Damarla Chennapa Nayaka

Damarla Chennapa Nayaka^[a] was a Nayaka ruler of Kalahasti and Vandavasi under the suzerainty of Vijayanagar emperor Venkatapati Raya (r. 1585–1614). He was also the Dalavoy or the Commander-in-Chief of the emperor.^[1]^[2]

The city of Chennai (originally called "Chennapatam") was founded by his sons, Venkatappa and Ayyappa, and named after Chennapa Nayaka. It was established in order to separate the warring Europeans within the region, the Dutch based at Pulicat and the Portuguese based at Mylapore. Later the British establishment at Madras (Fort St. George) was set up to the south of Chennapatam.^[3]^[b]

Family background

Chennapa Nayaka belonged to the Telugu velama caste.^[4]^[relevant?] He married Akkamamba, the daughter of Venkatagiri ruler Velugoti Kasturi Ranga and younger sister of Velugoti Yachama Nayaka.^[5] The line of Nayakas were chieftains during the Vijayanagar empire and attained full power after its decline, becoming independent Nayaks.^[6]

Service under Sriranga Deva Raya

Chennappa served under Sriranga Deva Raya assisting him against the Golkonda forces of Ibrahim Qutb Shah in several battles, notably in 1576 when Penukonda was captured by Ali Adil Shah and in 1579 when he captured the Golkonda Commander Murari Rao.^{[citation needed]}

Death

In 1580, Ibrahim Qutb Shah invaded Kondavidu. Later he took the Udayagiri Fort and began to massacre the locals. However he was defeated after a brief fight with the Raya's army. Qutb Shah later took the fort of Vinukonda. Sriranga defeated the Sultan's forces with the assistance of his generals Muthuraja Chennappa(Damarla was his surname) and Kasturiranga. During this fight, Chennappa lost his life. He was succeeded by Kasturiranga. The East India Company established the St.George fort in the present day Chennai, for which the permission was granted by Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, the local polygar of that area, under the condition that the area is to be named in the honour of his father from Chennapatnam, which was a nearby town named by Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka in honour of his father, Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, the East India Company in brief named the area as Madras.^{[citation needed]}

Notes

^ The last name is also found written as Nayakudu, Nayudu, or Nayakkar, depending on the language and orientation of the writers. The first name (which is a family name) is also written as Damal, a simplified form.
^ The city was known by the name "Madras" during the British rule and also after Indian independence. The Government of Tamil Nadu eventually ordered it changed to Chennai.

References

^ Dr. Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar (2005). History of Gingee and its Rulers. The Annamalai University. pp. 132. ISBN 978-1-135-95970-8.
^ Vēṅkaṭācalapati, Ā Irā; Aravindan, Ramu (1 January 2006). Chennai Not Madras: Perspectives on the City. Marg Publications. ISBN 9788185026749.
^ Aiyangar, S. Krishnaswami (1994) [first published 1939 by Oxford University Press], "The Character and Significance of the Foundation of Madras", in Madras Tercentenary Celebration Committee (ed.), The Madras Tercentenary Commemoration Volume, Asian Educational Services, pp. 39–50, ISBN 978-81-206-0537-4
^
* Alpana Pandey, ed. (2015). Medieval Andhra: A Socio-Historical Perspective. Partridge Publishing. ISBN 9781482850178.
- Ravula Soma Reddy, ed. (2007). Studies in the Socio-economic History of Medieval: Andhra Desa. Research India Press. p. 150. ISBN 9788189131142. Another interesting thing to be noted in this connection is that several Velama Chiefs, after the conquest of the Rachakonda and Devarakonda Kingdoms carved out small principalities small principalities like those of Velugodu ( Kurnool district ), Venkatagiri, Kalahasti, Bellamkonda and Nuzividu ( coastal Andhra ) in the Vijayanagara Empire, during the period of the last Sangama rulers.
- Alladi Jagannatha Sastri, ed. (1922). A Family History of Venkatagiri Rajas. Addison Press. p. 78. According to the social right established so early as during the days of the second descendant Prasaditya Naidu, under orders of the Emperor Ganapathi Rai, making the Padmanayaka Velamas the first and foremost in rank, the chiefs belonging to the other seventy - six Velama sects, Damara Venkatapathi Naidu of Kalahasti included, paid the customary respects to the Rajah on this occasion by keeping themselves standing . Damara Venkatapathi Naidu himself being the brother - in - law of the Rajah was allowed a seat in the south - east of the hall
- W. Francis, ed. (1989). Gazetteer of South India. Mittal Publications. p. 20. Kalahasti Zamindari - One of the largest zamindari estates in Madras, situated partly in North Arcot District, partly in Nellore, and partly in Chingleput. Number of villages, 406 in North Arcot, 201 in Nellore, and 206 in Chingleput; area, 638 square miles in North Arcot, 576 in Nellore, and 250 in Chingleput; total population (1901), 223,327. The capital is the town of Kalahasti, where the zamindar resides. The history of the family, which belongs to the Velama caste, is obscure. The original owner of the estate probably received it from a king of the Vijayanagar dynasty in the fifteenth century, on condition of maintaining order. The estate at one time spread as far as the site of Fort St.George, and the Company obtained the land on which Madras now stands from the proprietor in 1639. The settlement is traditionally said to have been named Chennappapatnam in honour of the zamindar's father. The estate came under British control in 1792, and a formal grant to the family was made in 1801. The zamundar afterwards received the hereditary title of Raja. The gross income amounts to over 5 lakhs.
- Illustrated Guide to the South Indian Railway. Higginbotham Publishing. 1900. p. 336. The Rajahs of Kalahasti appear to have always belonged to the Velama caste and to have come south with the Vijayanagar kings who made them menkavalgars or minor custodians, from which position they rose to be Poligars.
- R. Parthasarathy, ed. (1984). Andhra Culture: A Petal in Indian Lotus. Government of Andhra Pradesh. p. 120.
- C. D. Maclean, ed. (1982). Maclean's Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency. Asian Educational Service. p. 58.
^
* A. Krishnaswami, ed. (1964). The Tamil country under Vijayanagar. Annamalai University. p. 188.
- Madras Tercentenary Celebration Committee, ed. (1994). The Body as Temple Erotica from Telugu. Asian Educational Services. p. 43.
- LS, Vuppuluri Lakshminarayana Sastri (1920). Encyclopaedia of the Madras Presidency and the Adjacent States. Oriental Enclyclopaedic Publishing Company. p. 105.
- Journal of Indian History. University of Kerala. 1927. p. 43.
- IAP, Indo-Aryan philology (1930). The Journal of the Bihar Research Society. p. 145.
^ Nanditha Krishna (2001). Varahishwara Temple - a history of Darmarla. C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, Chennai.