Kollipaka-7000 · Rachakonda & the Fort of Bhuvanagiri
Name Origin & History: Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District is a district in the Indian state of Telangana. The administrative headquarters is located at Bhuvanagiri Town. The district shares boundaries with Suryapet, Nalgonda, Jangaon, Siddipet, Medchal–Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts.
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District was carved out of the erstwhile Nalgonda District during the Telangana district reorganization of 2016. The district name combines Yadadri — associated with the famous Yadagirigutta Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy hill shrine — and Bhuvanagiri, the historic town and fort known in inscriptional records as Bhuvanagiri and Tribhuvanagiri (modern Bhongir).
The wider region was historically known as Kollipaka-7000 or Kollipaka nadu-7000, a major administrative division of the Deccan, with Kolanupaka as an important centre. Inscriptional records from the district span the Rashtrakutas, Western Chalukyas of Kalyani, Kandur Cholas, Paramaras, Cheraku Nayaks and the Recherla Nayaks of Rachakonda.
Rashtrakuta Dynasty & Early Kollipaka
This inscription is on a slab near a ruined construction outside the village. It refers to Akalavarsha (i.e. 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.
This Kannada inscription, engraved on a pillar set up in front of the Ramalingesvarasvami temple, belongs to the reign of Rashtrakuta king Nityavarsha (i.e., Indra III). It refers to mahasamanta Nurmadidhavala and to his subordinate chief Gommarasa, who was administering the Kollipaka nadu-7000 division.
Dated Saka 835, Srimukha (A.D. 913), it registers the grant of several lands along with income from tax siddhaya by Chamangamunda, son of Aydamayya, to the temple raised by the former. Aydamayya is stated to have been ruling over Padaturu.
This inscription is on a stone pillar near the old temple near the tank outside the village. The record does not refer to any overlord.
A certain Maha-Samantadhipati named Ayyanayya, who bears the titles Ranadhira, Nurmadi-dhavala, Nanniya-Meru etc., is stated to have made a gift of garden, and lands according to Rajamana to the deity Ranadhiresvara — obviously installed after his own title — by Kuchi [Go]ravaru in the village Manthapura. The aruvana of the land for the two crops is twenty pons.
Western Chalukyas of Kalyani & the Kollipaka Division
The Kannada inscription, engraved on a pillar set up in front of the Anjaneyasvami temple in the village, belongs to the Kalyana Chalukya king Trailokyamalladeva. Being dated Saka 971 (A.D. 1049), it describes the eulogy of his chief Sankaragandarasa, who while camping at Kondur, made a grant of twelve mattars of land for the worship and food offerings to the deity Mahesvaradeva of Kondur, for the purpose of giving alms and feeding the ascetics and Brahmanas on the occasion of Kanya-samkranti.
This inscription in Kannada prose is one of the few in which the name of the king is omitted. It is dated Saka 996, Ananda, Uttarayana Samkranti (A.D. 1074, December 24, Wednesday).
It records that Mahamandalesvara (Asa)garasa, the protector of Kollipaka, granted one mattar of gadde (wet) land to a brahman named Suraya on the occasion of Uttarayana Samkranti. The donor's name is unfortunately not clear, but judging from his titles Lattalurpuravaresvara and Rattaradheya, he appears to have been a chief of the Rashtrakuta family.
Kandur Cholas & Telugu-Choda Chiefs
Bhimachoda II, son of Tonda I, was a ruler of the Kandur Chola line. The Kandur Cholas were a local dynasty associated with the Kollipaka region and the wider Telugu-Choda political landscape.
Mahamandalesvara Eruva Tondarasar, a Telugu-Choda chief, set up an inscription at Kollipaka in Saka 999, Pingala, Jyestha su. 13 (A.D. 1077, May 8). The record registers his gift of perpetual lamps to Somesvara Deva of Kollipaka, wherein no reference is made to any overlord.
Paramara Jagaddeva & the Governorship of Kollipaka-7000
Jagaddeva, the youngest son of Udayaditya of the Paramara dynasty, worked under the Western Chalukyas as the governor of the Kollipaka-7000 province in present Kolanupaka, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. The territory of Kollipaka was governed by Jagaddeva between 1104 and 1108.
However, he was eventually deprived of this position by King Vikramaditya VI after he attempted to establish an independent kingdom in the province. King Vikramaditya appointed his own son, Kumara Somesvara, to replace Jagaddeva as governor. In retaliation, Jagaddeva seems to have allied himself with the Polavasa chiefs (who were also eager to break free from Chalukya dominance) and attacked other states that remained allied with the Western Chalukyas.
This lengthy inscription in Sanskrit verse describes the Paramara rulers of Malava, whose primaeval ancestor was born in the sacrificial fire of the sage Vasistha near the Arbuda mountain. A later king of this family was Udayaditya, whose son was Jagaddeva. This prince endeared himself to the great Chalukya emperor Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI, who treated him as his own son.
While Jagaddeva was governing the province, a Mahamandalesvara, the king's general Somala Dandanayaka, holding the designations Great Minister and High Officer in charge of Peace and War, constructed the temple of Jagaddeva Narayana in his capital Kollipaka for the prosperity of the kingdom.
The epigraph is dated the Chalukya Vikrama year 29, Tarana, Chaitra purnima, Sunday, lunar eclipse. This date regularly corresponds to A.D. 1104, March 13. On this day Jagaddeva granted, with the king's approval, the village Piriya Pembariti for worship and offerings in the above temple.
This Kolanupaka inscription is on a stone pillar unearthed. The record introduces the prince Jagaddeva, who is said to have been the son of Udayaditya and grandson of Gondala of the Paramara line, in which great kings like Sri Harsha, Munja, Sindala, Bhojadeva and others were born.
It refers to the Chalukya king Tribhuvanamalla alias Chalukya Rama and Vikranta-chakresvara, who, out of affection, brought Jagaddeva, the prince of Dhara, and treating him like his son, bestowed on him part of the Kuntala country. Jagaddeva is stated to have conquered the kings of Vegi, Dravila, Chakrakuja, Mahira and Ballala, of which the conquest of the last king is described in a separate verse.
Such Jagaddeva, residing in his own capital Kollipaka, it states, granted the village Goshttipalu in Aleti-Kampana with all immunities as Devabhoga to the god Somesvara and the attached matha built by Bammadeva-nayaka, son of Dhakkananayaka, at the king's fort Bhuvanagiri, on the occasion of Akshaya-tritiya. The gift was intended for the amga-ranga-bhogas of the god Somesvara and for feeding the ascetics and students in the matha. Some other monetary gifts are also recorded.
This Kolanupaka inscription is in Sanskrit verse and prose. It is dated Chalukya Vikrama year (3)1, Vyaya, Vaisakha Sukla Aksha trtiya (3), Sunday (A.D. 1106, April 8).
Jagaddeva of the Paramara dynasty set up this inscription. It gives valuable details regarding his arrival to these parts from his native town Dhara. He was brought by Tribhuvanamalla (Vikramaditya VI) from Dhara after the latter's conquest over those parts, and appointed him as Mahamandalesvara of Kollipaka-7000.
Jagaddeva granted a village named Goshtipadu to the god Brahmesvara, installed by Brahmadeva Nayaka, son of Dhakkhana Nayaka, at Bhuvanagiri, which was a fort belonging to the king (Vallabhasya durga sthani bhute), for the maintenance of anga-ranga-bhogas etc. to the god and for feeding the ascetics residing probably in a matha attached to the temple and engaged in the study of the Vedas.
Later Kandur Cholas & Local Chiefs
The Kandur Cholas continued to be a political force in the Kollipaka region during this period. Their history forms part of the wider Telugu-Choda and Western Chalukya political landscape of the eastern Deccan.
This inscription is on a stone pillar erected in front of the Mallamma gudi. It refers to the prosperous reign of the Chalukya king Jagadekamalla, ruling from Kalyanapura.
It records the construction of a temple and the installation of the god Mailaradeva by Medeyabhatlu, son of Appanabhatlu and Bollanamma, and grandson of Mediyabhatlu of Bharadvaja gotra and the prabhu of Kollipura in Venginadu. Appanabhatlu is said to be of the brahmapuri of Mallanayaka Birudanayaka, the Saudhara of Podaturu.
The temple was built in his garden, situated in front of Bollepalli, included in the district of Bhuvanagiri. Medeyabhattu endowed the temple with a gift of some money due from the village, for conducting the amga-bhogas to the god and paying salaries to the adhyaksha-brahmana at the rate of 5 madas and ten rukas per annum, madas for the priest's mother, 5 gadyas for those who sing in the temple, 3 gadyas for gardeners and 1 mada for those who clean the premises. It is stated that the amount incurred by Medeyabhatta for the installation and other things is one hundred and one madas and ten rukas.
The Podaturi Saudhara, Mallenayaka-biruda-nayaka, is also said to have made to the temple some gift of land measuring 1 marutur and 15 puttis of velivolamu in Bollepalli. The coins mada and gadya are generally taken to be of the same denomination, their value being equal to ten rukas. But, from the present record, they seem to be of slightly different values.
This inscription is on a broken stone pillar near the ruined Siva temple at Chandupatla, Bhuvanagiri. The record gives the genealogical list of the Chalukyas beginning from Satyasraya, his son Jayasimha, his son Ranaraga, his son Polakesi, his son Kirttivarman, his brother Mangalarnava, Kirttivarman's son Satyasraya, his son [Na]davarideva, his son Adityavarma, his son Kirttivarman, his uncle Bhimaparākrama, his son Kirttivarman, his son Tailapadeva, his son Vikramaditya, his son Bhimaraja, his son Ayyanayya, his son Vikramaditya, his son Tailabhupa, his son Satyasraya, his son Dasavarma, his son Vikramaditya, his son Jayasimha etc., and his brother Vikramaditya.
The subordinate of the last-named king was Viddamayya-dandanayaka, who is said to have installed the deity Viddesvara at Chandrapattana. He is also stated to have made some land gifts at several places in the [Kolli]paka-nadu to the god.
Cheraku Nayaks
This inscription is on a stone in the field at Masapet, Bhuvanagiri. It registers the gift of a canal to the god Ramesvaradeva and lands to the gods Daseavaradeva and Malnathadeva and two brahmanas by Yaddaya raddi and Rudraya, the brothers of Nissamkavira Bolnayani Mallikarjuna Nayaka, at the latter's instructions.
Cheraku Immadi Mallikarjuna Nayaka, son of Mallikarjuna Nayaka, ruled during this period. His line was eventually followed by the rise of the Recherla Nayaks as the dominant power in the region.
Recherla Nayaks of Rachakonda
Recherla Singama Nayaka I ruled from 1325–1361 AD and founded the power of the Recherla Nayaks in the Rachakonda region. His line would go on to dominate the political history of the eastern Deccan for over a century.
Anavotha Nayaka, son of Singama Nayaka, came to rule after his father and changed his capital from Amanagallu to Rachakonda.
10th August A.D. 1365: Rachakonda. This inscription is on the wall near the entrance of the fort. After invocation to the god Bhairava, it introduces the chief Anavotanayaka, son of Singamanayaka, son of Eradachinayaka of the Recherla family, with titles Mahamandalesvara, Andhradesadhisvara, Gajadala-vibhala, Rayagaya gopala, Pancha-Pandyadala vibhala, Pratiganda Bhairava, Bhujabala-Bhima, Khadga-Narayana, Kaketa-rajya-sthapanacharya, Ashtadikuraya-manobhayamkara and Somakula-Parasurama.
The chief is said to be residing in Rajagiri and ruling all the earth. It is also stated that he conducted the defence works of the fort and constructed wells on Rajukonda to the south of Anavota-samudra and on Naganayamkonda to the north of the same tank, and a mud fort to the west of the same. The tank Anavota-samudra was caused to be dug between the two hills, for the benefit of all beings, and named after his title Pratigandabhairava. His Karanam Chilamaraju Tippana wrote it.
1368 AD: After avenging their father, Anapota I and Mada I attacked Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka for the control of the Warangal fort. They defeated and killed him at the Bhimavaram battle in 1368 AD.
The Ainavolu sasanam of Anapotanayaka describes him as being in possession of Tribhuvanagiri (Bhongir), Orugallu and Singavaram forts and as having taken the title Tribhuvana Rayarao. With this victory his kingdom stretched up to the Godavari in the north, Srisailam in the south, the Bahamani kingdom in the west, and Kondaveedu in the east.
Looking to the excellent relations these kings had with the Bahmani Empire, it is possible that the Bahmanis helped them in their war against Kapaya Nayaka.
He divided his kingdom into Northern and Southern regions for ease of administration; made Rachakonda the capital of the North and ruled it himself; made Devarakonda the capital of the South and appointed his younger brother Mada Nayaka as its ruler.
Anapotanayaka attacked the Kalinga kingdom in 1380 AD. This is known by his Simhachalam sasanam. The Ainavolu inscriptions refer to the donation of a village by Anavotha I to God Milara Deva.
After Anapotanayaka, his son Singamanedu II ascended the throne of Rachakonda. Singam Nayaka II was also known as "Sarvajna Singa Bhupala" and he was a great writer and poet.
Before coming to the throne, he captured the fort of Kalyani in Gulbarga district. It appears that he went to Karnataka to help the Bahamani kings and took this fort during the campaign.
In the early days of Singabhupala's reign, the Vijayanagara kings took Srisailam and marched against Rachakonda. The Vijayanagara sasanam in Tumkur district dated 1384 AD states that the king of Vijayanagara, Harihara Devaraya II, sent his son Vira Bukkaraya against Orugallu. The Bahmani sultan then laid siege to Kottakonda in Mahabubnagar district (possibly taken earlier by the Vijayanagara forces), and one of the Vijayanagara commanders, Saluva Ramadevaraya, died in the battle. As per the sasana, the sultan did this to protect his samantas who owed allegiance to him. It appears from the sasana that the Vijayanagara forces were defeated.
The reason for this aggression by Vijayanagara is unknown, but Ziauddin Barani mentions that Kapaya Nayaka and Harihararaya (the founder of the Vijayanagara kingdom) are related. Although this may not be certain, they may have been closely associated with each other, and Kapaya Nayaka's defeat, coupled with the leanings the Rachakonda kings had shown towards the Bahamani kings, precipitated the attack.
In 1387 AD, Kumara Singha Bhupala attacked the Gowtami banks area via Southern Kalinga which was in his possession. As per his Simhachala sasanam, he scored a number of victories in the area which was lying in the Kondaveedu kingdom at that time. With this campaign the authority of the Reddys was extinguished in the southern Kalinga.
The Vijayanagara king Hariharadevaraya did not forget his defeat at the hands of the Rachakonda kingdom and the Bahamanis. In 1397 he declared a war against the Bahamani kingdom, and as per his Vijayanagara sasana, one of the Vijayanagara senanis, Gunda Dandadhinadha, inflicted a defeat on Siaf Khan and Fateh Khan.
To reduce the pressure on the Bahamani forces, Singhabhupala sent Ramachandranayaka, the son of Vedagirinayaka, to attack the area of the Vijayanagara kingdom on the banks of the river Krishna. Ramachandranayaka crossed the Krishna river, entered Kurnool and started plundering it, whereupon he was attacked by the Vijayanagara armies near Bandikanuma. Ramachandranayaka emerged victorious in this battle.
Now Harihara II sent his son Bukkaraya to attack Ramachandranayaka. Bukka then defeated Ramachandranayaka and drove him out of the Vijayanagara kingdom. He then entered the Rachakonda kingdom and plundered it. It appears that the victories enumerated in the Vamsavali attributed to Anapotanayaka, son of Singhabhupala, and Ramachandranayaka and Madanayaka, the sons of Pedavedagirinayaka, seem to have taken place during this campaign. Although both sides claimed victory in this campaign, it appears that the Vijayanagara kingdom had been victorious in this battle.
Bukkaraya took his armies across the Krishna and attacked the Panugallu fort in the Devarakonda kingdom. The Bahamani armies immediately came to the rescue of Panugallu. In this campaign, Pedavadagirinayaka's son Kumaramadanayaka defeated Era Krishnaraya and Pandadadhisa, as per the Vamsavali. In this Era Krishnaraya besieged Devarakonda. Although he was defeated, Bukkaraya scored a victory and secured the Panugallu fort in 1397 AD. In this campaign the son of Bukkaraya, Anantabhupala, had shown great valor. A few days after the Panuganti war, Kumara Singhabhupala died.
After Singhabhupala II, his son Immadi Anapotanayaka came to the throne in 1399 AD. He is also known as Kumara Anapotanayaka and Pinnamanayaka. He was a contemporary of the Bahamani Sultan Firoz Shah. The burden of saving his kingdom from Bukkaraya fell on him.
As per the Velugotivari Vamsavali, he saved 10,000 people from Metuku (Medak) Fort. It is possible that Bukkaraya went up to Medak fort victoriously and laid siege to it, and Anapotanayaka relieved and saved the garrison during this campaign.
It appears that on the side of Bahamani Sultan, Anapotanayaka scored a number of victories against the Kondaveedu and Rajahmundry Reddy kings and also Vijayanagara kings. It is probable that the Raya supposed to have been stopped by him is Devaraya I.
Contemporary to Anapotanayaka, Devarakonda was ruled by Kumara Madanayaka and Ramachandranayaka, the sons of Pedavedagirinayaka. Annadevachoda took refuge in Devarakonda during Pedavedagirinayaka's reign. Kumara Madanayaka gave him an army and sent him via Kalinga to regain his kingdom. However, this army was defeated by Chalukya Vishveshwara Bhupati, a tributary king of the Gangas, in 1402 AD. After this, Kumara Madanayaka proceeded with an army to help Annadevachoda. It is possible that the victory attributed to him over the Rajahmundry Reddy kings took place during this campaign.
Anapotanayaka mounted a successful campaign in 1417 AD against Panugallu. During the campaign, the Bahamani Sultan Tajuddin Ferozshah laid siege to Panugallu. At that time Panugallu was under the Vijayanagara kings. The Velamanayakas also went along with their armies to help Ferozshah, but during the campaign their relations soured. Seeing the opportunity, Devaraya I negotiated with the Velamanayakas and turned them into his favour. During a fierce battle at Panagallu fort, the Velamanayakas, like Anapotanayaka, came over to the side of Devaraya along with their armies. Due to this, Ferozshah's assumed victory turned into defeat and he could barely escape and reach his capital Gulbarga. Anapotanayaka died during this battle in 1421 AD.
After Anapotanayaka, his brother Madanayaka came to the throne in 1421 AD, probably because Anapotanayaka's eldest son Singamanayaka was too young to assume charge.
After the battle of Panagallu, the Recherlas maintained enmity with the Bahmani Sultans and helped the Vijayanagara rulers in every way they could. During the battle between Ahmed Shah (Bahmani Sultan) and Devaraya II in 1424, Madanayaka helped the latter. Because of this, though Ahmed Shah made peace with Devaraya after the battle was over, he sent his deputy, Azam Khan, to capture Warangal (kingdom of Mada Nayaka). In this battle, Azam Khan captured not only Warangal but also many forts in the Rachakonda and Devarakonda kingdoms.
When Ahmad Shah was immersed in a war with the Sultan of Gujarat, the Rachakonda kings recovered all their lost forts.
October A.D. 1427: Devalanagaram. Reign of Ravu Madhava Nripa, son of Singa. This inscription is on a stone pillar set upon the tank bund. Records show that Ravu Madhava-nripa, son of Simga, wrote a tikka called Raghaviyam for the Ramayana of Valmiki. The inscription gives the genealogy of the author. In the IVth Varna was born at the feet of Vishnu, Era Dacha-bhupala, the moon to the ocean of Recherla-vamsa. His son was Simga; to him was born Annavota; and his son was Simga; and his son was Ravu Madhava, a follower of Sri Ramanuja Vaishnavism and a great devotee of Rama. It is stated that Nagama of the Kadipikonda family, the queen of Ravu Madhava, constructed an irrigation tank at the foot of Rajasaila (Rachakonda) called Nagasamudra in S. 1351, Saumya, in the month of Mina-Chaitra (26th March, A.D. 1429).
March–April A.D. 1429: Devalanagaram, Ramannapet. The record belongs to Nagambika, wife of king Ravu Madhava of the Rachakonda Velama lineage, some members of which are already known by the Aynavolu, Inugurti and other inscriptions. These chiefs served under the Kakatiyas and rose to prominence at the time of Rudramamba, who appointed them as subordinates at Rachakonda. The first four verses praise the boar incarnation of Vishnu, Rama and the Supreme Lord Vishnu, from whose feet the family took its birth. Era Dacha is described in the fifth verse. Singa and Anavota are his son and grandson respectively. Anavota's son is Singa again. Singa's son is named Ravu Madhava.
After Madanayaka, his brother Anapotanayaka's son Mummadi Singamanayaka came to the throne. He ruled from 1430 AD onwards. From his time, the Rachakonda and Devarakonda kingdoms fell into decline, and by 1455 AD, the forts of Rachakonda and Orugallu were taken over by the Bahamani Sultan.
Bahmani Conquest & Gajapati Tributary Period
Ahmad Shah II, also known as Ala-ud-Din Ahmad II, ruled the Bahmani Sultanate from 17 April 1436 to 6 May 1458. During his reign, the Bahmani kingdom expanded into the Rachakonda and Devarakonda territories.
In 1455 AD, Rachakonda was annexed to the Bahmani kingdom. Singa III later retired to Bellamkonda in Guntur district until his death in A.D. 1455. Prince Dawood, son of Bahmani Sultan Ahmad I, was given charge of Rachakonda.
Prince Mahmud, brother of Ahmad Shah II, held charge of the Rachakonda region during this period.
Dharma Nayaka, son of Singama Nayaka III, ruled from 1460 AD onwards. In 1462 A.D., the Shayampet inscription records that Dharmanayudu / Dharmanayaka, son of Singama Nayaka III, was appointed as the ruler of Warangal. However, the Recherla Nayaks now lost their independence and became the tributaries of the Gajapatis of Orissa.
21st April A.D. 1464: Sayampeta, Parakal. This long but incomplete inscription belongs to the Recherla chiefs and records the gift of the village of Muccherla together with Mandapalle in Kothagattu sthala, included in the Voruganti Sima, with all the rights together with all the cultivators (Krishi valulu), on the occasion of a lunar eclipse, to God Tiruvengalesvara of Machcherla and to 12 Ayyangars and 12 Mahajanas, both numbering 24, by Ravu Dharma Naidu, son of Pinnamanayadu and Singamamba, grandson of Peda Anapotanayaka.
The chief bears all the usual titles of the Recherla chiefs, including Kakatirajya Sthapana Acharya. The gifted village was divided into 34 vrittis, of which 10 vrittis were allotted for the God Tiruvengalesvara of Macherla, 12 vrittis to Ayyangars and 12 vrittis to Mahajanas, for the 24 murttis. The name of the donors with their gotras and pedigrees are given. This is dated in S. 1386, Tarana, Vaisakha Su. 15, Vaddavara, Lunar eclipse, corresponding to Sunday, 21st April, 1464 A.D.
1529 AD: Devalanagaram, Nalgonda District. Reign of Rau Madhava. This inscription is on a stone near the tank, dated S. 1451, Saumya. The inscription begins with the invocation to the boar incarnation of Vishnu and Rama. It is very interesting to note in this inscription that Rau Madhava has written a commentary called Raghaviya on the Ramayana and dedicated the same to Rama in the year S. 1449, Plavanga. His wife Nagambika caused a tank called Nagasamudram to be dug near Rachakonda. The poet who composed this inscription is Sambhu Natha, son of Madhava Suri.
Modern History & District Formation
After the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate, the Qutb Shahi dynasty established the Golconda Sultanate in 1518. The wider region, including the historic Kollipaka and Bhuvanagiri areas, came under Qutb Shahi control.
In 1636, the Qutb Shahi state accepted Mughal suzerainty under the settlement associated with Emperor Shah Jahan and his Deccan policy. Mughal rule became direct after Aurangzeb conquered Golconda in 1687.
After the conquest of Golconda in 1687, the territory became part of the Mughal imperial system in the Deccan.
In 1713, Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan was appointed governor of the Deccan and received the title Nizam-ul-Mulk. In 1724, he established effective independent control over Hyderabad after defeating the Mughal governor Mubariz Khan at the Battle of Shakar Kheda.
The Asaf Jahi dynasty ruled Hyderabad from the establishment of Nizam-ul-Mulk's independent authority in 1724 until the integration of Hyderabad State into the Indian Union in 1948.
In 1798, Hyderabad entered into the Subsidiary Alliance system with the British East India Company under Governor-General Lord Wellesley.
Following the Indian military action known as Operation Polo in September 1948, Hyderabad State was integrated into the Indian Union. The Bhuvanagiri and Kollipaka regions subsequently remained part of Hyderabad State until the reorganization of Indian states in 1956.
Under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, the Telugu-speaking Telangana region of Hyderabad State was merged with Andhra State to form the new State of Andhra Pradesh.
The demand for a separate Telangana state became a major political movement in 1969 and re-emerged strongly during the later statehood movement of the 2000s and early 2010s.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 created Telangana as a separate state, with the new state coming into existence on 2 June 2014.
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District was carved out of the erstwhile Nalgonda District during the Telangana district reorganization of 2016. The administrative headquarters is located at Bhuvanagiri Town.
The district shares boundaries with Suryapet, Nalgonda, Jangaon, Siddipet, Medchal–Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts.
Key Heritage Sites & Records
Legacy – A Layered Eastern Deccan Region
The history of the area now forming Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District is best understood within the wider history of the eastern Deccan and the Telangana region. The historical core of the district is the Kollipaka-7000 division, the Bhuvanagiri fort, and the Rachakonda capital of the Recherla Nayaks.
Inscriptional records from the district span the Rashtrakutas (907, 913 and 972 AD), the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani (1049 and 1074 AD), the Kandur Cholas and Telugu-Choda chiefs (1077 AD), the Paramara Jagaddeva (1104–1108 AD), the Cheraku Nayaks (1275 AD), and the Recherla Nayaks of Rachakonda (1365–1464 AD).
The Recherla Nayaks transformed Rachakonda into a major political power. Anavotha Nayaka shifted the capital to Rachakonda, and after the Bhimavaram battle of 1368, the Recherla kingdom stretched from the Godavari in the north to Srisailam in the south, the Bahmani kingdom in the west and Kondaveedu in the east. The Ainavolu sasanam records possession of Tribhuvanagiri (Bhongir).
In 1455 AD, Rachakonda was annexed to the Bahmani kingdom, and the Recherla Nayaks became tributaries of the Gajapatis of Orissa. The region later passed through the Qutb Shahis, Mughals and Asaf Jahis before the integration of Hyderabad State in 1948.
The modern district emerged from the 2016 reorganization of Nalgonda District, with Bhuvanagiri Town as its headquarters. The district name combines Yadadri — associated with the famous Yadagirigutta Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy hill shrine — and Bhuvanagiri, the historic town and fort.
- District Formation: Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District was carved out of the erstwhile Nalgonda District during the Telangana district reorganization of 2016. The headquarters is at Bhuvanagiri Town.
- Boundaries: The district shares boundaries with Suryapet, Nalgonda, Jangaon, Siddipet, Medchal–Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts.
- Historical Core: The region was historically known as Kollipaka-7000 or Kollipaka nadu-7000, with Kolanupaka as an important centre, and included the historic Bhuvanagiri (Bhongir) fort.
- Rashtrakuta Records: Inscriptions from 907 AD (Velmajala), 913 AD (Padaturu) and 972 AD (Manthapuri) document Rashtrakuta administration in the Kollipaka region.
- Kollipaka Governorship: Paramara Jagaddeva, youngest son of Udayaditya, governed Kollipaka-7000 between 1104 and 1108 AD under the Western Chalukya Vikramaditya VI. His inscriptions record the Jagaddeva Narayana and Brahmesvara temples at Bhuvanagiri.
- Cheraku Nayaks: Cheraku Mallikarjuna Nayaka (1270–1289) and Cheraku Immadi Mallikarjuna Nayaka (1289–1323) ruled the region before the rise of the Recherla Nayaks.
- Recherla Nayaks: Recherla Singama Nayaka I (1325–1361) founded the line. Anavotha Nayaka (1361–1383) made Rachakonda his capital and expanded the kingdom after the Bhimavaram battle of 1368. Singama Nayaka II (1383–1399), Anavotha Nayaka II (1399–1421), Madanayaka II (1421–1430) and Singama Nayaka III (1430–1455) followed.
- Bahmani Conquest: In 1455 AD, Rachakonda was annexed to the Bahmani kingdom, and the Recherla Nayaks became tributaries of the Gajapatis of Orissa.
- Key Records: The Rachakonda inscription of 1365 AD, the Devalanagaram inscriptions of 1427 and 1429 AD, the Sayampeta inscription of 1464 AD and the 1529 AD Devalanagaram inscription are among the most important historical records of the district.
- Heritage Sites: Yadagirigutta Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Bhuvanagiri / Bhongir Fort, Kolanupaka Jain Temple, Rachakonda Fort and the inscriptional sites of Velmajala, Padaturu, Manthapuri, Bollepalli, Masapet and Devalanagaram.
- Government of Telangana, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District: District history, boundaries, headquarters and formation from erstwhile Nalgonda District.
- Government of Telangana district reorganization records: 2016 reorganization of Nalgonda District and creation of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri District.
- Velmajala Inscription (907 AD): Rashtrakuta Akalavarsha (Krishna II), Ravi Chandrayya, gift to a basadi.
- Padaturu Inscription (913 AD): Rashtrakuta Nityavarsha (Indra III), mahasamanta Nurmadidhavala and Gommarasa, Kollipaka nadu-7000.
- Manthapuri Inscription (972 AD): Maha-Samantadhipati Ayyanayya, Ranadhiresvara deity.
- Kolanupaka Inscriptions (1049–1106 AD): Sankaragandarasa, Asagarasa, Jagaddeva Narayana temple, Paramara Jagaddeva, Brahmesvara temple at Bhuvanagiri fort.
- Kollipaka Inscription (1077 AD): Mahamandalesvara Eruva Tondarasar, Telugu-Choda chief, perpetual lamps to Somesvara Deva.
- Bollepalli Inscription (1147 AD): Mallanayaka, Mailaradeva temple, detailed endowments.
- Chandupatla Inscription: Viddamayya-dandanayaka, Viddesvara at Chandrapattana, Chalukya genealogy.
- Masapet Inscription (1275 AD): Cheraku Mallikarjuna Nayaka, canal gift to Ramesvaradeva.
- Rachakonda Inscription (1365 AD): Anavotha Nayaka, fort defence works, Anavota-samudra tank.
- Ainavolu Sasanam: Anapotanayaka's possession of Tribhuvanagiri (Bhongir), Orugallu and Singavaram.
- Devalanagaram Inscriptions (1427, 1429 and 1529 AD): Ravu Madhava, Raghaviyam / Raghaviya commentary, Nagasamudra tank.
- Sayampeta Inscription (1464 AD): Ravu Dharma Naidu, gift to Tiruvengalesvara of Machcherla.
- Telangana historical and archaeological material: Rashtrakuta, Western Chalukya, Kandur Chola, Paramara, Cheraku Nayak, Recherla Nayak, Bahmani and Gajapati history.
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