Nayakuralu Nagamma

Nayakuralu Nagamma was a renowned statesperson and minister to king Nalagama, the ruler of Palanadu in Guntur District. She is one of the key characters along with Bramha Naidu in the epic war - Palnati Yudham (War of Palnad) set in the medieval Andhra Pradesh, a southern state of India. She can be listed as one of the most powerful women in the medieval times in India and in the world.

Supporter of Nalagama

The ruling Haihaya clan of Palanadu, Nalagama and his cousin Malideva went to war at karampudi in guntur district with competing claims over the kingdom. This war was very important in the social history of Andhra Pradesh. The southern incursion of northern velama community was strongly resented by the conservative local Reddy community. While Bramhanaidu Velama, was the adviser of Malideva and regent of Velanati Chodas of coastal Andhra, Nayakuralu Nagamma was a Reddy and adviser to king Nalagama.

In the war that ensued Malideva and Bramhanaidu were defeated by Nalagama and Nagamma's forces. Some of the ruling dynasties of that time: Kakatiyas, Kalyani Kalachuris, Hoysala Bhallalas took the side of Nagamma. After this war the Velanati Chodas were weakened and that led to the firm establishment of Kakatiyas, which expanded into the coastal andhra Pradesh.

Subsequent villification

However the oral histories and ballads that came after the battle tried to showcase Nagamma in a bad light and Bramhanaidu and Balachandrudu as the heroes. That the vanquished managed to vilify the victor is one paradox in history that needs explanation. After getting defeated, most of the defeated Padma Velamas of the Bramhanaidu clan migrated to the Kakatiya kingdom where they found a place in the army. There they grew in stature under royal support and developed the story of Palanati Viracharitra and dessiminated it. In the end of their version, Bramha Naidu crowns Nalagama after winning the war against him, after losing his son and adopted son in the war. Palanati Charitra tries to conceal the wily strategies of Bramhanaidu with all his greed for power and shows Nagamma as a villain. Being a woman in public space in medieval conservative Andhra, she did not get any writers to support her role or contest the villification of her role.

That all the important kingdoms of the era sided with Nalagama and Nagamma is proof that they were considered to be on the right side. While commissioned oral epics like Palanati Viracharitra are completely one sided and did injustice to Nagamma's character, historians have done more justice to her.

References

1. B S L Hanumantha Rao, Social Mobility in Midieval Andhra, Telegu Academy Press
2. Palanati Vira charitra, Oral Epic