Indian Antiquary Vol 38

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 11

JANUARY, 1909.] ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE NELLORE DISTRICT.
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ANCIENT HISTORY OF THE NELLORE DISTRICT.
BY V. VENKAYYA, M. A., RAI BAHADUR. (Continued from Vol. XXXVII., p. 357.)
The Feudatory Families.
This is the main thread of the history of the Nellore District until the close of the first quarter of the 14th century A. D.. Before continuing the narrative we must attempt a brief survey of the various feudatory families that sprang into existence in the Nellore District on the first sign of weakness of the imperial Chôlas. With the Velanându chiefs who The chiefs of Velanindu. had their capital at Tsandavolu in the Guntur District 3 we are not much concerned, though a few inscriptions of the family have been found in the extreme north of Nellore. The family has already been mentioned incidentally in this paper more than once. It is enough here to remark that though they belonged to the fourth or Sûdra caste, they based their claim to dominion on the services which they had rendered to the Eastern Chalukya king Vimalâditya and to prince Vira-Chôda,25 one of the viceroys of Vêngî during the reign of Kulôttunga I. The last named king is also said to have adopted a Velanându chief as his son. Subsequently, the members of the family expanded their dominions and occupied a considerable portion of the province of Vêngi. Kulôttunga-Rajendra is the only chief represented in the Nellore volume (O. 59, O. CO, and D. 45). He was a feudatory of the Eastern Chalukya Rajaraja II. in A. D. 1167-68.
The Vaidumbas.
The Chôla king Parântaka I. claims to have conquered the Vaidumbas. Several inscriptions of this family have been found in the Cuddapah District.27 Members of the Vaidumba family figure as feudatories of the Rashtrakuta Krishna III. in his inscriptions found at Tirukkôvalûr in the South Arcot District.28 Subsequently, they appear to have transferred their allegiance to the Cholas.29 A few later Vaidumbas seem to have held some authority in the south of Nellore, originally as Chola feudatories (G. 61, G. 88, N. 6 and S. 8). Râjêndra-Chôla-Vaidumba-Maharaja (S. 8) was evidently the feudatory a Telugu-Chôda chief, whose name is not preserved in full.
The Telugu-Chodas.
The family whose history is more complicated is that which, on a former occasion,30 I styled the Telugu-Chôdas. The name does not seem to be inappropriate, because these Chôdas appear to have extended their dominions over a considerable portion of the Telugu country. Almost all the known branches of the family trace their origin to the mythical Chôla king Karikâla mentioned in Tamil literature. This fact proves that Karikâla and his achievements were well known in the Telugu country, if it cannot be taken to show that his dominions extended thither. In support of this conclusion may be adduced the existence of a Chola principality in the southern part of the Kurnool District in the 8th century A. D., the rulers of which claimed to be descended from Karikâla and to be born
23 Ep. Ind., Vol. VI, p. 238.
24 Ibid., Vol. IV, p. 34. Vimaladitya gave them the tract of country round Gudivada.
25 Ibid., p. 36. Vira-Choda is said to have given them the country between the Krishna and Godavar! rivers.
28 This was Choda, on whom was bestowed the country of Vengi containing sixteen thousand villages.
27 See my Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1905-06, Part II, para. 52,
28 Ep. Ind., Vol. VII, pp. 142-44.
South-Ind. Inscrs., Vol. III, pp. 106-7.
30 Annual Report on Epigraphy for 1899-1900, paragraphs 44-54.