Wars with Golconda A large
Vijayanagara Army of nearly one hundred thousand men led by Yara Timmaraja, Gulranga Setty, Manuparaju, Velugoti Chennapa, and Yachama Nayaka marched out with the aim of retaking Gandikota. To distract them, Murtaza Khan suddenly attacked
Cuddapah and even destroyed the local temple. When news of this reached
Venkatapati Raya he sent Yara Timmaraja and Manuparaju with ten thousand cavalry to deal with Murtaza Khan. They met him somewhere near
Cuddapah but were defeated and forced to retreat. In spite of this victory Murtaza Khan gained nothing from it for it did not ease the pressure on the garrison still holding
Gandikota. When
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah learned how serious the situation had become for his army he placed five thousand horsemen under Rustam Khan and made him the chief commander of all forces in the south. Rustam Khan joined Murtaza Khan but immediately took full control and ignored Murtaza Khan’s advice. He crossed the
Pennar River and camped on wet black-cotton soil after recent rains. Seeing this move the
Vijayanagara forces sent a bull decorated in an unusual way toward his camp. Whether the story is true or not Rustam Khan was said to be frightened and his sudden retreat caused confusion in his ranks. A major battle then took place on the banks of the
Pennar River where the Bijapuri army was completely defeated. Velugoti Chennapa who fought with great distinction led the royal army along with his cousin Yaca to
Gandikota and captured the fort. Once Gandikota fell the smaller forts nearby also surrendered. The defeated garrisons were driven back across the
Krishna River and Sultan Quli was forced to accept the river as the boundary between his kingdom and the
Vijayanagara Empire.
Battle of Toppur When
Venkatapati Raya died without a direct heir, he chose his nephew
Sriranga II to succeed him. But his queen, Bayamma, wanted the throne for a Brahmin boy she had adopted, named Chenga Raya. Her plan led to a serious conflict in the empire. Bayamma’s brother
Gobburi Jagga Raya went so far as to kidnap and kill
Sriranga II and almost his entire family. Only one young son survived. This shocking act angered the royal court and many powerful nayak commanders. Velugoti Yachama Nayaka, the commander of the imperial army rose in revolt and supported the surviving boy
Rama Deva Raya as the rightful heir to the throne. When Jagga Raya learned that
Rama Deva Raya was staying in
Kumbakonam he decided to kill him before he could claim the throne. To strengthen his plan, he won the support of the rulers of
Gingee and
Madurai by convincing them that he had the right to choose the next king. With these allies, he marched toward
Kumbakonam. Hearing about this danger,
Raghunatha Nayaka quickly set out to protect the young heir. On his way, he stopped for the night at
Palamaneri before continuing his journey.
Battle of Pulicat After the great civil war ended in 1618, Itiraja, who had become the new leader of
Gobburi Jagga Raya’s rebel group, moved north and gave up his fight for the
Vijayanagara throne. Even though he had married his daughter to the emperor
Rama Deva Raya he chose to live as an independent chief near
Pulicat. Over time, he acted as the sole ruler of the area. On August 28, 1620, Itiraja even granted the territory known as
Fort Geldria to the
Dutch showing that he no longer followed the authority of the empire and had established his own power in the region. The
Pulicat region had first been granted to the Dutch by Emperor
Venkatapati Raya in 1610. But because the emperor was old and weak at the time, the
Dutch commander wanted an additional document to confirm the grant. He approached
Gobburi Jagga Raya the local zamindar who lived about 40 miles away, and received a new confirmation toward the end of 1612. However,
Gobburi Jagga Raya was killed during the civil war in 1617, and after the war the Dutch again asked for a fresh confirmation from his brother Itiraja. This new document, issued in 1620, stated that Itiraja ruled over forty native miles around
Pulicat. In fact, the Englishmen Mills and Milward, who settled there in 1622, also described him as the lord of that region. After this we hear no further news of the fighting near
Pulicat which likely means that Itiraja gained a final victory. Yet it also seems that he later accepted the authority of
Rama Deva Raya for the factors at
Armagaon wrote that the king had recovered all his former lands except those held by “our Nayaka of this place.” ==See also==