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Kandur Nadu

Last updated: June 05, 2026

Kandur-1000 / Kandur-1100: A Millennium of Power, Patronage and Transition (c. 753 CE – 1323 CE)

~1,000 Villages | Major sub-divisions: Irramma-300, Vaddavani-500, Kanne-300, Bodaleti-70 | Marketing Centers: Pangal, Kandur, Gangapur, Jadcherla

Kandur (modern Kandur village in Addakal mandal of Mahabubnagar district, Telangana) was the heart of an ancient macro-region known as Kandurnadu or Kandurghana, comprising about 1,000 villages. Also called Kandur-1000 or Kandur-1100, it extended across large parts of modern Nalgonda (Miryalaguda, Devarakonda, Suryapet), Mahabubnagar (Jadcherla, Mahabubnagar), and Nagarkurnool districts. The region witnessed successive dominations: Rashtrakutas, Western Chalukyas, the formidable Kandur Chodas (Telugu-Cholas), Kakatiyas, and the Gona chiefs. Its rich epigraphical record reveals a complex feudal tapestry, vibrant Jain and Brahmanical traditions, and the rise of local dynasties that shaped the political landscape of the Raichur Doab's eastern frontier.

I. Early History & The Rashtrakuta Era (753 – 973 CE)
The earliest political formations of Kandurnadu under the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta. Subordinate chiefs bearing titles like Mahamandalesvara administered the region, leaving inscriptions in Kannada and Telugu that document land grants to Jain basadis and Brahmanical temples.

In Kandurnadu, the marketing centers were Pangal, Kandur, Gangapur, and Jadcherla. Perur in Nalgonda was also part of this ancient division, which corresponded to modern taluks of Miryalaguda, Devarakonda (Nalgonda), Suryapet, and parts of Mahabubnagar. The Yapaniyas (Jain sect) were active at Saundatti, Kalbhavi and Hannikeri (Belgaum district, Karnataka).

Prthivivarma (c. 940 CE)

Built a Jain temple to Kareya Gana of the Mailapa Anvaya at Saundatti.

Mahasamanta Santivarma (c. 980 CE)

Grandson of Prthivivarma; built a second Jain temple at Saundatti and endowed it with land. The donation was received by the monk Bahubali Bhattaraka of the Kandur Ghana (a Jain monastic centre).

General Panara (Panuravadi) Ratta Chiefs (c. 846–888 CE)

A branch of the Rashtrakutas ruling over Belagavi (Karnataka), they administered parts of this region. They descended from Hem Ratti and spoke Kannada, with some using Telugu.

Sankaraganda I (846–888 CE): Administered areas including Jaffarghad, Warangal, Kollipaka (includes Kandur). On 25th September 846 CE, land grants at Mallikarjuna Palli, Medak. In 888 CE, a Jain inscription at Mettugutta hillock, Kazipet. The Jain temple known as Jaina Basadi at Mettugutta was attributed to Mahamandaleshwarudu Shankaragandaras during the Rashtrakuta period.
Ravi Chandrayya (907 CE)

1st April 907 CE: Velmajala, Bhuvanagiri. Telugu and Kannada inscription on a slab outside the village. Refers to Akalavarsha (Krishna II) and records the gift of 100 marttars of land to a basadi and a garden by Ravi Chandrayya, a subordinate of the king.

Mahasamanta Nurmadidhavala & Gommarasa (913 CE)

Chief Gommarasa of the Haihaya Chiefs. 913 CE: Padaturu, Nalgonda, under Rashtrakuta king Nityavarsha (Indra III). This Kannada inscription on a pillar refers to Nurmadidhavala and his subordinate Gommarasa, who was administering Kollipaka nadu-7000 division. Registers grant of lands with tax siddhaya by Chamangamunda, son of Aydamayya, to a temple.

Maha-Samantadhipati Ayyanayya (972 CE)

Feudatory under the later Rashtrakutas before the rise of the Western Chalukyas.

II. Western Chalukyas of Kalyani (973 – 1163 CE)
The rise of the Kalyani Chalukyas brought new administrative divisions and the emergence of powerful feudatory families – the Kanduru chiefs, who would later evolve into the Kandur Chodas. Inscriptions introduce subdivisions like Koduru-300, Vaddemana-500, and Ettapi-90.
Kanduru Anemarasa (Anemarasa I / Yanemarasa I) (1033–1042 CE)

Ruling Koduru-300. 27th November 1033 CE & 15th July 1038 CE: Mallesvaram, Kollapur Taluka (Saka 955 & 960). Grants to Jagadindu Pandita, an ascetic, for imparting education (Vidyadana) and feeding ascetics. The second grant issued from his nelevidu Pottalakere (modern Patancheru, Medak district). Earliest mention of Kanduru, from which hailed the Telugu-Cholas of Kanduru.

Mahamandalesvara Bhuvanaikamalla Bijjarasa (Bibbarasa) (1042–1048 CE)

Ruling Koduru-300. 1042 CE: Malleswaram under Jayasimha II. 1044 CE: Pulijala, Lord of Ujjeka-samka-pattana under Somesvara I. 1046 CE (Kurumiddi): governing Koduru-300.

Migration of Kanduru Bijjarasa (c. 1057 CE)

1048–1057 CE: Mahamandalesvara Kanduru Bijjarasa active in Chakamalaya of Migalanadu (Medak district, covering parts of modern Sangareddy and Medak). 1048 CE: Gift of four house plots in Baliya Kammatavadi on the occasion of Pattoddhati (crowning ceremony of yuvaraja Bibbarasa). The 1057 CE inscription shows Bijjarasa under Somesvara I ruling from Potlalakere (Patancheru).

Kandur Sankaragandarasa (1048–1049 CE)

Ruling Vaddemana-500. 1048 CE: Introduces a subordinate chief with epithets (Bhupakandarpa, vairi kula kala sarpam, etc.). Gift of 13 marttars in village Kulakuliya in Vaddemana-500 to pontiff Chidisvara pandita. Record composed by Bijjaya. 1049 CE: Kolanupaka, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District. Kannada inscription dated Saka 971 (1049 CE) records eulogy of Sankaragandarasa, who while camping at Kondur made a grant of twelve mattars of land for worship to Mahesvaradeva of Kondur.

Mahamandalesvara Kumara Vijayaaditya (1050–1053 CE)

Wife: Chandala devi. 1051 CE: Mallesvaram, Kollapur inscription Saka 973. Vijayaaditya I, younger son of Somesvara I (1042–1068 CE). Mentions Kandur-nadu (largest province), Vaddavani-500 (Waddemanu), Ettapi-90 (Yetham), and villages Pinmanam, Pittugam, Anmanpalli.

Mahamandalesvara Anemarasadeva (1054 CE)

Ruling Koduru-300. 10th March 1054 CE: Tatiparthi inscription on a stone pillar near Bhairava temple. Records grant as sravabadhaparihara by Kamarasa and Dadikoram barmayyar with permission of Padiyaram Kuppayya while Anemarasadeva ruled Koduru-300.

Haihaya Chief Ayyarasa (1058 CE)

1058 CE: Manthati inscription on Bayyanagutta hill. Records installation of God Bhairava in Wanaparthy by Attikabbe, wife of Mesavala Ketaya mantri, ankakara Sankaraganda of Kanduru. Earliest reference to modern Wanaparti. Ayyarasa of Haihaya family was ruling Kandurnadu under Somesvara I.

III. The Kandur Chodas (1077 – 1224 CE)
The most powerful regional dynasty – the Kanduri Chodas – emerged from the Kodurpura family. They rose to prominence under Vikramaditya VI, ruling over Kandurnadu-1100 from capitals like Panugallu, Kodur, and Vardhamanapura. Their history is marked by civil wars, shifting allegiances, and eventual subjugation by the Kakatiyas.
Jayasimha (younger brother of Vikramaditya VI) (1077–1088 CE)

1079 CE: Jayasingadeva, viceroy of Banavasi. 1081 CE: Incomplete inscription refers to Yuvaraja Jayasimha III governing Belvola-300, Purigere–300, Banavasi–12000, Santalige-1000 and Kandur-1000. 1082 CE: Slab record at Taluk office (SII vol XX, no 55) – gift of land purchased by merchants of Purigere when Jayasimhadeva was governing Purigere-300, Belvola–300, Banavasi-12000 and Kandur-1000.

Bhimachoda II (1077 – 1091 CE)

Son of Tonda I. Ruled Kandurnadu-1100 from Panugallu (Nalgonda) and Kodur (Mahabubnagar). Major expansion: backed Vikramaditya VI in the Chalukya civil war. As reward, granted the wealthy Kandurunadu comprising 1100 villages. Adopted titles "Kodurpuravaresvara" (Lord of Kodur) and "Kanduri-Choda".

Tonda II (1091 – 1097 CE)

Son of Bhimachoda II. Began ruling from Kolanupaka before his father's death. Assumed full power at Panugallu in 1091 CE. 1091 CE: Unpublished epigraph from Panugallu (C.V. 15) registers vrittis granted to a brahman who carried ashes of Kanduru Bhima Choda to Ganga. Kolanupaka inscription: feudatory Mahamandalesvara Kondaya Choladevamaharaja, Lord of Kodurupura, ruling Kollipake-7000. Made gift to Vishnu temple.

Mallikarjunachoda (1097 – 1104 CE)

Brother of Tonda II. Ruled from Kodur (modern Nagarkurnool). His reign documented through grants made by his minister Gunda.

Bhimachoda III & Gokarnachoda I (joint rule, 1104–1128 CE)

Sons of Tonda II. Their reign entangled in Chalukya succession crisis. Kumara Tailapa (younger son of Vikramaditya VI) held Kandurunadu as appanage and rebelled against King Somesvara III. Bhima III (ruled Kodur and Vardhamanapura) sided with Tailapa; Gokarna I (ruled Panugallu) remained loyal to Somesvara. Gokarna was killed by Tailapa and Bhima around 1128 CE.

31st December 1104 CE (Kolanupaka): Kanduru Bhimana Choda Maharaja granted lordship over Bhaditippaparti in Cheraku-70 of Irrama-300, Kanduru-1100 bada, making it agrahara to Kavaliya Brahmadevayya.
Kumara Tailapa (1104 – 1149 CE)

Younger son of Vikramaditya VI, ruled Kandurnadu-1100 and Sindvadi-1000 from Kodur with queen Lakshmi Devi and sons Permadi and Bikkideva. 25th December 1110 CE (Malleswaram): Gift of village Vrepakallu in Ettapi-Kampana-90 of Kanduru-1100 to Agastyesvara and Chandalesvara. 4th August 1121 CE (Nekkonda, Mahabubnagar): Gift of Bhudupura in Kanduru-70 for Ramesvara temple. 1123 CE (Bothpur): similar gift. 1125 CE (Jaina inscription at Gangapur): merchant Bommisetti constructed a chaityalaya for Parsvanatha. 1137 CE: Prola II defeated Tailapa; 1149 CE: Tailapa-III finally defeated by Kakatiya Prola II.

Sridevi Tondaya (1128 – 1136 CE)

Son of Udayaditya I, elder brother of Gokarna and Bhima Choda. 1128 CE (Anamala, Miryalaguda Taluk, Saka 1050): issued inscription suggesting independent status, granting prabhutva of Alamula in Cheraku-70. 1131 CE (Adavi-Devulapalli, Miryalaguda): installed deity Ramaramana on Krishna river bank, ruling from Panugallur over Kandara nadu, Vinuribada-nadu and Kondapalli-nadu.

Udayachoda II (1136 – 1178 CE)

Son of Gokarnachoda I. Ruled entire Kanduri Choda realm (Panugallu, Kodur, Vardhamanapura). Initially Chalukya subordinate, clashed with Kakatiya Rudradeva, was defeated and forced to give his daughter Padma in marriage to Rudradeva, accepting Kakatiya suzerainty.

Gokarnachoda II (1178 – 1224 CE)

Ruled from Panugallu (Nalgonda) jointly with Bhimachoda IV as loyal Kakatiya vassals under Rudradeva and Ganapatideva. Their inscriptions record grants to temples under Kakatiya umbrella.

IV. The Gona Chiefs & Kakatiya Suzerainty (1224 – 1323 CE)
In 1224 CE, Kakatiya Emperor Ganapatideva formally transferred Kandurnadu to the Gona family, severing the Kanduri Chodas' sovereign rights. The Gona chiefs became powerful Mahasamantas, known for literary patronage (Telugu Ramayana) and military expansion against the Seuna Yadavas.
Gona Ganapayya (Vithala) (1219 – 1230 CE)

Son of Gona Buddha reddi I. 1219 CE: Nagadevapalli, Nagarkurnool – grant for merit of Kakatiya Ganapatideva and his father Buddireddi (described as Eruva gonga, Kodvaluri puravaradhisvara). 1224 CE: By grace of Ganapatideva, obtained Kandur-nadu and ruled from Vardhamanapura. This formal transfer legally severed Kanduri Chodas' revenue rights.

Gona Budha Reddy II (1230 – 1262 CE)

Dedicated Ranganatha Ramayanam to his father Vithala (Gona Ganapayya). Budha Reddy had three sons (Gona Ganna Reddy, poets Gona Kacha Reddy, Gona Vitalanatha) and one daughter Kuppambika (first Telugu woman poet). 18th August 1259 CE (Bothpur): inscription praises Kuppambika.

1253 CE: Immadi Reddy was responsible for the eastern section of the doab where the Gadwal samsthanam later became established. A warrior named Pedda Veera Reddy (also Budda Reddy) assisted Immadi Reddy in land clearing.
Gona Ganna Reddy (1262 – 1294 CE)

Son of Gona Budha Reddy II. Wife Annamambika Devi – best friend of Kakatiya Rani Rudrama. Gonna Ganna Reddy had two brothers (Kacha Reddy, Vitalanatha) and sister Kuppambika. Kacha Reddy and Vitalanatha completed the Uttarakaanda section of the Ranganatha Ramayanam. 1276 CE: Brother-in-law Malyala Gundanna constructed several lakes with Ganna Reddy's help and died during Rudrama Devi's rule.

Vithala (son of Gona Ganna Reddy) (1294 – 1323 CE)

Chief minister and brother of Gona Ganna. Described as rajyarakshamani, ruler of Raichur kingdom. Around 1294 CE, Gona Vithala led a Kakatiya offensive against the Seuna Yadavas, capturing forts of Adavani, Tumbalam (Bellary district), Manuva and Hanuva (Raichur doab), and then the town of Raichur itself. An inscription of 1294 CE describes his military achievements.

V. The Cherkau Chiefs – Jammuluru Branch (Wanaparthy Region)
A parallel feudal lineage under the Kakatiyas, the Cherkau chiefs ruled parts of Cheraku-70 (a subdivision of Irrama-300). They served as key military allies of the Kakatiya monarchs.
Cheraku Immadi Bollayya Reddy (1199 – 1253 CE)

Most famous Cheraku ruler. Served three Kakatiya monarchs: Rudradeva, Mahadeva, and Ganapatideva. Key ally of General Recharla Rudra. Rewarded with Amarabad and Velpur regions. Patron of temples (Koteswara, Mareswara), excavated tanks, established agraharas. Titled Kakatiya-Kanaka-prakara ("the golden fort-wall of the Kakatiyas").

Ganapathi (1253 – 1271 CE)

Son of Bolla. Continued the Cherkau line under Kakatiya suzerainty.

Kanduri Ramanathadeva Choda, Lord of Kodurapura (1271 – 1282 CE)

8th January 1276 CE: Pamapur, Wanaparthy Taluk – inscription at Ponnamuchu Ramanatha Temple. Records grant of one kha of land by Pannamkara Ganapayya, Namaya and Ramaya towards anga ranga bhogas of God Ramanathadeva, for the merit of their lord Rayideva.

Subdivisions, Markets & Epigraphic Landscape

Major territorial units: Irramma-300, Vaddavani-500 (Vaddemana-500, Nandi Vaddeman, formerly Vardhamaanapuram), Kanne-300 (Alampur, Pebbair), Bodaleti-70, Koduru-300 (Kodur in Nagarkurnool). These formed the internal fiscal and military subdivisions of Kandurnadu.
Marketing & trade centers: Pangal, Kandur, Gangapur, Jadcherla were the principal commercial hubs. Perur in Nalgonda was also part of Kandurnadu, which extended into Miryalaguda, Devarakonda, Suryapet, and parts of Mahabubnagar.
Religious landscape: Jainism flourished under Rashtrakutas and Chalukyas (Yapaniyas, Kandur Ghana). Brahmanical temples (Agastyesvara, Ramesvara, Ramanathadeva) received generous endowments. The Gona chiefs patronized Telugu literature – the Ranganatha Ramayanam was the first Ramayana in Telugu.

Chronology of Key Events & Inscriptions

  • 846 CE: Sankaraganda I land grant at Mallikarjuna Palli, Medak.
  • 888 CE: Jain inscription at Mettugutta hillock, Kazipet (Rashtrakuta).
  • 907 CE: Ravi Chandrayya grant at Velmajala, Bhuvanagiri.
  • 913 CE: Mahasamanta Nurmadidhavala & Gommarasa grant at Padaturu, Nalgonda.
  • 940 CE: Prthivivarma builds Jain temple at Saundatti.
  • 980 CE: Santivarma builds second Jain temple at Saundatti; donation to monk Bahubali Bhattaraka of Kandur Ghana.
  • 1033/1038 CE: Kanduru Anemarasa grants at Mallesvaram (earliest mention of Kanduru).
  • 1048–1049 CE: Kandur Sankaragandarasa active in Vaddemana-500 and Kolanupaka.
  • 1054 CE: Anemarasadeva ruling Koduru-300 (Tatiparthi).
  • 1057 CE: Kanduru Bijjarasa active in Migalanadu (Medak).
  • 1077–1091 CE: Bhimachoda II receives Kandurnadu-1100 from Vikramaditya VI.
  • 1091 CE: Tonda II grants vrittis from Panugallu.
  • 1104 CE: Bhimachoda III grant at Kolanupaka (Cheraku-70, Irrama-300).
  • 1128 CE: Sridevi Tondaya independent-style grant at Anamala.
  • 1136–1137 CE: Kakatiya Prola II defeats Kumara Tailapa; Udayachoda II accepts Kakatiya suzerainty.
  • 1224 CE: Kakatiya Ganapatideva grants Kandurnadu to Gona Ganapayya – formal transfer from Kandur Chodas.
  • 1259 CE: Gona Budha Reddy II inscription at Bothpur.
  • 1276 CE: Kanduri Ramanathadeva Choda grant at Pamapur.
  • 1294 CE: Gona Vithala captures Raichur and other forts from Seuna Yadavas.
  • 1323 CE: Fall of Kakatiya dynasty; Kandurnadu transitions to Bahmani and later Vijayanagara control.

Enduring Legacy of Kandurnadu

Kandurnadu was not merely a geographical expression but a living political and cultural entity for over five centuries. From the Jain basadis of the Rashtrakuta period to the Telugu-Chola feudatories and the literary Gona chiefs, the region synthesized Kannada, Telugu, and Sanskrit cultures. The detailed epigraphical record – inscriptions on stone and copper – provides an unparalleled view into medieval Deccan feudal society: land grants, irrigation works, temple construction, and the ever-shifting loyalties of local lords. The market towns of Pangal, Kandur, Gangapur, and Jadcherla anchored a vibrant agrarian economy, while subdivisions like Irramma-300 and Vaddavani-500 structured the fiscal landscape. The Kandur Chodas' ambitious rise and eventual subjugation by the Kakatiyas, and the subsequent rise of the Gona chiefs who produced the first Telugu Ramayana, illustrate the dynamic power and cultural flows that defined the Raichur Doab's eastern marches.

References & Epigraphic Sources
  • South Indian Inscriptions (SII), Volumes IX, X, XX (Kannada and Telugu records).
  • Epigraphia Andhrica (Vol. IV, including Vollala inscription of Mallikarjuna Choda).
  • Annual Reports on Indian Epigraphy (ARIE) for inscriptions from Mallesvaram, Kolanupaka, Panugallu, Anamala, Bothpur, Nekkonda, and Adavi-Devulapalli.
  • N. Venkataramanayya, The Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi and The Kakatiyas of Warangal.
  • P.V. Parabrahma Sastry, The Kakatiyas (and historical novels by Adavi Baapiraju).
  • M. Rama Rao, Kanduru Chodas: A Study of Telugu-Chola Inscriptions (Journal of Andhra Historical Research).
  • Gazetteer of Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar districts (old Hyderabad State).
  • Gona Budha Reddy, Ranganatha Ramayanam (Telugu literary tradition).

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