The Satavahanas (221 B.C. 218 A.D.

)
1. Simuka was the founder of the Satavahana dynasty. He is described as Sishuka or Sindhuka in the Puranas. He 2. After Simuka his brother Kanha or Krishna continued the policy of his brother and extended the empire towards 3. The reign of Satakarni or Satakarni-I (Simukha's son) is known from the Naneghat inscription issued by his wife 4. Satakarni was the contemporary of Pushyamitra Sunga of Magadha and Kharavela of Kalinga. He proclaimed 5. According to the Puranas after Satakarnis death, his son Purnotsanga ascended the throne. He is indentified with
Vedasiri. The two important events that took place during the reign of Purnotsanga were the deaths of Pushyamitra and Kharavela.* 6. The long rule of Satakarni II for 56 years is memorable in the history of the Satavahanas since Pataliputra; the famous capital of Magadha came under their control for the first time.** 7. Kuntala Satakarni ruled for a short period for 8 years. He is mentioned in literary works like Kavya Mimamsa of Rajasekhara, Kamasutra of Vatsyayana and Brihat Katha of Gunadhya. His rule is memorable as Sanskrit replaced Prakrit as the official language.* 8. Sarva Varma, one of the ministers of Kuntala prepared Katantra Vyakarna to enable the king to learn Sanskrit. Gunadhya, another minister of Kuntala had great love for Prakrit and therefore retired to the forests and compiled Brihat Katha. The king did not tolerate the work and asked him to destroy it. The fragmentary Brihat Katha became the source for Kathasaritsagara.** 9. Pulomavi-I is the next notable king of Satahavanas who is regarded to have killed Susarma the king of Pataliputra. Maybe for this reason Puranas call Andhras as Paulomas. (15th King) 10. Hala, the 17th king of the Satavahanas is mentioned by Vatsyayana in his Kamasutra and Rajasekhara in his Kavya Mimamsa. Gunadhya the author of Brihat Katha was his contemporary. As he was a patron of poets, he was known by the title Kavivatsala. Hala is regarded for his work Sapthasati, a Prakrit work.* 11. Gautamiputra Satakarni was one of the outstanding rulers of ancient India. He was the son of Sivasvati and Gautami Balasri. His achievements and personality is known from the Nasik inscription of Gautami Balasri. The Nasik Prasasti describes Gautamiputra as the ruler of the Aparanta, Anupa, Saurashtra, Kukura, Akara, and Avanti, and he must have wrested them from Nahapana.* 12. One of his titles, Thrisamudra Toya Pitavahabna (one whose horses drink waters of three oceans), suggests the fact that his armies had touched the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. 13. Gautamiputra Satakarni was succeeded by his son Vashishtiputra Pulomavi. And Pulomavi II inturn was succeeded by his brother Vashishtiputra Sivasri who was defeated twice by his father in law Rudradaman.* 14. Gautamiputra Yajnasri was the last king of the Satavahanas. Acharya Nagarjuna lived at his court for some time.** 15. Acharya Nagarjuna contributed a great deal for the spread of Mahayana Madhyamika Buddhism and established a centre for learning at Sriparvata which attracted students from India and abroad and propounded 'Shunyavada'.* 16. The empire under the direct rule of Satavahanas was divided into a number of provinces called Aharas and were placed under Amatyas. The lowest unit of administration is grama or village and it was placed under an in charge official called gramani.* 17. The mail source of state income was land revenue. The royal share of agricultural produce was called as bhoga or deyameya. 18. The affairs of the trading cities in the empire were looked after by corporate bodies called nigama sabhas. The important port Dakshinapatha was connected with Prathisthana, the capital of the Satavahanas. 19. Important ports on the western coast were Bharukachchha, Sopara, Kalyana. From these ports ships sailed to the Roman Empire through the Red Sea. There was sea trade between Bharukachchha and the ports of Southeast Asia 20. Satakarni I, the 3rd king in the dynasty was a staunch supporter of Hinduism and his wife Naganika also championed the Vedic faith. Gautamiputra Satakarni fully identified himself as a defender of Vedic faith and tried to prevent Varna sankara (assimilation of castes). He took pride in calling himself 'Varnashrama Dharmodharaka', the protector and upholder of fourfold division of Hindu society. He was hailed as eka Brahmana.** 21. Satavahana rulers also extended their patronage to Buddhism also. Jain religion did not receive much patronage. 22. Satavahanas were the innovators of rock cut architecture. The early capital was Prathisthana but later Amaravathi was their capital.* himself Samrat and assumed the titles of Dakshinapathi and Aprathihatahachakra.** Naganika or Nayanika. His name is also mentioned in the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela. the west as far as Nasik. It is unfortunate that very few details are available about him. made Prathisthana as his capital. In his early years he patronized Jainism but later switched over to Brahmanism.

Ikshavakus and Others

23. Ikshvakus ruled Krishna Valley with Vijayapuri or Sriparvata as their capital from about 180 A.D. to about 278 A.D.*

24. The Puranas (epics) mention Andhra Ikshvakus as the Sriparvatiyas, Rulers of Sriparvata and Andhrabhrityas 25. Vasistiputra Santamula (Santamula-I), the founder of the dynasty in his inscription according to the prevalent 26. Sri Virapurushadatta (son and successor of the founder Santamula-I), denounced Vedic religion and embraced
Buddhism which is clear from some sculptures showing him trampling a Siva Lingam.** 27. Sati came into practice as seen from a sculptural representation. In the later Ikshvaku period Sanskrit was used in place of Prakrit in inscriptions. 28. According to the Puranas ten Abhira rulers succeeded the Satavahanas and ruled for 67 years. The Abhira dynasty which ruled in north-western Maharashtra was founded by one is Varasena.* 29. The Brihatpalayanas ruled the Krishna district with their capital as Pithunda near Machilipatnam. The Hathigumpha inscription describes that this city has been destroyed by Kharavela of Kalinga. The city of Pithunda is referred to as metropolis in one of Ptolemy's work.* 30. Jayavarma is the only king known of the dynasty. A charter issued in Prakrit describes Jayavarma as the devotee of Maheswara and calls him Raja.* 31. Kandara appears to be the founder of Ananda Gotras. They ruled with Kapota Kandarapura as their capital. The Chezarla inscription speaks of him as the destroyer of enemy forces at the battle of Dhanyakataka. His banner bore the representation of Golungula (a species of monkey). He was called Prithviyuvasat.* 32. The Salankayanas who succeeded the Brihatpalayanas also bore a gotra name. Salankayanas ruled with Vengi (near modern Eluru) as their capital. Vijayadeva Varma founded Salankayana dynasty. 33. The family deity of Salankayanas was Chithrarathaswami or Sun God. But the insignia of the family was Nandi, the bull of Shiva. 34. Hastivarma-II of the Salankayana dynasty had the misfortune to be a contemporary of Samudragupta and to be defeated by him. (Allahabad Inscription). Another King of importance was Devaverma who was described as Paramamaheshwara.* 35. Vishnukundins had Indrapalanagara in the Nalgonda district as their capital. The real founder of Vishnukundin power, however, was Govindavarman-I's son and successor Madhavavarman I alias Janashraya.* 36. Indravarma is the first ruler of the Vishnukundin dynasty. Madhavavarma-ll was the greatest of the Vishnukundins, during his reign much of the Coastal Andhra (Vengi and Andhrapatha) was brought under the control of Vishnukundins. 37. Vikramadevavarma-ll restored the prestige of Vishnukundins by recapturing Kalinga region. For better access to Kalinga, he shifted his capital from Bezwada to Lendalur (modem Dendaluru in West Godavari district). Acquired the title 'Uttamas-raya' by donating Tundi (Tuni) village to a Brahmin.* 38. Indra Bhattaraka established many schools for imparting education on Vedic literature. He was the first Andhra King to maintain and support "ghatikas" academies of education.* practice of the adoption of matronymy. He patronized Vedic religion and was a Worshipper of Kartikeya. (Servants of the Andhras).

Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi

39. Pulakesin II is the most famous ruler of the Western Chalukya dynasty. Pulakesin II pushed forth up to the
Narmada and he defeated Harshavardhana of Kanauj and made the Narmada River as the border between the Chalukya Empire and that of Harshavardhana.* 40. Pulakesin was the first ruler in South India to issue gold coinage. The Boar was the royal emblem of the Chalukyas. 41. Pulakesin II appointed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana (also called Bittarasa) as viceroy of his Eastern territories. Vishnuvardhana eventually founded the dynasty of Eastern Chalukyas with Pistapura as its capital.* 42. He was called Kubja or hunch-backed for he was physically so deformed. He assumed the title of Vishama Siddhi (one who gets over obstacles) and 'Makaradwaja'. Under the influence of the Hindu philosopher Ramanujacharya, Vishnuvardhana converted to Sri Vaishnavism and was a worshipper of Vishnu. His kingdom was visited by the famous Chinese, Buddhist traveller, Hiuen Tsang.* 43. The famous Chennakesava Temple at Belur is attributed to him. He built this temple to commemorate his victory against the Cholas of Tamil country. 44. Jayasimha Vallabha or Jayasimaha-I succeeded his father Vishnuvardhana-I, and he has the credit of using Telugu in his inscriptions for the first time in history. He is also believed to have shifted the capital from Pisthapura to Vengipura.** 45. Vijayaditya-II was able to reestablish the glory of the dynasty and assumed the title of "Narendra Mrugaraja". He is reputed to have fought 108 battles.* 46. Vijayaditya-III was popularly known as "Gunaga Vijayaditya" (full of Virtues) and his period was a period of prosperity and glory for the Eastern Chalukyas. He is credited with introducing Telugu poetry in his inscriptions. Panduranga, his commander-in-chief, defeated the Eastern Gangas of Kalinga, and also captured 12 Kottams in Nellore district from the Pallavas.** 47. Chalukya Bhima founded the town of Chalukya Bhimavaram near Samalkota where he built a temple to Shiva and named it after himself Chalukya Bhimeswara. Ammaraja-II built a new city and named it Raja Mahendri (Rajahmundry) after his title Raja Mahendra.*

48. Rajaraja Narendra shifted his capital from Vengi to Rajamahendri. His court was adorned by Nannaya, who wrote 49. Vijayaditya VII was the last king of the Eastern Chalukyan dynasty. Rajaraja Narendras son Rajendra Chola united
Chola and Eastern Chalukyan kingdoms and ruled upto 1118 under the title Kulottunga-I with the Capital at Gangaikonda Cholapuram. 50. Jayamkondar is the poet laureate of Kulottunga-I. He is renowned for the poem Kalingattu parani, in which he describes the Chola-Kalinga war and celebrates the victory of the Chola king.* 51. Nanne Choda was the most important ruler among the Renadu Chodas. He was the author of "Kumara Sambhavam". (Renadu Chodas)* 52. Manchana, in his "Keyurabhu Charita", describes the military exploits of Gonka II. (Velanadu Chodas)* 53. The battle of Palnadu (Palnati Yudham) was immortalized in Telugu literature by the poet Srinatha in his 'Palnati Vira Charita'.* 54. 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 (patronized and converted many to Vaishnavism) in the epic war - Palnati Yudham. (Nellore Chodas) 55. The main cause for the war was religious strife between Vaishnavism and Veera Saivism. It was fought essentially between the forces of Brahma Naidu (the Prime Minister of Nalagama and a staunch follower of Vaishnavism) and those of Nayakuralu Nagamma (the lady who influenced Nalagama and who was a strong supporter of Veera Saivism). 56. Bramha Naidu threw open the gates of Chennakesava Temple to dalits and adopted Kannamadasa a dalit as his son. He championed Viravaishnavism. Mahabharata in Telugu. Nannaya was assisted by his friend Narayana Bhatta.*

Kakatiyas of Warangal (1000 A.D. 1323 A.D.)

57. Beta-I is considered to be the first ruler of the Kakatiya dynasty. Prola-I was the next ruler and he became a 58. Prola-I bore the title Arigaja Kesari. He developed irrigational facilities by constructing many tanks. One such tank 59. Prola-I was succeeded by Beta-II. He was conferred two titles of Vikramachakri and Tribhuvanamalla by 60. Beta-II was a great devotee of Shiva. He was initiated into Saivism by Rameswara Pandita of Srisailam. He was 61. Prola-II was succeeded by his son Rudradeva. He ruled for thirty seven years. 62. Rudradeva constructed the Rudreshwara temple (Thousand pillared temple) at Anumakonda. His trusted minister 63. Rudradeva shifted the capital from Anumakonda to Warangal. He was the author of the Sanskrit work Nitisara. 64. Rudradeva intervened in Palanadu war on behalf of Nalagama and sent a force to assist Nayakuralu. He lost his life 65. When Ganapatideva was imprisoned by the Yadavas, his loyal general Racherla Rudra looked after the kingdom 66. Jeyapa Senani was the chief of elephant corps and was the author of Nritya Ratnavali, Gita Ratnavali and Vadya
Ratnavali. 67. Manumasidhi-II sent Tikkana Somayaji, his court-poet to Ganapatideva for help. At Warangal Tikkana completed the translation of the 15 parvas of Mahabharata into Telugu, left unfinished by Nannaya. He however did not translate the Aranya parva. It was subsequently translated by Yerrapragada later. The other work of Tikkana was Nirvachanottara Ramayana. 68. Marenna, a disciple of Tikkana wrote Markandeya Puranamu. Palakurki Somanatha was the author of two saivite works Panditaradhya Charitra and Basava Puranamu. 69. Gona Buddha Reddi , a feudatory of Rudradeva was the first to translate the Ramayana into Telugu in about 1250 AD. The work is known as Ranganatha Ramayanamu. 70. The immensely popular Sumathi Sathakam is attributed to Baddena, a Telugu Choda king of Kakatiya period. His other work is Niti Shastra Muktavali. 71. Till Ganapatidevas time the village accountants (karnams) belonged to Vishwa Brahmins (Goldsmith) caste, but he removed them and appointed Brahmins in their place. The Brahmins so appointed came to be known as Niyogi Brahmins. 72. Ganapatideva issued Abhaya Sasanam at Motupalli port guaranteeing security to all ships and abolishing many vexatious customs duties. 73. Great irrigational tanks like Ramappa, Parakala, and Ghanapuram were built by Ganapatideva and are still in existence today. 74. Ganapatidevas last war and first defeat was in the hands of Jatavarma Sundara Pandya-I. He defeated the combined armies of Kakatiyas and Manumasiddi-II in the battle of Muthukuru. and put down all revolts. He was given the title Kakatirajya Stapanacharya. in a battle with Jaitrapala Yadava of Devagiri. Vellaki Gangadharam built the Prasanna Kesava temple at Anumakonda. succeeded by Prola-II. Vikramaditya-VI. Beta-II had an able general and minister named Vaija. is Kesamudram, named after his title. subordinate ally of the Western Chalukyas and was given Hanamkonda region by them.

75. Ganapatideva appointed his Kayasta General, Gangaya Sahini as the governor of the Cuddapah region. (Chief of 76. To commemorate her victory over the Yadava king Mahadeva, Rudramba took the title Rajagaja Kesari a title 77. Amba Deva (Kayasta), the feudatory of Cuddapah revolted against Rudramba and defeated her. Both she and her
general lost their lives. Rudramba adopted as her son, Prataparudra, the son of her eldest daughter. Prataparudra was referred as Kumara Rudra and also as Veera Rudra. 78. During the rule of Ganapatideva, the governors of different regions of the empire known as Nayakas were appointed from different castes. This was known as Nayankara system. This was introduced by Rudramba. Prataparudra reorganized this system appointing only Padmanayaks to these offices. 79. Prataprudra ordered land reclamation of vast jungle tracts in Rayalaseema, especially in Kurnool. Large tracts of land were cleared and villages were built which were colonized by people from Telangana and coastal regions. 80. Yayati Charitramu, a Sanskrit drama is attributed to Prataparudra. 81. In 1310, Allauddin Khilji sent Malik Kafur attacked Warangal and Prataparudra agreed to surrender and pay annual tributes. In 1318, Qutubuddin Mubarak sent an expedition under Khusrau Khan and Prataparudra paid the arrears of tribute. In 1321, the Tughlaks changed their policy towards Deccan from one of levying tribute to that of territorial conquest. 82. Ghazi Tughlak ascended the Throne of Delhi in 1320 under the title Ghiyasuddin Tughlak Shah and established the Tughlak dynasty. He wanted to extend his empire through annexation of southern kingdoms. Kakatiya kingdom was annexed to the Delhi Sultanate and Warangal was renamed Sultanpur. 83. The empire for purpose of administration was divided into Nadus. Nadus were sub-divided into Sthalams. Each sthalam consisted of 20, 18 or 16 villages. 84. The main source of revenue was land tax. After land tax, the other source of revenue was commercial tax. The amount of tax levied on goods sold at village fairs was decided by local association known as samayam. To foster trade commercial complexes called Penta were built near big villages where weekly fairs were held. They were later on called as Peta. 85. The Venetian traveller Marco Polo visited Motupalli and recorded his impressions. (during Prataparudra) 86. The Gold coins were known as Gadyanam or Mada and Silver coins were known as Rukalu. held by her father Ganapatideva. Cavalry)

87. Prolaya Vema Reddi was a champion of Vedic religion. He patronized Telugu literature and made Yellapragada,
one of the three poets who have translated Mahabharatam into Telugu. Yellapragada besides translating Aranyaparva of the Mahabharata wrote another work called Harivamsam. 88. The main event of Anapotha Reddis reign was the shifting of the capital from Addanki to Kondavidu 89. Kumaragiri Reddi made popular the celebration of spring festival (Vanamahotsavam). He wrote a treatise on dance called Vasantha Rajeevam. 90. The reign of Peda Komati Vema Reddi has become memorable in Andhra history since his court was adorned by Srinatha, renowned as Kavi Sarvabhowma. He was the author of Kasi Kandam, Bhima Kandam, Hara Vilasam, Naishadam, etc. 91. Peda Komati Vema Reddi was a scholar of Sanskrit and wrote two books called Sangita Chintamani and Sahitya Chintamani. 92. Kataya Vema Reddi became the independent ruler of Rajahmundry kingdom in 1403. He is the brother-in-law of Kumaragiri Reddi of Kondavidu. 93. The Reddi kingdom was divided into several administrative units called Bhumis. Bhumis were sub-divided into Simas. They were further divided into Nayankarapatlu. Several Nayankarapatlus were clubbed into Nadu. The lowest unit was gramam or village. 94. Kapaya Nayaka captured Warangal and took titles of Andhradesadhiswara and Andhra Suratrana. In 1362, Muhammad Shah attacked Telangana again and burnt Vinayakadeva (son of Kapaya) alive. Kapaya Nayaka made peace with Bahmani kingdom by ceding Golconda fort. (Musunuri Nayaks) 95. Bammera Potana lived in the kingdom of Singama Nayaka (better known as Sarvajina) and refused to dedicate his work Bhagavatam to the ruler. (Recharla chiefs) 96. Singama Nayaka was also a scholar and wrote a work on rhetoric, namely "Rasamava Sudhakara"

Reddi Kingdoms

The Vijayanagar Empire (1336 A.D. 1678 A.D.)

97. In 1336, Vijayanagar kingdom was established by Harihara and Bukka, who were two brothers and served in the 98. The first ruler of Vijayanagar Empire was Harihara-I. The dynasty was known as Sangama Dynasty after his father.
He was succeeded by his brother Bukka. The main event of Bukka-Is rule was the overthrowing of the Muslim rule in Madhurai by his son Kumara Kampana. Kumara Kampanas victory was graphically described by his wife Ganga Devi in her Sanskrit work Madhura Vijayam. Kumara died before his father in 1374. army of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq.

99. In 1374 Bukka-I sent an ambassador to the Chinese emperor of Ming dynasty. Bukka assumed the titles Vaidika
Marga Pravataka and Veda Marga Prathisthapaka. He encouraged Telugu literature and Telugu poet Nachana Soma lived in his court. 100. Bukka was succeeded by his other son Harihara-II. Harihara-II captured important ports in the west coast like Goa, Chaul and Dhabol. 101. Harihara-IIs son Virupaksha led an expedition to Srilanka and collected tribute from it. He was the first king in the dynasty to assume the imperial titles of Maharajadhiraja and Rajaparameshwara. 102. Another important king in the Sangama dynasty was Devaraya-I. He defeated the Bahmani king Feroz Shah. He was the first Vijayanagar king to realize the importance of cavalry and imported horses from west Asia. 103. To win allegiance of Muslim subjects he placed a copy of Quran in front of the throne so that they can pay homage to the king. 104. Nicolo Conti, the Italian traveller from Venice visited Vijayanagar during the rule of Devaraya-I. 105. Another important king of the dynasty was Devaraya-II and a notable achievement of his was the conquest of Kerala. The Zamorin of Kozhikode was allowed to remain independent. 106. Another achievement of Devaraya-II was the successful naval expedition to Sri Lanka under the leadership of Lakkanna. Lakkanna was given the title Dakshina Samudradhishwara. 107. Devaraya-II was a patron of poets. In a disputation in his court the Telugu poet Srinatha humbled the Vijayanagar poet laureate Dindima. Devaraya-II conferred on Srinatha the title Kavi Sarvabouma. 108. Devaraya-II was credited to have written two Sanskrit works Mahanataka Sudhanidhi and a commentary on Brahmasutras of Badarayana. He was also noted for his hunting skills and took the title Gaja Vetakara. 109. Abdul Razzack, the Persian ambassador to the court of Zamorin visited Vijayanagar in 1443 during the reign of Devaraya-II. 110. The Bahmani king Muhammad-III captured Goa, Chaul and Dhabol during the rule of King Virupaksha-II. Muhammad-III had a famous and competent Prime Minister Muhammad Gawan who was put to death due to internal politics. 111. Praudhadevaraya was the last king of the Sangama dynasty. Saluva Narasimha became the ruler of Vijayanagar in 1486 and founded the Saluva dynasty. He had a very able general in Narasa Nayaka who assisted him in everything. 112. Rajanatha Dindima who wrote Saluvabhyudayamu lived in the court of Saluva Narasimha. Narasimha himself wrote Sanskrit work called Ramabhyudayamu. 113. An important event during the rule of Immadi Narasimha was the arrival of Vasco da Gama at Calicut in 1498. With the death of Immadi Narasimha, Saluva dynasty came to an end. 114. Narasa Nayaka had two sons elder one was Vira Narasimha (son of Tippamba) and the younger one was Sri Krishnadeva raya (Son of Nagamba). Vira Narasimha inaugurated the Tuluva dynasty in 1505. 115. Vira Narasimha abolished the unpopular marriage tax. Secondly, he instituted the custom of settling disputes by fighting duels in the presence of the emperor. 116. Vira Narasimha entered into agreement with Portuguese governor, Almeida to purchase horses from Arabia and broke the monopoly of Arab and Persian merchants in the import of horses. 117. Sri Krishnadeva raya ascended the throne in 1509 and was ably supported in the rule by his great minister Timmarasu. Krishnadeva raya himself took the title of Yavanarajya sthapanacharya. 118. The Vijayanagar forces for the first time used Portuguese guns against the Bijapur army of Ismail Adil Shah to capture the Raichur fort. Portuguese engineers helped in improving the water supply to the city of Vijayanagar. 119. Eight luminaries known as Ashtadiggajas adorned his court. Among them Allasani Peddanna, the author of Manucharitamu is the greatest. He was known as Andhra Kavi Pitamaha. 120. The other 7 poets include Nandi Timmanna, the author of Parijatha Apaharanamu, Maddayyagari Mallana, Dhurjati, Ayyalaraju Ramabhadra Kavi, Pingali Suranna, Ramaraja Bhushana and Tenali Ramalinga. 121. Sri Krishnadeva rayas own work Amuktamalyada is regarded as first rate Prabhandha in Telugu literature. Jambavati Kalyanamu is his Sanskrit work 122. Domingo Paes, a Portuguese merchant who resided in Vijayanagar gave an excellent sketch of Sri Krishnadeva Raya. In honor of his mother he built a city called Nagalapuram 123. Duarte Barbosa, a Portuguese official who spoke Malayalam visited the Vijayanagar in 1515 during Sri Krishnadeva rayas rule. 124. Fernao Nuniz a horse dealer from Portugal stayed in Vijayanagar during the rule of Achyuta raya. 125. Sadasiva was a nominal king and the entire power was in the hands of Rama Raya (Son-in-law of Sri Krishnadeva raya) and his brothers Tirumala and Venkatadri. 126. The battle of Talikota or Rakshasa Tangadi was fought on 23rd January 1565 between Rama Raya and the Muslim forces. Rama Raya lost. 127. Rama Rayas brother Tirumala started the Aravidu dynasty in 1570 A.D. Venkata-II was a notable king in the dynasty. In 1610, Venkata-II allowed the Dutch to open a factory at Pulicat and granted them many privileges in trade. 128. The construction of Hazara Rama temple started during the rule of Virupaksha-II and was completed during Sri Krishnadeva rayas rule.

129.

Nayankara System of land revenue prevailed during the Vijayanagar dynasty rule in South India. According to the system under Deva Raya lands were given to the Nayaks who were the important commanders of the king or to nobles.

The Qutub Shahis of Golconda (1512 A.D. 1543 A.D.)

130.
Quli Qutub Shah was the first ruler. He was the contemporary of Sri Krishnadeva raya and Achyuta raya. He was murdered at the instance of his son Jamshid. He strengthened Golconda which he named as Muhammad Nagar. 131. Jamshid ascended the throne and imprisoned his brother Daulat Quli. Ibrahim Quli, the other brother took shelter at the court of Rama Raya at Vijayanagar. 132. Ibrahim Quli constructed the Purana Pul over river Musi. It was during his reign that the famous Hussain Sagar and Ibrahimpatnam Tank were constructed. He patronized Telugu literature and culture. He gave equal status to Telugu along with Persian as the official language. He was referred to as Malkibaram. During the rule of Ibrahim, Dakhni Urdu made remarkable progress. 133. Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah was the founder of Hyderabad city and he ascended the throne in 1580. Mir Munim was the architect of Hyderabad city. He was a young boy of 14 years at the time of ascension. The King of Persia, Shah Abbas sent Aghurlu Sultan as his envoy to Golconda. 134. Another important event of Mohammad Qulis reign was the arrival of British ship Globe at its port Machilipatnam in 1611. The East India Company was permitted to open a factory at Machilipatnam in 1611. 135. Mohammad Quli was succeeded by his nephew and son-in-law Muhammad Qutub Shah. He was poet and composed ghazals under the pen name Zilullah. 136. Muhammad Qutub Shah was succeeded by his son Abdullah, a young boy of 12 years. Abdullahs Chief Minister was Mir Jumla, who was responsible for the eventual downfall of Golconda. The Mir Jumlas name was Mir Mohammad Sayyed. 137. An important event of Abdullahs reign was the issue of golden firman in 1634 granting trade privileges to East India Company on the Andhra coast. 138. Abul Hasan was the last ruler of the Qutub Shahi dynasty. He was popularly known as Tana Shah. His Chief Minister was Madanna. 139. Kancherla Gopanna, the nephew of Madanna is popularly known as Ramadasu. He built the famous Sri Rama temple in Bhadrachalam. 140. Abdullah and Tana Shah patronized Kuchipudi dance also. Kshetrayya whose padams or songs form the repertory for the Kuchipudi dances was honored in the courts of Hyderabad.