The battle of Bobbili

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The battle of Bobbili and the attack on fort of Bobbili on January 23, 1757, is a significant historical event in southern India, particularly in state of Andhra Pradesh. The battle also has significant cultural impact due to the bravery, valor and courage of people involved and it has since became a subject of folklore which is prevalent even today.

The attack led by the Rajah of Vizianagaram, Vijayaramaraju, who had a running feud with the Rajah of Bobbili, was aided by French General Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau and his troops. The small Bobbili defences were no match to the overwhelming strength of the attacking army and their superior firepower. The army of Vizianagaram quickly overpowered the kingdom, however, this prompted the army and citizens of Bobbili to commit a mass suicide instead of falling into the hands of the enemy. This included the king and the queen. The heir to the throne was also supposed to have died, but there are accounts that say that the heir escaped and eventually came back to claim the throne.

After a brief exchange of hands, the British eventually restored the kingdom and placed a related descendant on the throne.

The courageous exploits of the General of Bobbili, Tandra paparayudu, who avenged the loss of the kingdom of Bobbili, caused people to refer to him as the "Tiger of Bobbili". His statues today stand on Beach Road, Vishakhapatnam and in Bobbili.

The attack on the fort at Bobbili made by General Bussy in 1756 is one of the most memorable episodes in Indian history. There was a constant feud between the chief of Bobbili and the raja of Vizianagram; and when Bussy marched to restore order the raja persuaded him that the fault lay with the chief of Bobbili and joined the French with 11,000 men against his rival. In spite of the fact that the French field-pieces at once made practicable breaches in the mud walls of the fort, the defenders held out with desperate valour. Two assaults were repulsed after hours of hand-to-hand fighting; and when, after a fresh bombardment, the garrison saw that their case was hopeless, they killed their women and children, and only succumbed at last to a third assault because every man of them was either killed or mortally wounded. An old man, however, crept out of a hut with a child, whom he presented to Bussy as the son of the dead chief. Three nights later four followers of the chief of Bobbili crept into the tent of the raja of Vizianagram and stabbed him to death. The child, Chinna Ranga Rao, was invested by Bussy with his father's estate, but during his minority it was seized by his uncle. After a temporary arrangement of terms with the raja of Vizianagram the old feud broke out again, and the Bobbili chief was forced to take refuge in the nizam's country. In 1794, however, on the break-up of the Vizianagram estate, Chinna Ranga Rao was restored by the British, and in 1801 a permanent settlement was made with his son. The title of raja was recognized as hereditary in the family; that of maharaja was conferred as a personal distinction on Sir Venkataswetachalapati Ranga Rao, K.C.I.E., the adopted great-great-grandson of Chinna Ranga Rao.

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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

[[Category:Battles involving India]