Musunuri dynasty | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1335–1368 | |||||||||||||
| Status | Dynasty | ||||||||||||
| Capital | Warangal | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Telugu | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Medieval India | ||||||||||||
• Established | 1335 | ||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1368 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
TheMusunuri Nayakas were a prominentTeluguHindu warrior dynasty that rose to power in the 14th century in theDeccan region following the fall of theKakatiya Empire to theDelhi Sultanate in 1323CE. They originated from the region ofMusunuru in theEluru district ofAndhra Pradesh.[1] Their emergence marked a significant phase of resistance against northernMuslim forces, in response to the devastation inflicted upon theTelugu country, and represented a resurgence aimed at re-establishing indigenous Hindu rule in the region.
Musunuri Prolaya Nayaka initiated the revolt by uniting various local chieftains to challenge the dominance of the Delhi Sultanate and reclaim Orugallu (Warangal). He first expelled Muslims fromRajahmundry and took control of the region between theKrishna andGodavari rivers. Aware of the numerical disadvantage, he began ruling from Rekapalle in theBhadrachalam forest, an area with difficult terrain, and launchedguerrilla attacks against Muslim armies.[1] His successor, Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka, continued this mission by leading the confederation of Andhra chieftains and successfully driving the Delhi Sultanate out of Warangal.
The growing power of theBahmani Sultanate in the Deccan posed a significant threat to the Musunuri domain. The situation was further complicated when theRecherla Nayakas, who had initially been allies in the resistance, shifted their allegiance to the Bahmani rulers. This political shift contributed to the defeat of Kapaya Nayaka, along with the forces of the Vijayanagara Empire, at the Battle of theBahmani–Vijayanagara War. In 1368, the Recherla Nayakas subsequentlyannexed the territories that had once been under Musunuri control.[2]
Little is known about the Musunuri family.[3][4] The founding ruler, Musunuri Prolaya Nayaka, suddenly appeared as a new ruler at Rekapalle, nearBhadrachalam, around 1330.[5] Prolaya Nayaka was son of Musunuri Pochaya Nayaka.[6][7]
Musunuri Nayakas belonged to theKamma caste.[8][9][10] However, according to Cynthia Talbot, the modern castes of Andhra region did not originate until the late stages of theVijayanagara Empire.[11] The Musunuri Nayakas were staunchShaivites, hence Kapaya Nayaka claimed he was divinely appointed byShiva to protect thedharma of the kingdom.[12]
The Kakatiya Empire was annexed by the Delhi Sultanate. Ulugh Khan (orMuhammad bin Tughluq), the general that conquered its capital Orugallu (Warangal), renamed it "Sultanpur" and remained as the governor of the region for a short period. In 1324, he was recalled toDelhi to succeed theKhaljis asMuhammad bin Tughluq. A former Kakatiya commander, Nagaya Ganna Vibhudu, now renamedMalik Maqbul, was appointed as the governor of the region.[13] However, the Tughluq occupation of Kakatiya Empire was tenuous, so a numerous local chieftains seized effective power.[14]
According to the Vilasa Grant,[15] Prolaya Nayaka ruled from Rekapalle, located at the edge of thePapikondalu hills of theEastern Ghats. Rekapalle held a strategic control of the narrowSabari River Valley in between the Bhadrachalam the Papikondalu forests.Konda Reddis, who populated the hill forests would have facilitated Prolaya Nayaka's rebellion against the Sultanate.[5][16] Rekapalle was also a strategic location to control or obstruct communications on the Godavari river passing through the hills.
Proyala Vema Reddy of the Panta Reddy clan, who seems to have established his own independent rule inAddanki by 1325, is believed to have taken control of the region between theKrishna andGodavari rivers, perhaps up toRajahmundry.[17][18] Historian M. Rama Rao states that Prolayavema Reddi and Prolaya Nayaka must have made a "joint effort" to drive the Muslim rule out from the area.[18]
In 1330, Prolaya Nayaka published the Vilasa grant, a copper-plate grant near Pithapuram, in which he bemoaned the devastation of theTelugu country brought about by northern Muslim armies, and attempted to legitimise himself as the rightful restorer of order.[19] Prolaya Nayaka left no children and was succeeded by a cousin, Kapaya Nayaka, who governed until 1368 and attempted to further expand his rule.
Kapaya Nayaka (r. 1333–1368) led a larger rebellion against the Tughluq rule, driving it out of Warangal in 1336. According to the Kaluvacheru grant of Anithalli, a female member of thePanta Reddi clan in 1423, Kapaya Nayaka was assisted by 75 Nayakas. The grant also states that Prolaya Vema Reddi was one among these 75 Nayakas.[20][a]
Muhammad bin Tughluq, who became the Sultan of Delhi in 1324, witnessed numerous rebellions starting in 1330, first in the immediate vicinity in the Ganga-Yamuna doab, which caused a famine in Delhi, and rebellions within ranks in Ma'bar (Madurai) and Bengal. It is possible that Kapaya Nayaka advanced in the direction of Warangal in this period, acquiring some of its territory. Consequently, Telangana was also counted among the rebellious territories.[23] In 1334–35, the Sultan marched on Deccan in an attempt to quell the rebellions, but his army was struck by some kind of epidemic and the Sultan himself fell gravely ill. He was forced to retreat to Delhi via Daulatabad. It is said that about a third of his army perished due to the epidemic.[24]
Ferishta narrates that, around this time, Kapaya Nayaka approached theHoysala rulerVeera Ballala III for assistance in evicting the Sultanate from Warangal. After consideration, assistance was offered.
Bilal Dew [Ballala], convened a meeting of his kinsmen and resolved, first, to secure the forts of his own country. and then to remove his seat of government among the mountains. Krishn Naig [Kapaya Nayak] promised, on his part also, that when their plans were ripe for execution, to raise all the Hindoos of Wurungole and Telingana and put himself at their head.... He (Bilal Dew) then raised an army and put part of it under the command of Krishn Naig, who reduced Wurungole and compelled Imad-ool-Moolk, the governor, to retreat to Dowlatabad [Daulatabad].
— Ferishta,Tarikh-i-farishti (c. 1600)[25]
HistorianR. C. Majumdar characterizes it as a 'national revolt' backed up by a regular army. GovernorMalik Maqbul found himself unable to withstand the rebellion and fled to Delhi.[26][27] Ferishta states that Kapaya Nayaka and Ballala III then jointly marched on the newly declaredMadurai Sultanate and divested it of its outlying territories, in particularTondaimandalam.[25][26]
Kapaya Nayaka took control of Warangal from Malik Maqbul in 1336 and thus also of a wider swathe of eastern Telangana that was governed from there. He also tried to support other rebels in the surrounding areas, although in the case of aid given toAlauddin Bahman Shah, the outcome was that his fellow rebel turned on him. Several military engagements withBahman Shah followed over a period of years, during which Kapaya Nayaka had to cede various forts and territories, includingGolconda (near modern Hyderabad). His weakened position was exploited by theReddis of Kondavidu and theRecherla Nayakas, the latter of whom killed him in battle at Bhimavaram near Warangal in 1368.[2][29][30][b]
Despite his supposed opposition to the Dehlavi Sultans, Kapaya Nayaka continued using theKush Mahal built by the Sultans in Warangal and adopted the Persianised title "Sultan of the Andhra country" (Āndhra Suratrāṇa). In 1361, he gifted to the Bahmani SultanMohammed Shah I theTurquoise throne of Warangal, made during the Delhi rule, as part of a treaty agreement.[31]
After the death of Kapaya Nayaka, his allied Nayakas are said to have returned to their own towns, and the period of the Musunuri family ended. The Recherla Nayakas became the dominant power in the Telangana that lasted till 1435.[32]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)The Nayakas of Musunuru who are said to have been Kammas . . .
Prolayanayaka of the Musunuri family who is considered to belong to the Kamma caste established an independent kingdom at Rekapalli.
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