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96
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[APRIL, 1909.
It was Ranga VI. that granted from his palace at Chandragiri to the English the piece of land on which the Fort St. George stands. His Kallakursi grant is dated in A.D. 16 14-4549 while a stone inscription of his time has been found at Kávêrippåkkam in the North Arcot district 50 The latter is dated in Saka-Samvat 1559, which is one year later than the last known date of Venkata II. It is, therefore, not unlikely that the reign of Venkata II. came to a close in Saka-Samvat 1558 and that the accession of Ranga VI. took place in the next year.
Among the provinces of the Vijayanagara empire, Udayag.ri seems to have been the most important. It is called the first fortress in the territories subject to Vijayanagara (KR. 27 and KR. 30). Daring the period of supremacy of the first Vijayanagara dynasty the province was governed by princes of the royal family. In the Nellore district, it seems to have comprised the modern talukng of Udayagiri, Nellore (N. 124), Atmakur (A. 58), Kandukur (KR. 30), Kanigiri (KG. 5 and KG. 17), Kávali (KV. 50) and Rapûr (R. 41 and R. 49) and the Podili (P. 14 and P. 19) Division, or portions of them. During the time of Kțishnaraya, the province was governed by Rayasam Kon lamarusayya, whose title rdyasamsecretary' shows the profession which he (or at least his family) originally practised. He was succeeded by Rayasam Ayyaparusayya (KR. 77) who seems to have been either transferred to Kondavidu later on or to whose charge Kondavida was also added (D. 53) in or before Saka-Samvat 1451, the cyclic year Virðdhin corresponding to A. D. 1529-80. In 1525-28 the governor of Udayagiri was China-Tira malayyadêva-Mahârâja (N. 34 A), Acbyata being mentioned ad the reigning king.61 Daring the reign of Achyata, the governor of Udayagiri was BhutanAtha Râmábhatlu (KR. 78). It has already been remarked that Tirumala I, of the Karnata dynasty was governing Udayagiri and other provinces during the reign of Sadasiva before he asserted his independence. That branch of the Karakta dynasty which is mentioned in the British Museum plates of Sadasiva2 seems to be intimately connected with Udayagiri, A. 16, U. 20. U. 22, and U. 44 refer to Timmarája, son of the Mahamandalósvara Râmaraja Konêţay yadêvaMahårája. One of the inscriptions in the Vithalasvâmin temple of Hampe, dated during the reiga of Sadasiva and in Saka-Saívat 1476, the cyclic year Ananda corresponding to A. D. 1554-55, mentions Udagiri Timmarája, son of Konētayya and grandson of Aririţi Râmaraja Kondayyadeva (No. 13 of 1904). There is not much doabt about the identity of the two above-mentioned Timmarhjus. A certain Muddayyadêra-Mahârâju seems to have been the governor under Venkata L. (A. 53).
As regards Kondaviđu, Salva-Timma was apparently the first governor after its captare from the Gajapati king on the 23rd June, 1515.6 SAļva-Timma is different from Rayasam Timmarusayya, who is mentioned in an inscription of A. D. 1529-30 (D. 53), bacause the former was deprived of his office during the latter part of his life. SA!ra-Timma was already in the service of Kșishṇaraya's predecessor and served the Vijayanagara kings for 40 years. The appointment of Salva-Timma's nephews, Nadindla Appa and Nadindla Gopa, as governors of Kondavida, one after the other, as mentioned in the Mangalagiri inscription 5 must bave happened before their uncle got into disfavour
* Above, Vol. XIII, p. 153.
06. No. 389 of the Government Epigraphist's Collection for 1905. 01 Both the Baka date and the oy olio year are damaged in N. 84 A. The date accepted by the editors of the Nellore volume is too early for Achyata and falls into the reign of Krishộardya. There is, however, some reason to suppose that Krishnaraya and Achyuta were co-regents for some time (see my Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1899-00, paragraph 70). 01 Ep. Ind., Vol. IV, p. 4.
18 lbid., Vol. VI, p. 111. Mr. Sewell's Forgotten Empire, p. 369.
W Rp. Ind., Vol. VI, p. 118.