In the annals of Aandhra history, there are certain episodes that stand out more than others. Put simply, there are some conflicts that come to define a people. The Battle of Palnadu is one such occasion, and it would shape the Telugu people for the millennium to come.

Introduction

Sometimes the Imperial Chessboard is not only a 2 or 3 way fight, but a veritable Mexican standoff, where no status quo power wishes to pull the trigger. The net result is that the path is barred for any rising  kingdom to make its mark, despite its merit and qualifications. The noble Kakatiya dynasty was in just  such a position. Caught between the Chalukyas, the Cholas, and the middle power Kalachuris, it became impossible for them to restore Aandhra to the Aandhras. Whatever the merits of the Eastern Chalukyas, they had become a spent force, and were continually involved in the politics of their Kannada cousins. The Tamil Cholas were of course no better. The Vishnukundins were the last great Aandhra kingdom to rule all of Teluguland, and the half a millennium interregnum of the Eastern Chalukyas necessitated a change in the local political order. Indeed, a way had to be cleared for the rightful rule of the Kakatiya dynasty. The Palnati Yuddham provided just such an opportunity.

Background

Palnadu is located in erstwhile Guntur District, in Andhra Pradesh state. On the banks of a tributary of the Krishna river, it is hemmed in by the nearby granite hills of Nallamalla. It is fitting that Palnadu is on the border of modern Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states.

At the heart of Palnadu is Maacherla, the capital of one of the heroes of the battle, Malideva, and of the eventual ruler namely Nalagama Raaju.

Fighting over Maacherla were two step-brothers: the aforementioned Nalagama Raaju (advised by  Reddi Nayakuralu Nagamma) and Malideva (advised by Padmanayaka Brahma Naidu). The Kalachuri Haihayas traced their origin to Mahishmati and Kartaveerya Arjuna. One line came to Aandhra and were given patronage by the Velanati Chodas. Having been installed at Gurajala, they were advised by Brahma Naidu’s father, as their minister.

Due to mutual suspicions in Palnadu, Malideva would set up a separate kingdom in Maacherla. In line with the original Mahabhaaratha, a wager was made over the kingdoms (in true Aandhra style, using a cockfight *sigh* in place of dice…). Malideva lost and went into exile. At the end of the 7 year period, he sent his brother-in-law as emissary to demand his rightful share. The emissary was poisoned on Nagamma’s orders, and war was declared.

As usual, the Dronas of the time relied on a mask to enforce their interests. Reddi Nayakuralu ironically served that interest, and she was used to oppose the social-reforming forces of Brahma Naidu. This political dynamic would feature even in the post-Kakatiya period due to the face off between the Reddis of Kondaveedu and the Padmanayaka Velamas of Rachakonda. It underscores the unique nature of Aandhra politics that two famous Feudal Sudra groups who ascended to royalty became the faces of Orthodoxy vs Liberalism in Aandhra. This rivalry would define the downfall of Aandhras in the medieval period as well as the later bifurcation of old Andhra Pradesh state.

Meanwhile, Kakatiya Rudra Deva was the presiding ruler of his dynasty. He was also an accomplished author, having written the Sanskrit work Nitisara. The great Battle of Palnadu (1182 CE) was fought during his reign, resulting in the eclipse of the Telugu Chodas and the ultimate ascendancy of the Kakatiyas.

Political History

Referred to as the “Andhra Kurukshetra”, the Palnati Yuddham was a pivotal battle was immortalised by the poet Srinatha in his composition Palnati Veera Charita. This clash on the fields of Karempudi had an array of courageous knights and even featured an Andhra Abhimanyu in a heroic warrior named Balachandra. This battle brought an end to the Western Chalukyas, the curtailing of  the Velanati Choda Durjayas,  the downfall of the Later Cholas, and set the stage for the rise of the Kakatiyas.

The antagonists on one side were Haihaya Nalagama Raaju and Nagamma Reddi (Chola vassals) and on the other was his step brother Malideva, supported by Recherla Dodda and Brahma Naidu (Chalukya vassals in Andhra). The latter appear to have been in favor of abolishing caste distinctions among the ruling classes. In true, Mahabharata fashion, they were exiled to 7 years (after a gambling wager).

In the fateful fight on the banks of the Naguleru, the flower of Andhra chivalry died in a cataclysm worthy of the middle ages (though this generation of warriors would have been better used in fighting off foreign invasion of the North).

The Recherla faction was ultimately victorious, though Veera Raaju (Nalagama Raaju) was reinstated due to the death of Malideva. The war in turn extirpated the Kalachuris and exposed the vulnerability of the Velanati Chodas, leading to war with surrounding states and the ascendancy of the Kakatiyas. Brahma Naidu renounced the world and did tapasya.

Traditionalist Astika detractors have also used this episode to point out the baleful influence of Nayakuralu as evidence of the inappropriateness of women ruling-by-proxy. The occasional Rajmata or Queen Regnant (like the great Rudrama Devi) was an exception to the rule. Barring great talent or tremendous need, the already treacherous politics of succession and the like would only be made worse by the superior cleverness of women. Their capacity to run circles around men in political intrigue showed how women in political office (like braahmanas in politics) are often destablising to countries, kingdoms, and empires. In Vedic Hindu kingdoms, women and braahmanas were not ministers or generals, but counsellors to give counsel in dharma and statecraft—they had critical tasks in securing the familial or spiritual power of their patrons. Or so the orthodox commentariat would say ;).

The overall effect, of course, would be to secure the rise of the fourth varna not only in the realm of politics, as evidenced by the great Brahma Naidu (a Padmanayaka), but also to feudal and eventually royal status itself. Though against the orthodox Vedic Hindu order, Satsudra communities owe their meteoric role in the medieval and modern political fates of Aandhra and elsewhere to this episode.

Here they were clearly fighting on behalf of their royal patrons, the Kshathriya Chaalukyas, Cholas, and Haihayas. Brahma Naidu’s motley crew of warriors drew from all four varnas and was evidence that Hindu society could mobilise for war from all sections—when the cause demanded it. Mobilise too often, and we have the unstable politics of the present. Mobilise too rare, and the upper classes become oppressive and supremacist in nature. Dharma forbids both, and the great battle of Palnadu showed the War is often the punishment for such sin.

Padmanayakas

The Padmanayakas, now synonymous with the Velama community, represent a pioneering feudal group that traces its influences back to the Imperial Cholas. When the latter subjugated the Eastern Chalukyas, it is likely that this group accompanied them and began to play a role in the affairs of Aandhra. They rose to prominence and trust due to the Later Cholas (paternally Eastern Chalukyas) as well as the influence of the Durjaya Velanati Chodas.

They would later feature prominently in the succeeding Kakatiya dynasty, which governed a unified Aandhra kingdom. Though they were not the royal rulers, the Padmanayakas would often become the power behind the throne of many a Vamsa Vrksha.

Vamsa Vrksha (Genealogy)

The main contestants in this power struggle were the royal Kshathriya lineages of the Kalachuri Haihayas and the Chalukyas (Eastern and Western). Though the Eastern Chalukya dynasty was given the rule of Aandhra by the Imperial Chalukya Pulakesi II, the Western Chalukyas often interfered in their affairs.

Here is the lineage of the Kalachuri Haihayas from Kaarthaveerya Arjuna to Naalagaama Raaju.

Here is the lineage of the Western Chalukyas from their progenitor Pulakesi down on. Though the Eastern Chalukyas (specifically the Chalukya-Chola line and the Durjaya kings called Velanati) was the presiding suzerain, the marriage of Malideva to the Haihaya feudatories of the Western Chalukyas, brought the latter two into the war. Brahma Naidu, incidentally, is credited with a Veera Vaishnavism counterpart to the Veerashaivism of Basava, en vogue in Karnataka.

Here is the Western Chalukya lineage.

Battle of Palnadu

The Battle of Palnati fields would define the age. All the flower of Aandhra chivalry was gathered here. It is said that a generation of warriors would be lost. So great was this conflict that it was dubbed The Andhra Kurukshetra.

Like the Battle of Bunker Hill (actually fought at Breed’s Hill) and the Battle of Talikota (fought at Rakkhasi-Tangadi), the Battle of Palnadu was actually fought at Karempudi.

Date: ~1182 CE

Location: Karempudi near Palnadu, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh

Combatants: Brahma Naidu faction of Haihaya Mallideva Raaju vs Haihaya Nalagama Raaju

Outcome: Pyrrhic Victory. Brahma Naidu faction wins, but his son Balachandra as well as Haihaya Malideva are slain. Nalagama Raaju is installed on the unified Palnadu throne.

Effect: Haihayas, Velanati Chodas, and Chalukyas are all weakened, paving the way for the rise of Kakatiyas.

The Kakatiyas would strike a middle ground between the rigid orthodoxy of Haihaya Nalagama and the Social Revolution of Padmanayaka Brahma Naidu. This balanced approach, or middle way, gave Aandhra society a rootedness in the dharma with social flexibility. This is in striking contrast to rigid orthodoxy and collectivist atomism, extremes which easily dissolve society.

“Rudradeva intervened in Palnadu war (1176-1182) on behalf of Nalagama and sent a force to assist Nayakuralu. As a result of the war the position of the Velanadu Chodas became weak. Capitalising on the situation Rudradeva annexed many regions in Velanandu.

An inscription on Rudradeva’s wife Annaladevi is found at Draksarama (East Godavari district). It was dated A.D.1168. But this does not mean that the Kakatiya empire extended up to Godavari. Rudradeva’s coastal conquests confined to a few areas in the present Guntur and Krishna districts only.” [1, 66]

Legacy

The Palnati Yuddham was memorialised in the 1947 and 1966 Telugu films of the same name.

However it is in the literature, both high culture by Srinatha and mass culture by Ballad singing Dalits, that the Palnati Veera Charithra has found its true place. Robert Sewell of Vijayanagara fame was the first foreign scholar to take note of this battle in his work. Tangirala Subbaravu and his ‘Vira Gatha Kavitvamu’ would be published in 1968. This was followed by Chittibabu who composed his own ‘Palanati Vira Charitra’ in 1973.

Societal Effects

No proper account of the Battle of Palnadu can be given without mention of the impact on the lower castes of Aandhra society. While the place of sathsoodhra feudal castes were secured to have a pivotal impact in the medieval era, the social impact on the avarna (untouchable) castes should also be noted. Though the Vedic Varna order would naturally seem repressive to them, they would not groan under it as they did in other places (i.e. Rajasthan and UP) due to the role of this battle and popular Vaishnavism.

The Veerashaiva Casteless Hindu order is known to many throughout the south, but the Veera Vaishnava order is less known. Communities such as the Veera Balanjyas are often traced to this movement and period, and they in turn became often the patrons and protectors of the Dalit community. The Vellama Padmanayaka community of Brahma Naidu proved to be the original patron, however, and his role in mobilising Dalits like Kannamadasa should be deemed as revolutionary for that era.

The role of Andhra Dalits such as Gurram Jashuva gaaru and GMC Balayogi are often noted as stemming from their Christian faith; however, colonial and neo-colonial commentators often ignore personalities such as Avadhuta Narayana Swami and of course, the famous Kannamadasa here (“doesn’t fit the narrative, old chap…tut tut”). While this battle didn’t fundamentally change the place of Dalits in Aandhra society, it was a significant step in the right direction of their upliftment, dignity, and social acceptance among Astika Aandhras.

We are, after all, one people with one language and many classes.

Political Effects

It is a pity that the flower of Aandhra chivalry for a generation would be decimated on the fields of the Palnati. At a time when Bhaarathavarsha was itself under attack from Turkic invaders, unlike under the Vishnukundins, Aandhras of this era were unable to answer the clarion call. Like today, they were insular, self-centred, and obsessed with trivial matters (little wise to the shifting sands around them). Whatever the merits and provenance of the Kakatiya vamsa, it is considered a native Telugu dynasty and fought at least 5 terrible wars with Delhi Turks (winning no less than 2 of them). The entire resource base of North India (+Maharashtra) was inflicted on the Lords of Warangal, and they stood firm like the granite of their 7 walled city.

It is often debated whether a rock-solid power like the Imperial Cholas would have done better, uniting the entire South against expanding Turkic invasion. However, the stout resistance of the Kakatiyas, and their legitimate successors, the Musunuris and Reddi Nayaks proved that intermediate powers and decentralised power structures often do better over the long term. Centralised empires often face 1 and done defeats (as with Talikota). Minuscule casteist statelets are of course (as we know all too well) easily devoured by foreign invaders. But robust middle powers are often cohesive enough to punch back solidly.

The mistake was that neither the Seunas nor the Kakatiyas organised a proper  Confederacy for United Southern Resistance or a Reconquista of the North. That responsibility would fall to another Dakshin power: the Maraattha Bhonsles. This was seen again in the colonial period, where short-sighted rivalries were blind to expansionist foreigners and the utter ruin they brought. The Piratical Portuguese were exceeded in avarice only by the buccaneer brutish brits.

The wrong mindset makes power players mere playthings of global superpowers. It is time the so-called (and oft-times self-anointed) elites of India (and Aandhra in particular) get their collective acts together and get ready for the trials ahead. The battles of Palnati (& Telangana) are long over, the battle for Bhaarathavarsha herself has verily begun.

References:

1. Rao, P.R. History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh. New Delhi. Sterling Publishers. 1994
2. Akkiraju, D. Ramapathi Raju. Palnati Veeracharitra. Hyderabad: Potti Sriramulu University.1997
3. Babu, Ranjan P. Palanati Vira Charitra. Nagarjuna Nagar: Nagarjuna University. 2000