VIZAGAPATAM.
year he sold it to Erramilli Mallikárjuna Rao. another Bráhman. The latter died in 1881 and his maternal grandson, Chatrázu Mallikárjuna Rao, whom he had adopted, is now the proprietor.
Páyakaraopéta : Contains 2,688 inhabitants and stands on the trunk road just where it leaves the district and on the bank of the Tándava stream opposite Tuni village in Gódávari. It contains a fine, but neglected, encamping ground for troops and is known (see p. 123) for its weaving.
Tradition has it that the man from whom the place is named was one Kákarlapudi Appala Rázu of Chandanádu in this taluk, who was granted, for services at Hyderabad, the title of Páyaka Rao, or 'foremost in battle, and the estates of Anakápalle and Satyavaram in this taluk.The fort and its two temples at the former place (see p. 219) are said to have been built by him.Mr. G. E. Russell says 1[1] that a descendant of his of the same name, who was still in possession of these properties when the English acquired the district, died in 1776 without lineal descendants but leaving a widow and a widowed mother. The estates were consequently made over to the then Rája of Vizianagram on condition of his paying Rs. 90,000 more peshkash and Rs. 10,000 annually for the maintenance of tho widows.
One of these ladies died in 1804 and the other in 1814. The friends of the latter declared that she had adopted a son, but Government had evidence of her mental incapacity to do any such thing and discontinued the maintenance. In January 1832, Jagannátha Rázu, a cousin of the boy who was supposed to have been adopted, appeared at the head of a large body of armed followers assumed the title of Páyaka Rao, and began committing depredations. His ostensible grievance was the discontinuance of the maintenance, but in reality he was merely the puppet of Náganna Dora, díwán to the zamindar of Golgonda, a doublefaced scamp who had long fomented risings against the Government while vehemently protesting all the time his unswerving loyalty. This rascal eventually, it may here be noted, met with a dramatic end.2[2] He had betrayed to Government a companion of Páyaka Rao's called Venkatapati Rázu, and the man was tried and duly hanged. Two of his friends, however, broke into Náganna's house one night soon afterwards, woke him by shouts of ' Venkatapati Rázu has come back!', smote off his head and affixed it to the very gibbet from which Venkatapati's body was still swinging.
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