Yarlagadda Sivarama Prasad (3 April 1903 - 1976), also known as Challapalli Raja, was an Indian aristocrat, industrialist, politician, film producer, and film studio owner. He was the last hereditary zamindar of the Challapalli Samasthanam (estate) which compromises the modern day region of Diviseema / Avanigadda Assembly constituency .[1]
Yarlagadda Sivarama Prasad | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 April 1903 |
| Died | 1976 (aged 72 or 73) |
| Other names | Srimantu Raja Yarlagadda Sivarama Prasad Bahadur, Challapalli Raja |
| Occupation(s) | Zamindar, politician, and industrialist |
| Title | Raja of Challapalli |
In politics, Sivarama Prasad was affiliated with the Justice Party before Independence and with Indian National Congress afterwards. He served as the Minister of Health for Andhra Pradesh during the 1960s and was elected as an MLA from Krishna District.[2]
Sivarama Prasad financed Pattabhi Sitaramayya's Andhra Bank.[3] He set up the production company Sarathi Films in 1938, which produced successful films like Mayalokam (1945) and Rojulu Marayi (1955).[3] He also established the film studio complex Sarathi Studios in Hyderabad in 1956. It was the first film studio facility built in Hyderabad.[4][5]
Early life
editYarlagadda Sivarama Prasad was born to Raja Yarlagadda Ankineedu Prasad, the ruler of the Challapalli Samasthanam (estate), and his wife on April 3, 1903. The Challapalli Samasthanam was one of the largest in the Madras State and consisted of towns in Diviseema and other coastal parts of Krishna District surrounding Machilipatnam.[6] Sivarama Prasad had a brother, S. R. Y. Ramakrishna Prasad and a sister named Rajya Lakshmamma, who later married the Raja of Muktyala.[7] Sivarama Prasad was crowned on December 26, 1929, an event attended by many Telugu and Sanskrit scholars who advised the new zamindar on how to manage the estate's affairs.[8]
Career
editYarlagadda Sivarama Prasad was the last zamindar of the Challapalli Samasthanam to be crowned. His tenure saw the estate hit with communist-peasant rebellions, and the agitations were particularly intense in the Challapalli Estate. The peasantry in the Challapalli Samasthanam occupied thousands of acres of land owned by Sivarama Prasad, but the Congress-backed police aided the zamindar in putting down the rebellion.[9] Sivarama Prasad was the hereditary trustee of several Hindu temples in Krishna District, a patron of Kuchipudi classical dance, and he patronized Sanskrit by establishing new educational institutes.[10][11]
In the financial and industrial sector, Sivarama Prasad financed Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya's Andhra Bank.[3] He also set up Sarathi Films in 1938, which produced many successful films like Mayalokam (1945) and Rojulu Marayi (1955).[3] Following the success of the latter film, Sivarama Prasad used the money to buy twelve acres of land with a building in Hyderabad owned by Kishen Pershad, the prime minister of Hyderabad State, to build a film studio in 1956.[12][13] [3] He also financed a sugar mill in Challapalli.
n politics, Sivarama Prasad was affiliated with the Justice Party before Independence and with Indian National Congress afterwards. He was the Minister of Health for Andhra Pradesh during the 1960s and was elected as an MLA from Krishna District.[2]
Titles
editSivarama Prasad carried the hereditary title Srimant, given to his ancestors by the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire.[14] Other titles he held were Raja, Bahadur, and Zubdatul Aqran. These three were conferred on his family by the Mughal Emperors.[15]
Legacy
editThe town of Sivarampuram in Diviseema is named after him.[16] Srimantu Raja Yarlagadda Sivarama Prasad Junior College in Challapalli is also named after him. Some of his descendants settled in Coimbatore and visit Challapalli for yearly Hindu Rituals.
References
edit- ^ "18th century Challapalli Fort stands testimony to rule of Zamindars in Andhra | City - Times of India VideosTweets by TimesLitFestDelTweets by timeslitfestkol ►". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ a b Grover, Verinder; Arora, Ranjana (1996). Encyclopaedia of India and Her States: Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Deep & Deep. p. 16. ISBN 978-81-7100-726-4.
- ^ a b c d e Damodaran, Harish (25 November 2018). India's New Capitalists: Caste, Business, and Industry in a Modern Nation. Hachette India. p. 111. ISBN 978-93-5195-280-0.
- ^ Yojana - Volume 39. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 1995. p. 123.
- ^ Nanisetti, Serish (2 April 2018). "A house for Maharaja Kishen Pershad in Hyderabad". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ Assembly, Andhra Pradesh (India) Legislature Legislative (1978). Debates; Official Report (in Telugu). p. 30.
- ^ India, The Hans (10 March 2018). "Jaggaiahpet ex-MLA dies". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ Prabhākara smārika. Maṇimañjari Pracuraṇalu, Vēṭūri Prabhākaraśāstri Memōriyal Ṭrasṭ. 1989. p. 121.
- ^ Basu, Jyoti (1997). Documents of the Communist Movement in India: 1949-1951. National Book Agency. p. 722. ISBN 978-81-7626-006-0.
- ^ Registrar, India Office of the (1962). Census of India, 1961. Manager of Publications. p. 26.
- ^ Naidu, T. Appala (8 July 2014). "Make Kuchipudi heritage village: artistes". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ Narasimham, M. L. (2 April 2019). "Rhythm of rural mileu: Kalasi Vunte Kaladu Sukham". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ Nanisetti, Serish (2 April 2018). "A house for Maharaja Kishen Pershad in Hyderabad". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ Itihas. Director of State Archives, Government of Andhra Pradesh. 2009. p. 124.
- ^ Vadivelu, A. (13 October 2017). The Aristocracy of Southern India. Mittal Publications. p. 112.
- ^ Katti, Madhav N. (1984). Studies in Indian Place Names. Place Names Society of India by Geetha Book House. p. 148.