Vemabola Family

🏹 The Vemabola Family
Military Commanders of the Early Kakatiyas

📜 Primary Source: A Corpus of Inscriptions in the Telangana Districts (Part III, 1956)
📍 Place: Matedu (Materu), Khammam District  |  📅 Date: 4th March, A.D. 1120 (Saka 1042)  |  👑 Reign: Mahamandalesvara Kakatiya Prola II

🌿 Lineage and Social Origin

The Vemabola family (also known as Vemabola-kula) emerged as a significant military lineage from the Pulinda-vamsa. Inscriptions identify them as members of the fourth caste, specifically associated with the Boyas, tasked with the protection of the social order.

• 🏆 Buchana (Nadakotamalla): The "jewel of the family" and earliest recorded ancestor.
• 📜 Gotamalla: Son of Buchana and father to the four prominent brothers.

⚔️ The Four Brothers

The inscriptions at Matedu and the surrounding Mahabubabad region highlight four brothers who served as the pillars of the lineage:

1. Rama
Warrior Pillar

2. Appa
Warrior Pillar

4. Nacha
Warrior Pillar

⭐ 3. Reva (The Third Brother)

Role: Primary "promoter of the kingdom of the celebrated Beta bhupati" (Kakatiya Beta I).
Military Exploits: Vanquished the enemies of the Kakatiyas, establishing a firm foundation for the dynasty.
Titles: Daridra-vairi (Enemy of Poverty) and Manya-deva.

🛕 Mahasamanta Vemabola Boddama-Mallenayaka

The son of Reva, Boddama-Mallenayaka (also called Malla), served as a bantu (servant/soldier) and high official under Kakatiya Prola II. His records from A.D. 1120 detail significant religious and public works:

• 🏛️ Consecration of Temples: Built three temples at Matedu dedicated to Mahadeva (Isvara), Kesavadeva (Narayana), and Bhaskara (Aditya).
• 💧 Mallasamudra Tank: Excavated a massive irrigation tank at Matedu, described in the epigraphs as being "as big as the sea."
• 🌾 Religious Endowments: Granted land for offerings and the maintenance of ascetics.

📖 In summary, the Vemabola inscriptions serve as a historical prasasti, documenting the family's transition from Boya military chiefs to high-ranking officials through their steadfast loyalty to the early Kakatiya rulers.

Based on A Corpus of Inscriptions in the Telangana Districts of Andhra Pradesh, Part III (1956), pp. 25–27