Modern karimnagar social history revealed by Penchala Rajaiah

After knowing the write up of Yellapu charitha, Sri.Rachakonda Narsing Rao, son-in-law of sri.Tula Chokka Rao had made a call to me and asked to contact Sri.Penchala Rajaiah of Nagunur, who is now staying in Mancheryal. But, really I did not get time. After many days I made a call to him. He knows my father and recalled the meetings and relations .He knows the contemporary social and religious history in better way. He opened up a new discussion with his revealing. The story as revealed by him is as follows:

He told that in the Gullakota Gadi, the Dhora, cook, Sunkari, Clerks are belongs to the Yellapus only. This is the disparities existing in the caste. Such things have also been existing in Other castes such as velama and reddy also.This is the clear indication of disparities existing in that period.
Yellapus are very nice people and the never thought about sustaining losses to other people since ages. The Yellaplu caste people existing in Nagunur, a village on outskirts of Karimnagar town, were Penchala, Bonagiri, Sunki, etc. Out of which, the Penchala families have been living there since 300 years. But it is contrary to the migration of Yellapus as the war of Bobbili took place in 1757 and during and after that period only, the migrations took place. Hence, the inhabitation of Penchala families took place 40 to 50 years back of Bobbili war. Hence, some kind of merger arrangement took place between penchala families and later migrants. However, one cannot distinguish the difference between these families.

The Guru of Penchala families during his childhood was Sri.Veda Vyasa Bhattarvar, a native of Srirangam, who’s family is presently living in Bengaluru. To collect the information of his own family, sri. Rajaiah went to srirangam also.But he learned the names of three generations and came back. The whole information was kept at Ramalayam in Srirangam. The same is not accessed due to the death of the Guru and absence of his children.But , fortunately he met the family of Guru.

Guru was a vaishnavite. He use to spread the vaisnavite culture. He used to conduct the Chakranthams.Chakrantham are briefly explained by him.Earlier, sri.Kalvala Karunakar Rao also tried to explain this vaishnavite tradition. However, I could not understand. The shanku-chakras are Gold ornaments in that form. The same is heated in the dried cow dung mixed with the rice husk. The ahuthi is given with cow ghee and cooled with the milk of cow and pressed to the shoulders, so as to visible the marks on the same. During that pain, Guru imparts the Ashtakshari Mantra. It is believed that the pain relieves and concentration would be high.After that the Sandhyavandanam and closure of Non-veg was also used to preached.

Here we can deduct one thing that there was spreading of Vaishnavite traditions in Karimnagar and Nalgonda district during Nizam rule. It was also thought that most of the Yellapus of Karimnagar district are shaivites , due to the influence of vemulavads. But it is not totally correct.

Modern Karimnagar history-Role of Yellapus(as provided by fallen emperor and Narsing Rao)

I have been continuously trying to access the information relating to the modern karimnagar history, so as to know about the role of yellapu people in karimnagar in various aspects. Fortunately, it was provided by one person, who claims himself as fallen emperor. He is also a critic of some of my statements. I had to search to prove my statement. However, I had already this information f Bandala lingapur, Gandhe samsthan, Dhomakonda,etc. from sri.Narsing Rao , uncle of my beloved cousin sri.Kantha Rao.

Yellapus worked at Bandala lingapur samsthan.Originally it is belongs to Raja Shivaraj Bahadur a wazir at Nizam. Banda lingapuram and Peddapalli in Karimnagar district were his Samsthans or Jagirs. He had two sons namely Dharm Karan and Indra Karan. The father and the sons lived in Hyderabad and gave their Jagirs on lease to the Velamas. This continued for generations together. Here Yellapu families seved the Jagirdar faithfully.
In fact, a search was made by a committee /team headed by a Brahmin to identify the efficient successor, so as to adopt him.This team moved to many places. Finally, A Velama boy named Lingala Ananta Kishan Rao, brought from Nizamabad area, was the adopted son and he was the last ruler of Banda Lingapuram Samsthan lying Adjacent to Metpalli Jagir.

Jamedar Venkanna belonging to Yellapi caste was his Diwan. A Velama named Peggerla Rajanna belonging to Raikal was in his service. According to local information Raja Anant Kishan Rao was the first landlord to provide amenities to his people. He built a water tank in his Samsthan village Banda Lingapuram and supplied water through tap system. Even today the same water tank is supplying water in the village. He arranged a generator and electrified his village.Indeed the most wonderful and rare attempt made by Raja Ananta Kishan Rao to provide electricity and water through taps in his village uring the first half of the twentieth century, deserves a high degree of appreciation and admiration.

An anecdote popular in this region reveals that there was a tussle between the Dora of Banda Lingapuram Samsthan and the adjacent Jagirdar of Metpalli over the lands lying at the outskirts of Vellula village. It is said that there were even exchanges of fire some times between both the parties. They filed a case in the High court, which gave judgement in favour of Metpalli Jagirdar. When the Mohatmeem or the Superintendent of Police of Metpalli Jagir went to Vellulla to take over the lands, about hundred sepoys of Samsthan under the command of Jamedar Venkanna raised their guns. The Jagir police is stated to have returned to Metpalli without any action. Such was the power exhibited by Banda Lingapuram Samsthan in those days. It is a tragedy that the Raja of Samsthan faced an untimely death. The samsthan had two more Gadis under its control, one at Ailapuram near Koratla and the other at Ravikanti or Raikal. Raja Anant Kishan Rao is blessed with two sons. Raja Gajasimha Rao and Raja Narasimha Rao, who settled in Hyderabad.
It was told by the yellapu elders that Raja was under many addictions and lost his health, leading to loss of life. During this period many yellapu families were involved in the administration and served samsthan faithfully. I also found that still many yellapu families were living there.
The poet Jaishetty Rajaiah (1842-1921) of Jagtial wrote in his verses that there were 221 villages besides a few Madirasin the old Jagtial Taluk 159, which included the areas of Metpalliand Koratla also in A.D. 1903. The same poet stated in 1903 that the Gandevaru belonging to Yellapi caste had four Jagirs namely Chiluvakoduru, Israjpalle, Vengalapuram and Gullakota in old Jagtial taluk and two more Jagirs Paidipalli and
Munjampalli in other taluks of this district. Vengalapur Dharma Rao belonging to Gande family is now residing at Jagtial.These Gadis, which were once the centres of village administration with great pomp and show, now remain in ruins having lost their glory and grandeur.

The Gadis of Banda Lingapuram, Ailapuram, Raikal, Sirikonda, Itikyal, Rudrangi, Chalgal, Bheemaram, Rajaram, Govindaram, Nerella, Buggaram, Koratla, Vemulavada, Sircilla, Racherla Boppapuram, Nimmapalli, Peddapalli, Tadicherla, Gajasingavaram,
Lingannapeta, Kamalapur, Uppal, Guduru, Ghanpur, Sarvaipeta, Vangara, Manakonduru, Kodmial, Gorregundam and several other places, which are now in ruins, remind the aristrocratic and oppressive rule of the then landlords during the first half of
the twentieth century.

Out of the above Gadis, either ruling or living by the yellapus have been taken place in the following: Banda Lingapuram, Ailapuram, Buggaram, Koratla, Vemulavada, Sircilla, Peddapalli, Tadicherla, , Manakonduru, Kodmial.The other places of Gadis includes kalvakota, ,Mormoor,, Polampally, Gullakota, Chengerla, duddenapally,Basheerabad,Lakkora,Venkatapuram,etc.

The living in and around gadis or forts like elagandula and having them and ruling as de-facto rulers in absence of the land lords had created a myth of Ruling class among many yellapus. All the yellapus were not among the elite class. There have been disparities since ages. To be frank, in case of most developed velamas and reddys, there have been disparities.



In true terms, the history of the Yellapus is incomprehensive, without writing about Sri.Anabheri Prabhakar Rao.The citation from the Modern Karimnagar history is as follows:

Another important son of this soil Anabheri Prabhakar Rao, who fought against the Nizam and Razakars was born to the couple Venkateshwar Rao and Radhabai on 15th August 1910 in a Deshmukh family of Yellapi caste at Polampally village in Thimmapur Mandal near Karimnagar. While studying in Nizam College, he was inspired by the ideals of Gandhiji and entered the Anti-Nizam Movement as a student. On the call given by Baddam Yella Reddy in september 1947 many people joined the struggle. A Dalam or squad was formed under the leadership of Anabheri Prabhakar Rao. The members of the squads burnt the Records of Patels and Patwaris in about forty villages in January 1948. In a fight against the Police and Razakars, there was fearful exchange of fire on 14th March 1948 between the police and the communist squad in the hills and hillocks of Muhammadapur near Husnabad in Karimnagar district. Dr.Sarojini Regani recorded that about 8 members including Anabheri Prabhakar Rao and Singireddy Bhoopathi Reddy died fighting heroically against the reserved police of the Nizam161. But Poreddy Ram Reddy, who participated in the struggle at Muhammadapur as a young man of twenty is alive and lives at Somarampeta village in Ellanthakunta Mandal of Sircilla area. He states that about fifteen people died fighting heroically against the Nizam forces.They were Anabheri Prabhakar Rao from Polampalli, Singireddy Bhoopathi Reddy from Taduru, Musku Chokka Reddy and Yeleti Malla Reddy from Ogulapur, Aireddy Bhoom Reddy from Somarampeta, Narayana from Begumpeta, B.Damodar Reddy from Nallagonda, Illendula Papaiah from Galipalli, Poli Chandra Reddy and Kummari Yellaiah from Somarampeta, Nallagonda Rajaram and Sikkudu Sailu from Regadi Maddikunta and Rondla Madhava Reddy from Repaka etc. Besides these martyrs, many others sustained bullet injuries. It is strange that the name of Poreddy Ram Reddy of Somarampet, who is alive, is included in the list of the dead instead of Poli Chandra Reddy of the same village, who was shot dead and whose name was not found in the list of the dead. All the names of these comrades, who died fighting can be noticed on the stupa erected in their memory near the hills of Muhammadapur 162. The valiant commander of
the Dalam Anabheri Prabhakar Rao and his comrades, who lost their lives, remain immortal in the history of Karimnagar district. Amrutlal Shukla was first a teacher at Sircilla.


Anti-Nizam struggle

Ganapati Rao of Manthani, J.R.Gopal Rao of Sircilla, Juvvadi Chokka Rao of Irukulla, Juvvadi Ramapathi Rao and Juvvadi Madusudhan Rao of Karimnagar, K.Sanjeeva Rao of Velgonda, Dasari Raghavulu of Jagtial, Lingala Satyanarayana Rao of Velagaturu, Gande Jagan Madhava Rao of Chilvakoduru, Vakil Mukundlal Mishra of Karimnagar and Boinapally Venkata Rama Rao of Thotapalli and many others known and unknown
are said to have participated in the anti Nizam Struggle. Juvvadi Ramapathi Rao and Juvvadi Chokka Rao were elected to the Parliament from Karimnagar in later times. Boinapally Venkatarama Rao participated in the Sarvodaya, Bhoodan and Grandhalaya movements. He opposed the procurement of paddy from peasants, under the compulsory levy system. He arranged a meeting at Bejjenki which was addressed by Burgula Rama
Krishna Rao and T.Haigreeva Chary. He is Known as ‘Thotapalli Gandhi and he is awarded recently the honorary Doctorate Degree by the Kakatiya University.