Rajamundry Sarkar

Rajamundry Sarkar was one of the five Northern Circars in the Golconda Sultanate,[1] Deccan Subah of Mughal empire and later in the Nizam's dominion of Hyderabad. During Qutb Shahi, Mughal and Nizam rule it was referred in official records with name Rājmandrī[2] and the same name was anglicized in the British colonial era as Rajahmundry or Rajamundry. The Northern Circars were the most prominent ones in the Subah of Deccan.[3] The Northern Circars were five in number: Chicacole (Srikakulam), Rajmandri (Rajahmundry), Ellore (Eluru), Mustaphanagar (Kondapalli) and Murtuzanagar (Guntur). A Circar was an English spelling of sarkar, a Mughal term for a district (a subdivision of a subah or province), which had been in use since the time of Sher Shah Suri (1486–1545).[4][5] A sarkar was further divided into Mahals or Parganas.[6] The Hills in the Eastern Ghats near Pentakota village were considered the northern limit of the Rajahmundry Circar beyond which was the Chicacole Circar.[7] The southern limit was bounded by Ellor circar with the Godavari river demarcating the boundary.

Early history

During Vengi Chalukya era, Rajamundry was capital and later during Kakatiya rule it was a fort. Subsequently, during the Reddy kingdom rule, Rajamundry was first a sub-capital (Upa-Rājadhāni) and later became capital town.[8] During the reign of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, after the fall of Kakatiyas, Rajamundry province fell to the invading armies of Ulugh Khan (later Muhammad ibn Tughluq) around 1324AD. In the same year, one of the oldest Mosques in Madras presidency was built here after destroying a Hindu temple by massacring the priests and the ruins of that temple were used to build the mosque now known as Royal mosque or Pedda Masiidu (Telugu: పెద్ద మశీదు) by natives. That mosque bears still an inscription that it was built by one of the commanders of Muhammad ibn Tughluq.[9] Later a reconquest was launched by chieftains such as Prolaya Vema Nayaka, Prolaya Vema Reddi and liberated this province from Tughlaq rule.

Gajapati Era

Rajamundry was retroceded by Srikrishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara Empire to the Hindu rulers in Orissa, the Gajapatis as part of a peace treaty after his successful conquest of eastern provinces in 1512. After a martial alliance with Gajapatis, Krishandevaraya returned all the lands that the Vijayanagara Empire had captured north of the Krishna River; this made the Krishna river the boundary between the Vijayanagara empire and Gajapati Kingdom.[10] During Gajapati era, Rajamundry was then organized as a danḍapāṭa (Telugu: దండపాట)[note 1] with 21 sthalas (rough equivalent to Parganas).[8]

The 21 Sthalas of Rajamundry Dandapata during Gajapati era were 1. Palnadu (Prolanadu or Pithapuram), 2. Bodasakurru, 3. Pannadu (Ponnāda), 4. Nandipudi, 5. Kimmuru (Peddapuram), 6. Bikkavolu, 7. Ithakota, 8. Konukonda (Korukonda), 9. Aratlakota, 10. Chodavaram, 11. Vinjavamam (Injaram), 12. Mrumalla (Muramalla), 13. Chagalnadu, 14. Molline, 15. Rajupudu, 16. Sarvasiddhi, 17. Rayavaram, 18. Kakinada, 19. Solapaka (Selapaka), 20. Tallapaka (Tatipaka), and 21. Kota.[11] Each of these sthalas had a Sthala Karaṇam (Telugu: స్థల కరణం) who maintained the accounts and held the title pātra.

Qutb Shahi Era

During Qutb Shahi era, Rajamundry Sarkar was existing and had 24 paraganas.[1]

Mughal Era

The Mughals annexed Golconda sultanate during late seventeenth century in 1687 and organized it as Subah of Deccan. Rajamundry was one of the 22 Sarkars within that Subah.[12] During the Mughal era there 17 parganas[2] comprising 24 mahals.[13] It can be noted that the terms Mahal and Pargana have been used interchangeably. However, there is an important difference between these two terms.[note 2]

Information about the list of the parganas are available from Sawānih-i-Deccan, a Persian work compiled by Munīm Khan, a military commander during the era of Asaf Jah II.[16][17] The parganas of Rajamundry Sarkar are 1.Haveli Rajahmundry, 2.Arnalwarikonda, 3.Agarhar-o-sarwar, 4.Palawal (Palivela), 5.Borsakur, 6.Belhapur, 7.Chirlapalli, 8.Chankalinar (Chagalanadu), 9.Choddarham (Chodavaram), 10.Dudilodi, 11.Salwarikota Wokripalli, 12.Ainkota (Ithakota/Enugula Mahal), 13.Karkonda (Korukonda), 14.Kalibaradsowalbar, 15.Palwarikota, 16. Karmor (Peddapuram) and 17.Molair (Mulleru).[18] During Mughal and Nizam rule the word Haveli implied capital or headquarters of a Sarkar.[19]

Other resources to know about the administration divisions during the Mughal rule and early Nizam rule were Dastūr-al-amal-e-shāhanshāhi (1781) by Munshī Thākur Lāl,[20] and Deh-be-dehi (c.1705) by Md. Shafīq.[21]

British Era

The British assumed direct administration of the Northern Circars in 1769 which was later merged within the Madras Presidency. The British records mention that the Rajamundry Sarkar had 17 Parganas when they have acquired but many additional territorial dependencies were added either by conquest or policy. Also, they mention that very few of the original 17 can be traced during their time.[22]

A partial list of parganas mentioned by English resident at Injeram during 1794 include Mandapeta, Nidadavolu, Biccavolu, Tuni, Vellakota, Changalnanda, Cadeam, Pithapuram,[23] Itakota, Catrevukona, Moomidivaram, Peruru, Tatipaka, Peravaram, Vanapally, Achanta, Aravilly, Injaram and Narasapuram.[24]

Later the British have reorganized this circar as Godavari district within the Madras Presidency. Rajahmundry town was made the headquarters of Godavari District and headquarters got shifted to Kakinada in 1859.[25] An alphabetical list of villages and Taluks were prepared during British era for whole Madras presidency.[26]

References
  1. Haroon Khan Sherwani (1974). "History of the Qutb Shāhī Dynasty". Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. p. 655.
  2. Irfan Habib (1982). An Atlas of the Mughal Empire: Political and Economic Maps with Detailed Notes, Bibliography and Index. Centre of Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-19-560379-8. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  3. "Madras District Gazetteers, Volume 1". Superintendent, Government Press. 1915. p. 235.
  4. Moreland, W. H. (2011), The Agrarian System of Moslem India: A Historical Essay with Appendices, Cambridge University Press, pp. 74–75, ISBN 978-1-108-02828-8
  5. Regani, Sarojini (1988), Nizam-British Relations, 1724-1857, Concept Publishing Company, p. 152, ISBN 978-81-7022-195-1
  6. Akhter, Nasrin (2012). "Sarkar". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  7. Alexander Dalrymple (1793). Memoir on Watering the Circars. George Bigg, London. p. 5.
  8. "మాతల్లి గోదారి" (PDF). Saptagiri (in Telugu) (Sri Subhanu Samvastara Pushara Pratyeka Sanchika (2003 Godavari Pushkara Special Edition) ed.). Tirupati: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. 2003. p. 67. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  9. V., Yashoda Devi (1975). After the Kākatīyas (PDF). Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi. p. 30.
  10. K. Jayasree (1991). Agrarian Economy in Andhra under Vijayanagar. Navrang. p. 21. ISBN 9788170130840. Krishnadevaraya returned all the territory north of the river Krishna to Prataparudra Gajapati.
  11. Ray, Dipti (2007). Prataparudradeva, the Last Great Suryavamsi King of Orissa (A.D. 1497 to A.D. 1540). Northern Book Centre. pp. 52–53. ISBN 9788172111953.
  12. William F. R. Hemingway (1915). "GODAVARI DISTRICT GAZETTEER (reprint)" (PDF). Superintendent, Government Press. p. 29.
  13. Nayeem, M. A. (2016). "MARITIME TRADE AND GROWTH OF URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE IN PORT CITIES OF COLONIAL ANDHRA: A STUDY OF MASULIPATNAM". The Heritage of the Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Hyderabad, Volume 1. Hyderabad Publishers. p. 30. ISBN 9788185492230.
  14. "Pargana". Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  15. "Mahal". Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  16. "Journal: Humanities. Section A., Volumes 33-36". University of Madras. 1961. p. 141.
  17. Taher Mohamed (2021). Handbook of Research on the Role of Libraries, Archives, and Museums in Achieving Civic Engagement and Social Justice in Smart Cities. IGI Global. p. 110. ISBN 9781799883654.
  18. Syed, Dawood Ashraf (1987). "II". Mughal Administration of the Deccan 1658-1707 (With Special Reference to Maharashtra) (Doctoral thesis). University of Poona. p. 80. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  19. T. T. Roberts (2011). An Indian Glossary: Consisting of Some Thousand Words and Terms Commonly Used in the East Indies. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108027052.
  20. Nandini Chatterjee (2020). Land and Law in Mughal India: A Family of Landlords across Three Indian Empires. Cambridge University Press. p. 127. ISBN 9781108486033.
  21. M. A. Nayeem (1985). Mughal Administration of Deccan Under Nizamul Mulk Asaf Jah, 1720-48 A.D. Jaico Publishing House. p. 100. ISBN 9788172243258.
  22. Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on the East India Company (1966). Madras Presidency. J. Higginbotham. p. 210 – via Google Books.
  23. The Asiatic Annual Register, Or, a View of the History of Hindustan and of the Politics, Commerce and Literature of Asia, Volume 6. Debrett. 1806. p. 29.
  24. Ajjarapu, Venkata Raman Rao (1958). "Chapter II". Economic Development of Andhra Pradesh, 1766-1957 (Second ed.). Popular Book Depot. p. 20.
  25. Kenneth W. Jones (1992), Religious Controversy in British India: Dialogues in South Asian Languages, SUNY Press, p. 152, ISBN 978-07-9140-828-5
  26. Alphabetical List of Villages in Taluks, Asian Educational Services (Reprint), 1992, pp. 294–331

Notes
  1. A danḍapāṭa is an administrative unit under a Daṇḍa-parīkṣā or Daṇdanāyaka in the Oriyan historical records
  2. A pargana denoted a fiscal-cum-territorial unit comprising some number of villages and was under a Faujdar.[14] On the contrary, a Mahal is purely fiscal unit.[15] A pargana might include more than one mahal and not vice versa.
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