The Musunuri Nayakas were warrior kings of 14th-century
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...
who were briefly significant in the region of
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...
and
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka is said to have taken a leadership role among the Andhra chieftains and driven out the
Delhi Sultanate from
Warangal
Warangal () is a city in the Indian state of Telangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 704,570 per 2011 Census of India, and spreading over an .
Warangal ser ...
. But his rise was soon challenged by the
Bahmani Sultanate and he was defeated. The
Recherla Nayakas
Recherla Nayakas were an Andhra dynasty that wrested power from the Musunuri Nayakas and became the dominant power in the Telangana region during the late 14th century and early 15th century (r. 1368–1435). They were based at Rachakonda, south ...
wrested power from him in 1368.
Origins
Little is known of the Musunuri family; they are often described as "obscure". The founding ruler of the family, Musunuri Prolaya Nayaka, suddenly appears as a new ruler at Rekapalle, near
Bhadrachalam
Bhadrachalam is a census town in Bhadradri Kothagudem district in the Indian state of Telangana. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage town with the Bhadrachalam Temple of Lord Rama, situated on the banks of Godavari river. It is located east o ...
, around 1330, claiming heritage from the Kakatiyas.
Andhra historians often state that Musunuri Nayaks belonged to the
Kamma
Kamma may refer to:
*Kamma (caste), a caste or social group found largely in Southern India
*Kamma, India, village in Punjab, India
*The Pali and Ardhamagadhi term for karma
*Bava Kamma, a traditional Jewish civil law procedure (1st volume of Nezi ...
caste group. However, the modern castes of Andhra region did not originate until the late stages of the
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...
.
Opposition to Muslim Invasion
After the fall of the Kakatiyas, their empire was annexed by the Delhi Sultanate. Ulugh Khan (also known as
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq (1290 – 20 March 1351) was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from February 1325 until his death in 1351. The sultan was the eldest son of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321, the youn ...
), the general that conquered Warangal, renamed it "Sultanpur" and remained as the governor of the region for a short period. In 1324, he was recalled to Delhi to succeed the Khaljis as
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq (1290 – 20 March 1351) was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from February 1325 until his death in 1351. The sultan was the eldest son of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321, the youn ...
. A former Kakatiya commander, Nagaya Ganna Vibhudu, now renamed
Malik Maqbul
Malik Maqbul (Mala Yugandharudu ) , also referred to as Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul Tilangani[< ...](_blank)
, was appointed as the governor of the region. However, the Tughluq hold over the erstwhile Kakatiya empire was tenuous and a number of local chieftains seized effective power.
Prolaya Nayaka
According to the ''Vilasa grant,'' Prolaya Nayaka ruled from Rekapalle. Located at the edge of the
Papikondalu hills (part of the
Eastern Ghats
The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and cut ...
), Rekapalle could control the narrow Sabari river valley lying between the Bhadrachalam forest and the Papikondalu forest.
Konda Reddis
The Konda Reddis or Hill Reddis are a designated Scheduled Tribe in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and neighboring states of Odisha, Tamil Nadu.
They are entirely unrelated to the Hindu caste also known by the name Reddy. They live predomina ...
, who populate the hill forests would have facilitated Prolaya Nayaka's rebellion against the Sultanate. Rekapalle is also a strategic location to control or obstruct communications on the Godavari river passing through the hills.
Prolaya Vema Reddi
The Reddi kingdom or Kondavidu Reddi kingdom (1325–1448 CE) was established in southern India by Prolaya Vema Reddi. Most of the region that was ruled by the Reddi dynasty is now part of modern-day coastal and central Andhra Pradesh.
Orig ...
of the Panta Reddi clan, who seems to have established his own independent rule in
Addanki
Addanki is a Municipal city in Bapatla district of the Indian State, Andhra Pradesh. Addanki North is the mandal headquarters of Addanki mandal in chirala revenue division.
Geography
Addanki located at . It has an average elevation of 24&nbs ...
by 1325, is believed to have taken control of the region between the Krishna and Godavari rivers, perhaps up to
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...
. Historian M. Rama Rao states that Prolayavema Reddi and Prolaya Nayaka must have made a 'joint effort' to drive the Muslim rule out from the area.
In 1330, Prolaya Nayaka published the ''Vilasa grant'', a copper-plate grant near
Pithapuram
Pithapuram, historically known as Pittapore, is a town and a municipality in the Kakinada district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town also forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority. The town is home to one of the eighteen ...
, in which he bemoaned the devastation of the
Telugu country brought about by northern Muslim armies and attempted to legitimise himself as the rightful restorer of order.
[; ; ] Prolaya Nayaka left no children and was succeeded by a cousin, Kapaya Nayaka, who governed until 1368 and attempted to further expand his rule.
Kapaya Nayaka
Rebellion
Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka (r. 1333–1368) led a larger rebellion against the Tughluq rule, driving it 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. The grant also states that Prolaya Vema Reddi was one among these 75 Nayakas, but this is doubtful.
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
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
) 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. 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 that about a third of his army perished due to the epidemic.
Ferishta
Firishta or Ferešte ( fa, ), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi ( fa, مُحَمَّد قاسِم هِندو شاہ), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He wa ...
narrates that, around this time, Kapaya Nayaka approached the
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...
ruler
Veera Ballala III
Veera Ballala III (r. 1292–1342) was the last great king of the Hoysala Empire. During his rule, the northern and southern branches of the Hoysala empire (which included much of modern Karnataka and northern Tamil Nadu) were consolidated and ...
for assistance in evicting the Sultanate from Warangal. After consideration, assistance was offered.
Historian
R. C. Majumdar characterises it as a 'national revolt' backed up by a regular army. Governor
Malik Maqbul
Malik Maqbul (Mala Yugandharudu ) , also referred to as Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul Tilangani[< ...](_blank)
found himself unable to withstand the rebellion and fled to Delhi. Ferishta states that Kapaya Nayaka and Ballala III then jointly marched on the newly declared
Madurai Sultanate
Ma'bar Sultanate ( fa, ), unofficially known as the Madurai Sultanate, was a short lived kingdom based in the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India. The sultanate was proclaimed in 1335 led by Jalaluddin Ahsan Khan declared his independenc ...
and divested it of its outlying territories, in particular
Tondaimandalam
Tondaimandalam, also known as Tondai Nadu, is a historical region located in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh and northernmost part of Tamil Nadu. The region comprises the districts which formed a part of the legendary kingdom of Athondai Ch ...
.
Rule
Kapaya Nayaka 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, including
Golconda (near the modern Hyderabad). His weakened position was exploited by the
Reddis of Kondavidu and the
Recherla Nayakas
Recherla Nayakas were an Andhra dynasty that wrested power from the Musunuri Nayakas and became the dominant power in the Telangana region during the late 14th century and early 15th century (r. 1368–1435). They were based at Rachakonda, south ...
, the latter of whom killed him in battle at
Bhimavaram in 1368.
Despite his supposed opposition to the Dehlavi Sultans, Kapaya Nayaka continued using the
Kush Mahal built by the Sultans in Warangal and adopted the Persianised title "Sultan of the Andhra country" (''Andhra Suratrana''). In 1361, he gifted to the Bahmani Sultan
Mohammed Shah I
Mohammed Shah I (reigned 1358–1375) was the second ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate, a late medieval kingdom of India. He succeeded his father Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah. His reign was marked by a series of wars between his kingdom and two neig ...
the turquoise throne of Warangal, made during the Delhi rule, as part of a treaty agreement.
Ater the death of Kapaya Nayaka, his allied Nayakas are said to have returned to their own towns, and the period of Musunuri family ended. The Recherla Nayakas became the dominant power in the Telangana that lasted till 1435.
Notes
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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* ''A history of South India from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar'', K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, Oxford Univ. Press, 1955.
{{Telangana
States and territories established in the 13th century
States and territories disestablished in the 14th century
Dynasties of India
Telugu monarchs