Durjaya (Sanskrit for "difficult to conquer" or "invincible") [1] was a legendary chieftain of ancient Andhra. The identity of Durjaya remains unknown. [2] Several ruling dynasties of medieval Andhra and Telangana, such as the Kakatiyas, Velanati Chodas, Malyalas, Viryalas, Haihayas, Konakandravadis, Ivani Kandravadis, Kondapadumatis, Natavadis, Parichchedis, Kotas, and Chagis, claimed descent from him. [3] [4] [2] In the opinion of Bhavaraju Venkata Krishna Rao, he probably flourished in the 3rd century CE. [5]
East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajamahendravaram.
The Kakatiya dynasty was a Telugu dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region in present-day India between 12th and 14th centuries. Their territory comprised much of the present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka, northern Tamil Nadu, and southern Odisha. Their capital was Orugallu, now known as Warangal.
Reddy is a Hindu caste predominantly found in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in South India. They are classified as a forward caste.
Rudrama Devi, also known by her regnal name Rudra-deva Maharaja, was a Kakatiya queen who ruled substantial parts of present-day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in southern India. She was among the few successful female rulers in Indian history.
The Musunuri Nayakas were a ruling family of 14th-century South India who were briefly significant in the region of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka is said to have taken a leadership role among the Andhra chieftains and driven out the Delhi Sultanate from Warangal. But his rise was soon challenged by the Bahmani Sultanate and he was defeated along with the Vijayanagar in the Bahmani–Vijayanagar War. The Recherla Nayakas wrested power from him in 1368.
Vengi or Venginadu is an Indian region in modern-day Andhra Pradesh spread over the Godavari and Krishna river deltas. The capital city of Vengi is located at Pedavegi near Eluru. Vengi was the most prominent city in Ancient Andhra for nearly seven centuries. Vengi served as the capital for Andhra dynasty like Salankayanas This region was part of Ashoka's Mauryan Empire in the mid-3rd century BCE. After the Mauryan Empire collapsed in 185 BC, the region was dominated by the Satavahanas, who were succeeded in Vengi by the Andhra Ikshvakus. Around 300 CE, the Andhra Ikshvakus were replaced by the Salankayanas. In the late 5th century, the Salankayanas were annexed by the Vishnukundinas.
The Telugu Chodas or Telugu Cholas were rulers who ruled parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and southern Odissa between the 5th to 15th centuries as samantas (vassals) of the Pallavas, and later as vassals of the Imperial Cholas. There are many branches like Renati Chodas, Pottapi Chodas, Konidena Chodas, Nannuru Chodas, Nellore Chodas and Kunduru Chodas. They claimed descent from the early Chola Tamil king Karikala Chola.
The Velanati Chodas, also known as the Velanati Durjayas and Velanadu chiefs, were a Telugu dynasty that ruled parts of Andhra Pradesh during the 12th century. They served as tributaries to the Later Cholas and the Western Chalukyas, governing the region of Kammanadu in the erstwhile Guntur district.
Cholas of Nellore also known as Nellore Chodas or Nellore Cholas, were one of the branch of Chola families who ruled over parts of Andhra Pradesh in the 11th and 14th centuries. They were chieftains to Imperial Cholas, Kakatiyas and Western Chalukyas and ruled over the Nellore region. The dominance of Nellore Cholas grew towards the end of the Velanandu Chola dynasty, they claimed descent from the early Chola Tamil king Karikala Chola.
Gonka III was a Telugu king and the fifth of Velanati Chodas who ruled from 1181 to 1186.
Panagal, also referred to as Panagallu or Panugallu, is a historic town located 4 km northeast from Nalgonda city in Telangana, India.
The recorded history of Andhra Pradesh, one of the 28 states of 21st-century India, begins in the Vedic period. It is mentioned in Sanskrit epics such as the Aitareya Brahmana. Its sixth-century BCE incarnation Assaka lay between the Godavari and Krishna Rivers, one of sixteen mahajanapadas. The Satavahanas succeeded them, built Amaravati, and reached a zenith under Gautamiputra Satakarni.
The Chagis or Tyagis were a medieval Telugu clan in Andhra, that ruled between 1100 AD-1477 CE. They ruled the Natavadi and Vijayavati vishayas, with capitals at Vijayawada, Gudimetta and Vinukonda, for nearly three and a half centuries. They owed allegiance to the Chalukya-Cholas, the Kakatiyas and the Gajapatis respectively. The Chagi records trace their ancestry to legendary chieftain of ancient Andhra, Durjaya. Muppa I is the earliest known person in the Chagi family. Dora I, PotaI, Dora II, Pota II, Ganapaya, Dora III, Manuma Pota and Manuma Ganapaya ruled this dynasty.
Chandole is a village in Bapatla district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Pittalavanipalem mandal of Bapatla revenue division.
The Kondapadumati dynasty (కొండపడుమటి) was a medieval Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh. They governed the Kondapadumati or Sallapaschalya vishaya, a region located to the west of the Kondavidu range of hills—hence their name, with "Konda" meaning hill and "padumati" meaning west. This area corresponds to the eastern portion of the Sattenapalle Taluk in the Palnadu district. The dynasty's rule lasted for approximately one and a half centuries, with their capital established at Nadendla, near Chandole, the capital of the Velanati Chodas.
The history of Telangana, located on the high Deccan Plateau, includes its being ruled by the Satavahana Dynasty, the Kakatiya Dynasty (1083–1323), the Musunuri Nayaks (1326–1356), the Delhi Sultanate, the Bahmani Sultanate (1347–1512), Golconda Sultanate (1512–1687) and Asaf Jahi dynasty (1724–1950).
The Battle of Palnadu took place sometime in the years 1178–1182 CE between a Haihaya king called Nalagamaraju, who ruled the area of Gurazala in Palnadu, and his step-brother Malidevaraju who ruled the area of Macherla. Nalagamaraju was supported by Nayakuralu Nagamma while Malidevaraju was supported by Seelam Brahmanaidu, a social reformer. The story, as presented in both oral and written narratives, is largely corroborated by inscriptional records.
Prola II was a Kakatiya chief who ruled the area around Anumakomda as a vassal of the Kalyani Chalukyas. He was the father of Rudra-deva, the first sovereign ruler of the Kakatiya family.
Rudra-deva was a Kakatiya king, who ruled parts of the present-day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in southern India. He was the first sovereign ruler of his dynasty.
Ganapati-deva was the longest reigning monarch of the Kakatiya dynasty of southern India. He brought most of the Telugu-speaking region in present-day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana under the Kakatiya influence by war or diplomacy.
Several other medieval ruling families in Andhra such as the chiefs of Kota, Chagi, Velanati, Haihaya, Kondapadumati, and Kakatiya also trace their descent from Durjaya. The identity of Durjaya remains unknown, though the inscriptions of the Velamas and the chiefs of these dynasties unequivocally state that they belong to the fourth caste.
It is interesting to note that the feudatory chiefs such as the Velanati Chodas, Haihayas, Kondapadumatis, Natavadis, Chagis etc., who emerged as political power during the medieval periods claim the lineage from Durjaya.