RACHAKONDA KINGS WERE CURSED BY A WOMAN

RACHAKONDA KINGS WERE CURSED BY A WOMAN

PART II

Velama kings fought Kapayya several times
Alas! in a battle under treachery Kapayya was killed
The battle was fought at Bhimavaram near Warangal
The greed of Velama scions was atlast filled

These kings ruled for the next hundred years
The Telangana region became a great battle ground
Velamas fought Reddy kings of Kondaveedu
With whom they already had a permanent feud

It is said when a tree is sure to whither away
Cockeyed fruits grow at its branches soon
The Velama kings too were on the rotten path
And the kingdom was sure to loose grace of the moon

Soon a king from the dynnasty took over the throne
And he had his own cranky and evil brains and plan
Day and night he passed evil orders
And he was found to be a real sadist man

The king planned to raise his revenue
And sent around his army bands
A novel scheme he devised
That brought shame to the women in the land

Several cups were made of silver metal
Those were made to shape of breasts of women
The soldiers measured women’s breasts with the cups
The cups had to be filled with silver coins to the hate of their men


The agony and shame went- on for some time
While the people went through great distress
The divine order was soon to arrive
And the women were subjected to great stress.

On a fateful day the soldiers approached a hamlet
Where they had to collect the taxes in the usual way
The soldiers approached a pious woman with the cups
While the woman grew in great rage looking at sky

Let not the grace be with the evil ruler any more
Who has insulted the womanhood of the land
The race of these kings would never be rulers of the land
Thus she cursed the king with raising to heavens her hand

With a swift stroke of a dagger she cut off her breast
And she threw at the evil army men the bloody mass with a moan
Her soul soon vanished into the heavenly sky as a glowing flame
While her mortal body turned into a figure of stone


The velama rulers at Rachakonda soon lost the power
While the Muslim kings betrayed them and threw them out
Fate paid them in the same way they did to others
And they never regained the kingdom and lost their clout

Velama rulers never reached glory of past
And they struggled as small commanders under Vijayanagar reign
They could never become important rulers till today
The woman’s curse thus has the sway and did not go invain


(It is learnt that near Rachkonda dilapidated fort in the forest, a stone woman’s statue lies down and the statue has no breasts and were sheared off and it is said that the statue belongs to the pious woman who cursed the Velama rulers of Rachakonda. Obviously rulers at Devarakonda too were affected.The Velama rule came to an end in 1435 after a rule since 1362 . The race could never get crowned as kings after the episode and if at all they wielded any power it was very limited as petty chieftains. During 18 th century, Velam doras ruled a petty province at Bobbili and it was a very small principality and although they were brave the kingdom was usurped by Vijayanagaram ( Coastal Andhra) ruler Raja Vijaya Ramaraju with the help of French forces led by General Bussey in 1757. All the warriors (mere 250 against 10000 troops of Vijanagarma and French forces )at Bobbili including the ruler Veera Rao Gopala Krishna Ranga Rao defending the fort valiantly along with brother Vengala Rao laid down their lives most gloriously. Raja Vijayaramaraju was also slain in the night in his tent by Bobbili puli ( Tiger)Tandra Bobbili Papayya a commander of Bobbili forces as a revenge.
Some important commanders from Velama Community serving the Vijayanagar empire played important role in the affairs of the state.In the closing years of the Vijaynagar empire with Chandragiri as Capital, a great battle ( 1615) was fought at Topur between Commander Yachama Naika the loyal chieftain of ruling dynasty and Jagga Raya who claimed the throne in a quarrel for succession. He earlier got murdered the ruler Sri Ranga Rayalu II ( 1614) along with his wife and children. Yachamanaika was so powerful at that time that if he wanted probably he would have usurped the empire for himself. But he was very loyal to the rulers of Vijayanagar and defended the family and succeeded in eliminating Jaggarya. Thus it is seen that although Velama commanders at different places were valiant and brave they could not regain kingship subsequently and it is part of destiny. In modern day politics Jalagam Vengal Rao became Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for few years and subsequently his son could not attain greater heights. He has been denied Congress party ticket from Khammam in the present elections to the assembly. Sri K Chandrasekhar Rao another Velama leader from Telangana province has been spearheading an agitation for formation of Telangana State. It has to be seen whether fortune would smile on him. It depends on woman’s curse.)