebellion, seized the zamindar, robbed him and his manager of all they possessed, collected the revenues on his own account, was twice engaged with the Company's troops and was only at last pacified by the grant of a small pension in 1809. The grant, however, was conditional on his living in Vizagapatam and this he steadfastly refused to do. In 1816 he went on the warpath again, devastated villages, murdered the zamindar's grandfather, and at last, having been unceasingly pursued and hunted out of his lurking-places, was captured in Jeypore. He was detained under surveillance at Vizagapatam, but continued to foment disturbances and in 1821 was removed to Chingleput, where he eventually died.
Meanwhile the young zamindar Chandrasékhara, whom Mr.Russell describes as 'a perfect idiot,' ran heavily into debt. His estate was eventually attached by the courts and put up for sale,and, no one being bold enough to purchase it, was bought by Government in 1833 for Rs. 500. At that time the Pálkonda rebellion (see p. 288) had not been completely crushed, three principal insurgents, known as 'the Atsapavalasa brothers,' lurking with their retainers in the Mérangi jungles. The manager of the estate assembled a body of hill peons, and, after a desperate fight near 'Gorai' in the hills to the south-east of Mérangi, slew all three of them. He and his peons begged that their reward for this service might be the restoration of Mérangi to Chandrasékhara's young son Jagannátha Rázu, 'a remarkably fine boy,' and in 1835 this was done. The estate was managed by the Court of Wards until the lad attained his majority in 1843. He died in 1864 and was followed by his son Chandrasékhara, who died on 7th September 1869 leaving an infant son named Jagannátha and three brothers called Rámabhadra, Sómasékhara and Jógirázu. The Court of Wards took charge of the estate. In 1884 the three brothers sued for the partition of the estate and won their case in all the courts up to the Privy Council.1[1] The estate was accordingly divided in 1894 into
- ↑ 1 I.L.R., Madras, 380-98 and XIV, 244-7.
