HANUMAPPA NAIDU’S COURAGE SAVED THE DAY FOR RAJA SOMANADRI OF GADWAL

           HANUMAPPA NAIDU’S  COURAGE SAVED THE DAY FOR     

                                   RAJA SOMANADRI OF GADWAL

                            Dr K Prabhakar Rao

                 Gadwal   city  is an important   place in  the state of Andhra Pradesh and at present it is very famous for Silk Sarees.  It was earlier a Samsthan ( Small kingdom) under a ruling dynasty and was part of Nizam’s Hyderabad state. The king of Gadwal was a vassal to the Nizam. It is located close to Karnool town on national highway 7, Hyderabad- Bangalore.  The broad gauge railway line also  goes through the town. Thus it is well connected. Gadwal city has a massive fort which is still strong and imposing. The city is developed around the fort. The province lies in between Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers. Earlier, Gadwal was part of Raichur district during Nizams times. Now it is part of Mahboobnagar district and is  40 km from dist Head quarters and from Hyderabad is  150 Km.

                This small kingdom had a chequered history and  in the initial days had to manage with the Nizam and Marathas. The most important ruler of the kingdom was Raja Somanadri Bhupala. He was a tall and massively built person with imposing personality. He was the contemporary to Emperor Aurangzeb. It is also learnt that the emperor maintained very cordial relations  with Somanadri Bhupala. The Gadwal fort was built by him and it has deep moat  around and was impregnable.Even after 300 years it is still strong. There are some buildings still in good state in the fort and a degree college is run in a palace. There are many temples in the fort that are still well maintained. A huge Bronze bell erected by Somandri for seeking justice by people  is still there. The longest cannon of the country is  located in the fort and it is fearsome and imposing.

               The rulers of Gadwal always had  conflicts with Nawabs of Karnool and Somanadri kept them at bay.  Adversaries feared Somanadri as he was very brave.Raja Somanadri once had   conflict with Nawab  of Karnool and  there was a severe fight between both the forces. In this particular conflict the royal horse of Somanadri was taken captive and was carried away by the enemy across the Krishna river into the enemy camp. The horse was the most favored one for the king and he was greatly  agitated at the loss. There was no way for  getting it back as the enemy camp was very well guarded. Somanadri declared that  whoever gets the horse from the enemy camp would be highly rewarded and none dared to take up the challenge as it was a great risk. However  Hanumappa naidu a soldier and keeper of stable came forward. He saluted the king and begged that he might be given an opportunity to take up the challenging task. The king was happy  at his request and agreed.

               The day was soon over and people retired for rest while Hanumappa made his preparations. He carried only a dagger and a sickle with him and in the darkness of  night crossed the river alone and entered the enemy camp.  The soldiers of the enemy camp were making merry  at their victory on the  previous day and only few sentries was  around.  Hanumappa entered the stables where horses were kept and none noticed him. The royal horse  however saw him and it identified him. It neighed soon and Hanumappa comforted it with his hands, He slowly untied the horse and  led it out slowly. After some  time a soldier saw him and enquired where he was taking the horse. Hanumappa replied that the horse needed water and was taking it to river for drinking. The soldier in the darkness  mistook him to be  his comrade  and went away. Hanumappa  took the horse further away and  he saw some more soldiers nearby. He was sure that he would be identified.  There was  hay stack at the place and Hanumappa immediately crawled into haystack and lay still. The soldiers came close and saw the horse. The horse got worried as Hanumappa was no where to be seen  it started   making noises and was restless. The soldiers saw the horse loose and thought that  the rope gave  way. One of them immediately took an iron spike  lying near by and drove it into ground and tied the horse to it. Then the soldiers went away.  Unfortunmately the iron spike went through the palm of Hanumappa whose hand was lying close by. He felt severe pain but controlled himself.  Blood oozed out from the wound without stop. He picked up courage  , took his sickle and severed his  wrist. He tied  his turban to the severed hand   and came out of the stack, untied the horse and led it away. Soon he was at the river and crossed the river with the horse. He entered his camp to great rejoicing by  all. Information was soon passed to the king that the horse was brought back and he soon arrived to see it.  Hanumappa  came forward and saluted the king with his left hand. The king was angry at this, but soon saw that his right hand was under banadage. He enquired about the matter and Hanumappa narrated the incident, removed the bandage and  displayed his severed hand. All were shocked at this. The king embraced him and shed  tears over the sacrifice . Hanumappa was immediately sent for medical attention. The day broke soon and Somanadri with great vigor attacked the enemy  camp across the river like a tornado and created havoc among them. The enemy was vanquished and  the Karnool Nawab accepted defeat and came to terms. The great cannon now lying in Gadwal fort was brought by Somanadri from the Karnool Nawab as a symbol of victory.

                The victory was  celebrated at Gadwal with great pomp and show and Hanumappa was honored personally by the king at the function. He was given many presents and many acres of land was  gifted to him. Hanumappa  although lost his palm and became crippled had no regrets and was proud that  he served his king to his best ability in the hour of need.  Hanumappas  after some years passed away in kings service and his  successors still enjoy the gifted lands. Raja Somanadri  also  faded into golden pages of history but his valor is still remembered, Hanumappas sactifice, loyalty and courage are still remembered with great pride..