# A Family History of Venkatagiri Rajas/25th Generation

Twenty-fifth Generation.
Rajah Kumara Yachama Naidu Bahadur.
Born 1762 A. D., installed 1777 A.D., died 1804 A.D.
Rajah Bangaru Yachama Alavalapati Varu Naidu (24) Adopted and named | Kondama Naidu. Rajah Kumara Yachama Naidu (25) Married— 1. Kumara Vengak- kamma. 2. Varadalamma. 3. Bangaramma. | | 4. Akkalla. Adopted and named Rajah Bangaru Yachama Naidu (26;.
Introductory.—Kumara Yachama Naidu, the adoptive son of Bangaru Yachama Naidu, received the Sannad from the Nawab of Arcot Amir Hind Walajah Bahadur and was anointed the Rajah in 1776 A.D., in his fifteenth year. The Sannad Hizri 1190 (1776 A.D.) conferred on him the right to the nine taluks of Venkatagiri, Sagutur, Polur, Manabrolu, Pellur, Darsi, Kotcherlakota, Podili and Marella, in the enjoyment of his father at the time of his death, and gave him besides the titles of Raj Bahadur, Shash Hazari Mansab and others.
​ Military. — As the "Nellore District Manual" says, the Rajah was the first of the house, who was brought into relation with the English. In the year 1782 A.D., disputes arose between Hyder and the Nawab of Arcot, the latter being aided by the English. On the request of Hyder Ali, the Zemindar of Kalahasti went over to his side with an army, but the Rajah of Venkatagiri unmindful of the prowess of Hyder, assisted the Nawab and the English, for which act of kindness he
Venkatagiri Mountain Fort (distant view).
In 1790 A.D. he helped the Nawab and the English in a war with Tippu Sultan, the son of Hyder, and then got from His Excellency the Governor of Madras a reward of 200 muskets and an "Inayat Namah," dated 17th August, 1790, in appreciation of the valuable help given. Just then a dispute arose between the heads of this Estate and of Kalahasti as to priority in the matter "Nagara Kuchi" (the first drum in battle), the Governor of Madras decreed after full inquiry into the prevailing custom, in favour of Venkatagiri.
Again in 1799 A.D., when the troops of Asabja Bahadur, Nawab of Arcot, and those of the English were marching through his Estate the Rajah displayed true loyalty by sending ready and ample supplies to the English army and then received from His ​Excellency Lord Mornington, his appreciation and thanks.
Sati Temple at Venkatagiri.
Religions. — The first act of the Rajah was to build a temple in the name of his mothers who faithfully sacrificed their lives on the funeral pyre. Statues of the parents (almost life-size) had been prepared and set up in a temple out of reverence and to this day they are worshipped daily and consulted for advice and guidance on important occasions after due invocation. The shrine is called the shrine of Veera Mathalu, which means heroic-mothers, and the Rajahs annually visit the temple on the day before Car Festival, and so forth. The permission of the mothers is also taken on occasions of marriages or long absence from the town. The temple is situated just at the entrance into the town.
Several improvements were also made in the main Viswanatha temple in the town. A new shrine of Swarneswara was set up in ​memory of his revered father. A huge stone pillar 64 feet in height is the standing wonder in the temple. It was prepared and got up with great labour and expenditure. Much wealth was spent in making arrangements to God Viswanatha, Goddess Annapurnamma, and Son Kumaraswamy. A big car 55 feet high, a sixteen pillared Mandapam with
Stone-pillar, 64 feet high, in the temple of Sree-Kasi-Viswanatha Swami.
Car Festival of Sree-Kasi-Viswanatha Swami.
During his time were given the largest number of agraharams, villages as charity as many as seventy-four besides those already mentioned. The following is a brief list : twenty-eight agraharams from Venkatagiri taluk, six from Polur, thirteen from Darsi, nine from Kocherlakota, two from Sagutur, four from Pellur, five from Podili, and seven from Marella.
Nor were the interests of the other religion- ists in his Estate lost sight of in any way. For the Muhammadans was constructed at a great cost and close by his own Palace, a huge mosque which is still as new in appearance as ever before.
Almost equal in importance are the general improvements of his time of a more or less public nature. First the rebuilding of the town after Haider's mischief. The town- planning and reconstruction are well recorded in the Telugu history in verse-form. On his return from Madras, the Rajah found that all ​except the first storey of his Palace had been burnt down. So he got them rebuilt on quite a new plan "The Harem" or lady-quarters, the entrance-hall, the visiting-hall, the court- hall, the puja-mahal (the place of worship) and so on. Big bungalows were built in and near the main pleasure-gardens of Langarkhana. The four main streets of Venkatagiri were nicely planned and completed, and the local pond of Polisetti (the chief drinking-water source) was well repaired and steps neatly built. The State Palanquin "Jala Dhar" which was presented to his father by the Delhi Emperor was gradually going to decay. So it was repaired and highly supplemented with gold work. A six-pillared gold Ambhari was newly made.
Literary and Miscellaneous. — The Rajah's literary fame is remembered by three productions of his day. First, the nine lyrical gems composed by the same poet Kasturi ​Rangappa of his father's time. Pattabhiramaiya dedicated his Lilavati Dankatam to the Rajah, and so to Narayanappa his Yekshaganam of Parijatapaharanam.
As he had no sons, he took the son of his brother, Alavalapati Kondama Naidu in adoption to himself and named him in memory of his father Bangaru Yachama Naidu. Not long after he left the world in his forty-second year, after a fruitful career of twenty-eight years.