Recherla Nayakas
Recherla Nayakas were an Andhra dynasty that wrested power from the Musunuri Nayakas and became the dominant power in the Telangana region during the late 14th century and early 15th century (r. 1368–1435). They were based at Rachakonda, southeast of Golconda, the border with the Bahmani sultanate during this period, and built a second base at Devarakonda. History. Even though modern historians of Andhra identify the Recherla Nayakas with Velamas, Cynthia Talbot states that the formation of the Velama community dates to a later period, the mid-sixteenth century at the earliest. Unfortunately, Talbot's research falls short  of historical references. There are adequate references of Nayaka castes (Kamma, Velama, and Padmanayaka) in literature such as the Srinatha's Bhismeswara Puranam, Palanati Yuddham (which happened in ~1180 AD), and the Velugoti vari Vamasavali which describes the recherla nayaka lineage of Venkatagiri Samsthanam, to name a few. The Recherla Nayakas are believed to have established their first base at Amanugallu. When their chief Singama Nayaka was assassinated by rivals, his son Anapota Nayaka blamed Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka as the orchestrator and marched on Warangal. In a battle fought at Bhimavaram in 1368, Kapaya Nayaka was killed and the Recherlas  got control of Telangana. Anapota Nayaka later claimed, in an inscription issued in 1369, that his grandfather, Dachaya, had served as a chief under the Kakatiyas and that Prataparudra II conferred on him the title "Pandya-raja-gaja-kesari" (a lion against the Pandya elephants). The Recherla Nayakas built two fortified towns at Rachakonda and Devarakonda in the Nalgonda district. The Recherlas had as their rivals the Reddy dynasty in the coastal Andhra region. They were initially allied with the Bahmani sultanate, following the same terms of agreement as reached by the Musunuri Nayakas in 1364, whereas the Reddys were  allied to the Vijayanagara Empire. Following a split among the Reddy clan, into Rajahmundry Reddys and Kondavidu Reddys, the Kondavidu Reddys switched their allegiance to the Bahmanis and the Recherlas aligned themselves with the Vijayanagara. A major battle ensued at Pangal Fort (near Wanaparthi) in 1419 in which the coalition of the Vijayanagara, Recherlas and Rajahmundry Reddys was victorious. However, the change of allegiance by Recherlas led to attacks by the Bahmani sultanate in the 1420s, who captured Warangal as well as Rachakonda by 1435. Thereafter, the Recherla chiefs remained small players scattered throughout Telangana.