Nayakuralu Nagamma

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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 - Palanati Yuddham (war) 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.

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 a 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 velanati chodas were completely weakened and that led to the firm establishment of kakatiyas by expanding into the coastal andhra Pradesh.

However the oral histories and ballads that came after the battle tried to showcase Nagamma in bad light and Bramhanaidu and Balachandrudu as a heroes. This is one paradox in history that needs a lot of explanation. How did the vanquished manage to vilify the victor.After getting defeated, most of the defeated padma velamas of Bramhanaidu clan migrated to kakatiya kingdom where they got employed in the army. There they grew in stature under royal support and developed the story of Palanati Viracharitra and dessiminated it. In their version of the story the end is quite hilarious. 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 vilification of her role.

Bramha Naidu is recorded to have four wives and it is also recorded that maguva Manchala was purchased for his son Balachandra. Balachandra did not treat Manchala well and instead had a mistress. Historian B S L Hanumantha Rao opines that Bramha Naidu and his father Dodda Naidu were sent as regents to Gurazala because they were interfering in the affairs of velanadu kingdom. He also feels that their ambitions to become kings were felt as a threat by the buddhist velanati chodas, who thought it would be better to send them as regents to their newly conqueresd territory of Gurazala, where they can function as a balance to the vanquished Haihayas, who were re-appointed as the kings.

Bramha Naidu's idea of sending Alaraja, the fugitive kalachuri prince and son-in-law of Nalagama (heir apparent of gurazala throne) as emissary to Gurazala is a pre-planned attempt to get him killed at the hands of Narasimha Raja another contender for the crown. This is vindicated by the what Bramhanaidu tells the horror stricken parents of Alaraja that if something happens to Alaraja during this dangerous role, he promoises to give his own son balachandra for adoption. What consolance? That will also clear the space for his son to become the only contender if Bramhanaidu wins the war. In fact as expected alaraja gets killed in the hands of narasimha and Bramhanaidu blames Nagamma for this and declares war unilaterally. He also denies his son Balachandra participation in the war, with the intention that no harm should reach him, since the whole idea is to put him on the throne.

On the other side Nagamma was a widow without children and was old by then and had very little to gain from war. All the important kingdoms of the era sided with Nalagama and Nagamma is proof that they were on the right side. while commissioned oral epics like Palanati viracharitra are completely one sided and did injustice to Nagamma character, historians have done justice to her.