WHAT IS HINDUISM?

I thought about writing about Hinduism because it is much mis-understood by many of us.

I compiled this when one of my friends questioned me about Hinduism. How many Hindus actually know what the basics of Hinduism are? Hinduism does not mean just idol worship as many people tend to believe.Hinduism is much broader than that. We have to approach Hinduism from the Vedic times in order to get a real glimpse of what it is all about.

The Vedas are a compilation of the rites of Aryans who have migrated into India in about 2000 to 1500 BC. Aryans have come from Central Asia that is the present Soviet Asian republics of Kazakhastan Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Kirghizistan and Tadzhikistan.

The Aryans have started migrating probably because the Chinese Shan Dynasty pushed the various tribal populations outward which in turn exerted a pressure on the adjoining Aryans. The Aryans migrated southward before they split into two branches with one branch coming towards Persia and India and the other going west towards Europe.

Of course this theory has been challenged by some Indians who theorized that Aryans are indigenous to India but they could not offer any valid proof for that to satisfy the community of historians.

All the languages spoken in North India except by some tribal groups are Aryan while the languages of the South are totally different from them. These are known as Dravidian languages and are unconnected to any other language external to India which means they are indigenous. The major languages Tamil Malayalam and Kannada form one branch while Telugu is alone in the other branch.

The Vedas are the Sanskrit literature of the Aryans. The Aryans were nomadic people and were not used to agriculture when they entered India. They were totally dependent on cattle rearing on which their life revolved. That is the reason for the extreme reverence accorded to the cow among Hindus. 

When Aryans entered into India they had to face the Indus Valley Civilization which was highly evolved by that time itself and was dependent on city life and agriculture.

The Aryans worshipped nature which is the reason why they gave importance to Gods like Indra Surya Varun Ushas Maruts etc which are forces of nature. They were also fond of liquor so they had a god for that Soma from Soma ras. Along with Indra and Agni, Soma is a very important god for the Aryans. 

When the Aryan and the Indus cultures clashed what happened was not just outright fighting but also cultural assimilation. The Aryans subsumed the Indus Valley culture and adopted some of their practices. Along with this assimilation there was intermarrying as well.

Thus Indians are a crossbred race between the Aryans and the Indus Valley people who belonged to the Proto Australoid or the Meditaranean stock. More or less like the present day Arabs but darker in skin color. 

With time it appears that the remnants of the Indus Valley people were pushed Southward along with interbreeding. Today as one goes from South to North the Aryan blood increases and as one goes down South the Indus Valley blood increases.

Now what are the Vedas? The Aryans have developed elaborate rituals to please their nature gods. This they compiled as their religious literature. Of course our people believe that Vedas are handed down by God.

The oldest Veda Rigveda started getting compiled in around 1500 BC. The subsequent Vedas followed later but these were just oral and not written down. They got passed down by generations byhearting them and passing them on. They were written down much later, probably in the 2nd century BC. The Upanishads got compiled between 800 and 500 BC.

   

I had to give this background before actually writing about Vedic literature.

As you know the Vedas are 4 in number        

     

1. Rigveda

2. Samaveda

3. Yajurveda and

4. The Atharva Veda.

It is said that any Vedic sacrifice requires 4 priests 

1. Hota 

2. Udgata 

3. Adhvaryu 

4. Brahma

The Rigveda is for the Hota, the Sama Veda is for the Udgata, the Yajur Veda is for the Adhvaryu and the Atharva Veda is for the Brahma. 

Hota chants hymns asking the gods to partake in the sacrifice, Udgata sings the Sama Veda to entertain them.The Adhvaryu conducts the yagna as per the laid down norms in Yajurveda and the Brahma is the overall supervisor for the Yagna for whom the Atharva Veda is intended.

Now very few people know that each Veda itself consists of 4 parts.

1. Samhita

2. Brahmana

3. Aranyaka

4. Upanishads.

The SAMHITA is in verse and extolls and praises various Vedic gods like Indra Agni Soma Varun etc. The BRAHMANA is in prose and gives rules for the complicated ritualism of the Vedas. They deal with the rules for performance of the rights and sacrifices. There is little philosophy in these. The appendages to the Brahmanas are ARANYAKAS. They mark the transition from ritualistic to philosophical thought. There is a mystic interpreration of the Vedic sacrifices in these. 

The concluding portion of the Aranyakas are the UPANISHADS. These are intensely philosophical and spiritual. The entire subsequent Indian philosophies take their base from the Upanishads. They are the root of all Indian philosophy.

There are supposed to be 108 Upanishads in all but a number of them have repitition of thought. The 10 Upanishads on which Sankaracharya has commented are taken to be important. They are

1. Isha

2.Kena

3. Katha

4. Prashna

5. Mundaka

6. Mandukya

7. Aitareya

8. Taittiriya

9. Chandogya

10. Brihadaranyaka

The Upanishads consider the Karma Kanda of the Vedas as secondary.

God is defined in 2 ways in the Upanishads. The first is Savisesha Saprapancha Saguna Brahman known as PARA BRAHMA or ISHWARA the personal god and Nirvisesha Nisprapancha Nirguna Brahman or APARA BRAHMA or the ABSOLUTE. The Absolute is unknowable and does not correspond to anything that is known to us. 

The Upanishads say that when we start defining the Brahman it ends up as Ishwara. The only thing we can say about Brahman as not this not this. They put the absolute above everything else known to us. But at the same time allowing the personal god as the concept of Brahman is abstract and unknowable.

Thus Hinduism is a strict monotheism in the garb of polytheism. The Upanishads are intensely spiritual and challenge everything that is known to us. One can trace monotheism, polytheism, pantheism and even atheism to the Upanishads. 

Perhaps this is the reason why Hinduism is so tolerant. It is because the core of Hinduism does not hold anything absolute except for the Brahman which is anyway unknowable to us.

Hinduism is not a specific religion and therefore gives rise to many interpretations.

ASARAM BAPU-BABA THAT NEVER WAS

Asumal Sirumalani is known as Asaram Bapu or just Bapu by his followers. He was born in 1941 in the then Sindh District of Pakistan. After partition his family moved to Ahmedabad leaving their immovable assets in Sindh. His father founded a coal and wood business. He ran his fathers business for a short time after his fathers death when he left high school when he was in class III.

When his wedding was scheduled at the age of 15 he ran away to an Ashram. His family persuaded him to return and he got married. At the age of 23 he again left home and wandered in various pilgrimage places of Uttarakhand and UP. He met his spiritual guru Lilashah in Nainital but the guru sent him home. Lilashah named him Asaram Bapu in 1964.   

Asaram returned to Ahmedabad in 1971 and built his hut at Motera which he converted later into an Ashram in 1973 starting with 5-10 followers. In 1981 and 1992 the Congress led state government allotted him 14515 Sq.Mtrs for his Ashram. In 1997 and 1999 the BJP led government allotted another 25000 Sq Mtrs for the expansion of his Ashram. As local politicians became his followers his number of devotees increased. By 2013 Asaram Bapu had 400 major and minor Ashrams in India and abroad with numerous followers.

This man is controversial right from the start and a number of Ashrams set up by him had to face legal challenges.

In the year 2000 Asaram’s Ashram was allotted about 10 acres of land in Navsari district in Gujarat by the Government. The Ashram encroached on 6 acres leading to protests in the local villages. On a complaint filed by the locals and after repeated notices brought forth no result the authorities with police assistance bulldozed the encroachments and took possession of the land.

In 2001, the Yog Vedanat Samiti of Ashraam Bapu was given permission to use the premises of Mangalya Temple in Ratlam District MP for 11 days for a Satsangh. The samiti failed to vacate the land and continued to occupy 40 acres of land. Asaram Bapu denied any involvement and stated that the allegations were baseless and untenable.

In 2002 his followers convinced a Rajkot based devotee Bhagwani Devi to donate part of her property to the Ashram. She agreed but Asaram’s men forged her signature on the Power of Attorney and transferred all her land to the trust.

The Nasik Muncipal Corporation destroyed a part of his ashram in Bhilwara for encroaching on government land.

In 2009 the Bihar state religious trust forced Asaram’s ashram to vacate a piece of land in Patna. Asaram and his followers have taken possession of the land for a temple.

In 2010 the Gujarat Government took over 67059 Sqr Mtrs of land which was encroached by Asarams Ahmedabad Ashram.

The Gujarat government has also taken over 70 acres of agricultural land from Asaram’s family arguing that his family has forged documents to show that they are farmers.

Two disciples of Asaram who helped him set up the Jodhpur Asram had their land encroached upon and filed court cases.

In 2013 the Cuttack Muncipal Corporation razed down an ashram of Asaram stating that he has illegally occupied the land.

In 2013 while addressing a gathering of his followers he gave a terrible statement about the 2012 Nirbhaya case stating that the victim is as guilty as the doers. This invited criticism by everyone and Asaram backtracked fast denying that he he has never said such a thing.

By the year 2008 Asarams ashrams ran 40 gurukuls. $ boys died in them which led to an allegation that black magic is being practiced there. In July 2008  boys went missing from the gurukul attached to Asarams ashram at Motera. 2 days later the mutilated bodies of the boys were found near the ashram. The police did not register the parents cases and harassed them which led to public agitation.

Two boys also died in the Chindwara ashram of Asaram and their bodies were found in the toilet. The Narendra Modi led Gujarat government ahs set up the justice DK Trivedi Commission to probe the deaths of the Motera Ashram. In 2009 Asaram’s followers took out a rally protesting the alleged harassment by Gujarat police. The protest turned violent and 200 protesters were arrested after they injured 20 policemen. In 2012 when the Justice Trivedi commission summoned him, he issued a threat to the Narendra Modi government.

In August 2013 a 16 year old girl accused Asaram Bapu of raping her in the guise of exorcising evil spirits in his ashram at Jodhpur. The girls parents filed a case at Delhi and the girl’s sexual assault was confirmed by the medical report.

When Asaram did not appear for interrogation by the end of August the Delhi police filed various cases on him under different sections of IPC. Ashram remained in his ashram at Indore and avoided arrest while his devotees clashed with the police and journalists outside. Eventually he was apprehended by the Jodhpur police in September 2013 and remains in jail.

Asaram totally denied the charges made by the girl and claimed he was impotent. He also claimed that it was a conspiracy launched by the Congress party to malign him. But medical examination conducted by a medical college stated that he was potent. He has since been in jail and his bail plea has been rejected a number of times.

Asaram and his son Narayan Sai wer also accused by 2 sisters of rape in October 2013 in his ashram at Motera. The case is still pending in the courts.

From 2014-15 there have been many attacks against various witnesses in the Asaram Bapu case. Amrut Prajapati a personal aide of Asaram was attacked and killed in May 2014. Another associate Akhil Gupta was killed in January 2015. Kripal Singh was killed in June 2015. Key witnesses in the case have disappeared as well.

Asaram had been in jail for the past 4 years and the Supreme Court has recently rapped the Gujarat government for their inaction on the case. So far even the victim has not been interrogated. It is surprising as to why governments should take so much time to convict such anti social elements. 

JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI-A MODERN PHILOSOPHER WHO NEGATED ESTABLISHED BELIEFS.

Jiddu Krishnamurthi is one of our modern philosophers whose thought is so abstract that few people could understand it. As per me, he stretches into several pages what can be said in a sentence. His core thought is that truth is pathless and it has to be approached by each one in their own different ways. As per Krishnamurthi this is precisely the reason why no one can guide you because your thinking process is different from any other, and is unique. He has hit the core of all beliefs by negating the concept of Guru itself. However, despite stating these views he functioned like a big guru himself touring all over the world and giving his lectures on all topics under the sun. It is interesting to see how he has evolved. 

Jiddu Krishnamurti was born in 1895 at Madanapalle in the Chittor district of Andhra Pradesh. His father Narayaniah was employed as a petty official with the British administration. The family later moved to Cuddapah where Krishnamurthi contracted malaria and had recurring bouts of it. He was a sickly child and was considered to be intellectually disabled and was often beaten by his teachers at school and by his father at home. 

After retirement, their father was employed as a clerk in the Theosophical Society and given a cottage near its headquarters in Adyar. In the beach at Adayar in Madras in 1909 Krishnamurthi and his brother Nityanand were spotted by Colonel Charles Leadbetter who was a co-founder of the Theosophical Society. Leadbetter felt that Krishnamurthi is an extraordinary and spiritual person. He recommended them to Mrs Annie Besant who adopted them. 

An order of the “Rising Star of the East” was formed by Annie Besant in 1911 and Krishnamurti was proclaimed as its messiah. Initially the boys were taught at the headquarters of the Theosophical Society. During this time Krishanmurti developed a strong bond with Mrs Annie Besant. 

Later the brothers were sent to England in 1911 to the care of Emily Lutyens, the wife of the famous architect. They studied privately in England and later at Sorbonne in France. Between 1911 and 1914 when war started the brothers toured many European countries along with Theosophists. Theosophy then had a following all over the world and all its adherents’ worshipped Krishnamurti as he was anointed by Annie Besant herself. . 

Krishamurti’s father initially gave permission to Annie Besant to adopt Krishnamurti but later as this pulled the boys away from him and was sidelined sued Annie Besant in 1912 to annul the guardianship agreement. Annie Besant won the battle and took both the brothers into her custody. 

Krishnamurti did well in sports but fared poorly in studies and could not get into the university as he could not get admission and finally gave up. He picked up languages fast though and spoke many foreign languages. 

After the war, Krishnamurti started giving lectures and holding meetings of the Order and also started writing. He was initially a halting repetitive and hesitant speaker but with time he gained confidence. 

In 1922 Krishnamurti travelled to California where he stayed in a cottage in the Ojai valley. By this time his brother Nityanand was diagnosed with TB and was ailing. There the brothers met Rosalind Williams an American who became close to both Krishnamurti and Nityanand. This is the first time the brothers were left alone by the Theosophical society members who had been following them everywhere. After sometime a trust formed by his followers bought a cottage and the surrounding property for them. This became the official residence of Krishnamurti.

 At Ojai in 1922 Krishnamurti went through a life changing experience most probably a sort of neurotic condition which he believed to be spiritual. As news of this spiritual experience spread Theosophists elevated the messianic status of Krishnamurti to an intense pitch as their convention in 1925 approached. Internal politics broke out in its membership trying to push themselves into positions to receive the messiah. 

In November 1925 Nityanand died unexpectedly and this shook Krishnamurti and the news broke him completely. Krishnamurti later slowly freed himself from the theory of the Theosophical society and its style and started evolving an independent philosophy. Finally at the annual Star camp in the Netherlands Krishnamurti dissolved the Order of the Star in 1925. 

While dissolving the order he maintained that “Truth is pathless and one cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion or by any sect. Truth being limitless, unconditioned, and unapproachable by any path whatsoever cannot be organized nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path.” 

This all sounds wonderful and one expects that Krishnamurti would relieve himself from the role of a teacher but surprisingly he remained a teacher to people going against the very tenet he has endorsed. Whenever he was confronted with this question to clarify his position, he either asserted that the matter was irrelevant or gave answers which were purposefully vague. 

To Krishnamurti’s credit he resigned from the various trusts and organizations affiliated with the Order of the Star and also the Theosophical society. He returned the money and properties donated to the order which included a castle in the Netherlands and 5000 acres of land back to their donors. 

During the years 1930 to 1944 Krishnamurti was engaged in speaking tours in Europe, Latin America, India, Australia and the United States. He founded a publishing trust along with D.Rajagopal and Ojai was the base of their operations. Rosalind married Rajagopal in 1927 and they along with Krishnamurti stayed in the house at Ojai. The house was known as’Arya Vihara”. The marriage of the Rajagopal’s got estranged in 1931 after the birth of their daughter Radha. The friendship between Rosalind and Krihsnamurti grew into a love affair which started in 1931. 

Krihsnamurti did not speak in public for period of 4 years during the war between 1940 to 1944. He started speaking in May 1944 and toured India in 1947. In his tour of India many prominent personalities came to meet Krishnamurti including PM Nehru. 

In the 1970’s Krishnamurti met Indira Gandhi a number of times. Krishnamurtis’s relationship with Rajagopal deteriorated to such an extent that Krishnamurti sued him in court accusing him of embezzlement. This litigation began in 1971 and was settled only by 1986 by which time Krishnamurti died. He died in 1986 at the age of 90.  

To put it simply, there is no path to truth according to Krishnamurti's philosophy. Therefore, an organization or a guru cannot guide a person in a certain way. The individual him/herself have to search arou8nd and find their own way.

According to the prevailing system, a person needs a Guru to guide him. It was turned over on to its head by Krishnamurti. He said that each persons way is his own, and no one else can show them the way. This means that the guru system does not work. 

The surprise is that after saying all that, he should not show the way to anyone  else. But he travelled all over the world and gave various interpretations to the questions asked by people. It means that he himself made prophecies to people like a guru when he actually said that he cannot tell us anything and show us a path. That means he violated his own theory. 

Krishnamurti's life tells us one thing. No matter how great the teachers claim to be, they are also human. They have the same strengths and weaknesses that we have. It is never wrong to listen to what someone else has to say. But analysing it shows us the right path for our life. No one in the world is perfect. It is a big mistake to accept whatever someone says without ever analysing it. 

Rishi Valley School is Krishnamurthy's contribution to the education system in India. It started teaching students in a new way. Rishi Valli School was started in 1925 by Annie Besant, initially with the intention of creating a world university. She started it on 360 acres near Madanapalle, Jiddu Krishnamurthy's hometown. But she could not devote time to it. By then Krishnamurthy was in America. He came to India in 1947 and started trying to restore that school. Since 1950, the school has been revived. 

Music, dance, hiking, trekking, camping and Krishnamurti’s philosophy are also taught in the school. Apart from that, because of the different teaching methods used there, in the later period it became known as a special institution for training students.

Krishnamurthi said that he does not believe in one nation, one caste, one religion, or one philosophy. He spent his last life traveling the world interacting with people and writing many books and finally died in 1986 at the age of 90. 

He still has many disciples in America and Britain. They have established many charitable institutions and educational institutions to popularize his philosophy and thousands of his lectures, public talks, and books have been translated into many languages and sold all over the world. 

We may or may not believe what Krishnamurthi said, but even after his death, his disciples continued to propagate his teachings with great devotion.

 

THE 1857 SEPOY MUTINY-SOME POINTS.

The mutiny was confined to Uttarpradesh, northern MP and Delhi regions alone. It started on 10^th May1857 and concluded with the fall of Gwalior on 20^th June 1858. Other regions of the Bengal Presidency and the Bombay and Madras Presidencies largely remained calm. The Sikh princes of Punjab actively helped the British by providing soldiers and support.

The commanders who fought on the rebels side were:

1.      Bhahadurshah Jafar-The Mughal Emperor only in name as he was fully dependent on the English. But the prestige of the Mughal Emperor was such that in him the rebels found a rallying point.

2.      Nana Saheb-Peshva Bajirao II’s adopted son who was refused the pension Bajirao II was getting and thus turned against the British. After his forces were defeated by the British he chose to escape and disappeared.

3.      Rani Lakshmibai-She is a valiant lady who opposed the British as they applied the doctrine of Lapse and confiscated her state and gave her a pension of Rs 54,000 per annum in 1854. She was killed in battle but her adopted son Damodar Rao for whom she fought ran away and hid in the forests.

4.      Begum Hazrat Mahal—Wife of the nawab of Oudh. Oudh was annexed by the British and the nawab Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to Calcutta in1856. She resented the British for this and rebelled against them. After her forces were defeated by the British she ran away to Nepal and took asylum there. Her son Birjis Quadir was installed as the Nawab in the early stages of the rebellion. After the defeat by the British he accompanied his mother to Nepal.

5.      Kunwar Singh— he was the Raja of Jagdishpur in Bihar. He is a Rajput. By the time the revolt broke out he was 80 years old and his health was failing yet he fought valiantly and died undefeated after sustaining injuries in the battle with the English on 23 April 1858 in which he defeated the British. He died 3 days later.

Surprisingly enough the first 4 figures are always prominently mentioned in our history books but the last receives but a passing mention.

Bahadur Shah Jafar became a leader by virtue of the office he held and not because of his personal strength. All the three Nana Sahib, Rani Lakshmibai and Begum Hazrat Mahal had personal grudges against the British.

Kunwar Singh is no less than the Rani of Jhansi in valor going to battle at the age of 80 and in failing health. Kunwar Singh fought on principle. Also he was the only rebel leader to die undefeated by the British.

Nana Sahib and Begum Hazrat Mahal ran away from the British after their defeat. I would put Kunwar Singh above the Rani of Jhansi because he was equal to her in valour but died undefeated by the British.

It was the Sikh soldiers that helped the British to put down the mutiny and all the Princely states of Punjab like Patiala, Nabha and Kapurthala etc. actively supported the British in this war. 

RANA SANGRAM SINGH (RANA SANGA) OF MEWAR.

Maharana Sangram Singh was one of the greatest Rajput princes of India who stood against Babur but was unfortunately defeated at the battale of Khanwa in Babur’s hands due to deceipt and treachery. Despite that, but for Baburs cannons the victory would have been Rana Sanga's.  

Maharana Sangram Singh also known as Rana Sangha was born to Rana Raimal of Mewar from the Sisodiya clan in the year 1484. Rana Sangha succeeded his father Rana Raimal in the year 1508 after a battle of succession with his brothers. He was the grandson of Rana Kumbha under whose name the fort of Kumbalgarh was erected. 

When Rana Sanga came to power the Sultanate of Gujarat was at the height of its power under Sultan Mujaffar Shah II. Idar was a small Rajput principality situated on the border of Gujarat. There was a succession fight after the death of the king between Rai Mal and Bhar Mal. Rai Mal was a minor and took refuge with Rana Sanga at Chitor while Bhar Mal became the ruler at Idar.

In 1514 Rai Mal got control of Idar with the help of Rana Sanga. Bhar Mal appealed to Mujaffar Shah II for help. The Sultan sent Nizam Ul Mulk along with an army to reinstate Bhar Mal. In this Rai Mal was defeated and he withdrew to the mountains. After reinstating Bhar Mal, Nizam Ul Mulk went in pursuitof Rai Mal who ensued from the mountains and defeated him convincingly in 1517. In the battle the best officers were slain and the Sultan recalled Nizam Ul Mulk. The Sultan sent Zahir Ul Mulk with a large army who was roundly defeated by Rai Mal and his army had to suffer a great slaughter. The Sultan then sent Nusrat Ul Mulk but with little success. All the conquests of Rai Mal were achieved with the help of Rana Sanga.

In 1517 Ibrahim Lodi succeeded on the throne of Delhi. He received news of Mewars encroachments on the empire and marched against Mewar. Rana Sanga advanced to meet him at Khatoli where their armies joined battle. The Delhi army could not withstand the Rajputs and in just 5 hours time    the army fled with the Sultan following them. A Lodi prince was left prisoner in the hands of Rana Sanga but he was released later on payment of ransom.

In the battle, the Rana lost his hand due to a sword cut and an arrow made him lame for life.

Ibrahim Lodi did not forget his defeat and after careful preparations set a march to defeat Rana Sanga 1519 and their armies met at Dholpur. As usual the Sultans army could not withstand the onslaught of the Rajput cavalry and were roundly defeated. With this battle almost the entire Rajasthan fell into the Ranas hands.

Medini Rai was granted Chanderi as a Jagir by Rana Sanga which the sultan of Malwa Mohammed Khilji II encroached upon. This was an affront to the Rana and he advanced with a large army from Chittor reinforced by the Rathors of Merta and met the Sultans forces reinforced by his Gujarat Auxilaries led by Asaf Khan at the battle of Gagron in the year 1519.

The Sultans cavalry could not withstand the charge of the Rajput cavalry and their defences tore. Later the Rajput cavalry fell on the remaining Malwa forces which were decisively defeated. Most of the Sultans army was annihilated and most of his officers killed including Asaf Khans son. Asaf Khan fled the scene of battle and the Sultan was taken prisoner wounded and bleeding.

In the line of Rajput chivalry, the Rana treated the Sultan with honor and restored the kingdom to him. In turn the Sultan gave his jewelled crown and belt to the Rana. The Rana also kept the Sultans son in Chittorgarh as a hostage for the Sultans future good conduct. 

This clemency was acknowledged by Muslim historians including Abul Fazal and is treated as an act of great magnanimity. But this act proved to be injurious to the national cause of the Rajputs.    

In the year 1520, a minstrel narrated the bravery and generosity of Rana Sanga but was insulted by Nizam Ul Mulk the fief holder of the Sultan of Gujarat. This made the Rana angry and he marched against Gujarat along with a coalition of Rajput forces. He decisively defeated the Sultans armies and Nizam Ul Mulk fled. He then plundered Gujarat and the Sultan dared not coem to stop him. He returned back to Chittor feeling that his mission was accomplished.

The sultan of Gujarat did not forget this insult. In the same year later he raised a large army of 100,000 cavalry and 100 elephants and sent it under Malik Ayaz. This army was joined by the army of the Sultan of Malwa Mohammed Khilji from Mandu.  All the Rajput chiefs rallied under Rana Sanga.  

The sultans army laid seize to Mandsaur which was under Rana sangas governor Asok Mal. Asok Mal was killed but the fort did not fall. The enoromous forces assembled by the Sultan and Rana Sanga faced each other.

Due to the ill feeling the Amirs had on Malik Ayaz he could not advance on the fort with full force. He felt that he is bound to be defeated and made peace with Rana Sanga and retreated back to Gujarat where he was seen as a coward.

After the number of gains of Rana Sanga his objectives grew in scope. It was at this juncture that Babur has become the master of Delhi. Now the Rana eyed Babar as his defeat would yield him Delhi which is considered as a prestigious seat of power.

Rana Sanga decided to wage a war againsthe Moghul Emperor Babur. He first coerced Afgan fugitive princes like Mehmud Lodi to join him. A number of Mewati msulims under Hasan Khan Mewati also promised their support to Rana Sanga.  

In 1527 the Rana ordered Babur to leave India. He sent his vassal Sardar Silhadi of Raisen to negotiatae with Babur. Silhadi was won over by Babur and they both hatched a plot that Silhadis forces numbering around 35,000 would join Baburs camp at the critical moment of battle. Silhadi went back to Chittor and told the Rana that a battle is a must. This is treachery.   

Their armies met in 1527 at Khanwa near Fatehpur Sikri. The battle was bitter and bloody. At a critical moment of battle Silhadi’s forces defected to Babur as planned. The battle turned but even then Rana Sanga while trying to rebuild his front was wounded and fell unconscious from his horse. The Rajput army thought that their leader was killed and fled in disorder leaving the Moghuls to win the battle.

The Rana was rescued by the Rathore contingent from the battle and went back to Chittor. When he again tried to assemble armies to fight Babur his chiefs found the plan to be suicidal and therefore poisoned him in 1528.

Rana Sangram Singh married Karnavati who later committed jauhar at Chittorgarh in 1535 after the Ranas death. Rana Pratap Singh was her grandson.

ALLURI SITARAMA RAJU-A GREAT REVOLUTIONARY.

Alluri Sitaramaraju was born at PANDRANGI Village  in Viskahapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh in July 1897. His father Venkata Narayana Raju was from Mogallu near Bhimavaram and he was a photographer in the Central Prison at Rajahmundry. His mother Suryanarayanamma was from Visakhapatnam.

Sitaramaraju lived mainly at Mogallu and was educated at Rajahmundry at the “Vullithota Banagaryya School”, as well as at Kakinada, Tuni and Ramachandrapuram of East Godavari District. While pursuing his studies at Kakinada he came into contact with a notable freedom fighter Madduri Annapurnayya and also with Rallapalli Achutaramiah a scholar of high repute. Both have influenced his way of thinking.  

His father died when he was in school and he was taken into the care of his uncle Rama Krishnam Raju who was a Tehsildar of Narsapur in West Godavari District. He studied at Taylor High School in Narsapur and then shifted to Tuni along with his brother and sister. From here he travelled in the Visakhaptanam District and became familiar with the problems of the tribal people living there.

When he was 15 years old he joined Mrs AVN College at Visakhaptnam which is the native place of his mother. He dropped out of college after failing in the 4^th Form (9^th class). Though he was not interested in studies he showed a keen interest in the political situation in India at that time.

Following the death of his father, his schooling got disrupted and he went on a pilgrimage and toured the Western, Northern, North-Western, and North-Eastern India during his teens. The social-economic conditions in the country under the British regime, particularly in the tribal areas, deeply moved him. During these journeys, he met revolutionaries in Chittagong (now in Bangladesh).

Sitarama Raju made up his mind to build a movement against the British. He made Adivasi areas in the Eastern Ghats (the forest area along the Visakhapatnam and Godavari district) his home and decided to work for the Adivasis, who were living in abject poverty and being fleeced by police, forest and revenue officials, in 'Manyam' (forest area). He started working amongst them and helped them by educating them and providing medical help, using the basic knowledge he gained from his extensive travels. He decided to make this area the hub for his fight against the British.

He began to organise Adivasis against the atrocities by the police, the forest and revenue officials and extensively toured the'Manyam' area. He told them that they were the sole owners of the forest produce and prepared them to fight against the oppressive Madras Forest Act, 1882. A slew of initial successes to Sitaramaraju gave a lot of hope and confidence among the Adivasis and people in the surrounding villages and more and more of them began to rally behind Sitarama Raju.

He was so confident of the path he chose that he told a reporter (incidentally the only interview he ever gave to a reporter) that he could overthrow the British in two years time.

As he organised the tribals to defend their rights on the produce, he gained tremendous understanding of the terrain that had helped him in great deal in his future guerilla war against the British forces. He would appear at one place this moment and disappear in moment to appear somewhere else in no time, giving sleepless nights to the British forces.

Legends on his attacks and exploits on the police stations in the region have become part of the folklore of the region. He built a strong team of followers from the area, and a formidable guerilla army sporting traditional weapons like bow-and-arrow and spears and achieved number of successes against the British forces.

He learnt from the Adivasis, the time-tested methods of war and added his own tactics to put up a fight against the British. For example, his team used whistles and beatings of the drums to exchange messages amongst the revolutionaries. He soon realised that the traditional weaponry would be of no use against the heavily armed the British forces. He thought the best way is to snatch them from the enemy and launched attacks on police stations with lightning speed.

Sitaramaraju mounted a raid on 3 police stations on 3 consecutive days in August 1922. Chintapalli Police Station was raided on 22^nd, Krishnadevipeta PS on 23^rd and Rajavommangi PS on 24^th. A number of guns, swords and ammunition were obatined from these police stations. In the process his tribal army has also released the revolutionary Verayya Dora from detention.

Thereafter his army also raided Rampachodavaram, Dammanapalli, Addateegala, Narsipatnam and Annavaram Police Stations.   

All the attacks were concluded by a trademark letter signed by Raju himself, giving details of the booty in the station diary. Another hallmark of his attacks was that he would announce the date and time of the attack.

A large contingent of Reserve Police personnel from Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Parvatipuram and Koraput were rushed to these areas led by British officers. Two of the officers – Scot and Heiter were killed in battles with revolutionaries on September 24, 1922, and several others wounded.

The British Army got alerted and platoons of Police and Army were sent to capture Sitarama Raju. At Peddavalassa, Sitarama Raju attacked the British Army. The British were defeated during this battle and suffered heavy casualties and retreated. From that day onwards there was a regular warfare between his army and the Britishers. Sitarama Raju managed to hold the British during the fights and emerged victorious.

In December 1922, the Britsih deployed a company of Assam Rifles near Pegadapalle under Saunders. Sitaramaraju who has by then gone underground resurfaced after 4 months and continued the fight strengthened by tribal volunteers using bows and arrows under the leadership of Gam Mallu Dora and Gantam Dora.  

The Agency Commissioner J R Higgins had announced a prize of Rs 10,000 for Rama Raju's head and Rs 1,000 each on his lieutenants Gantam Dora and Mallu Dora . It deployed hundreds of soldiers from Malabar Special Police and the Assam Rifles, led by top British officers, to crush the movement. Officers like Sanders and Forbes were on the back foot several times as Raju dared them to stop him and his followers from carrying out certain attacks.

The British Government deputed the District Collector T G Rutherford to quell the movement. Rutherford resorted to violence and torture to get to know the whereabouts of Raju and his key followers.

Following a raid led by Sitarama Raju on the Annavaram police outpost on 18 September 1923, Gam Mallu Dora was arrested. Rutherford’s forces also arrested Pericherla Suryanarayana Raju also known as Aggiraju who was a devoted follower of Sitaramaraju.

The British campaign lasted for nearly a year from December 1922. Sitarama Raju was eventually trapped by the British in the forests of Chintapalli and then tied to a tree and shot dead with a rifle in Mampa village.Alluri Sitarama Raju's tomb is located at Krishnadevipeta.

Following the martyrdom of Alluri, the tribal revolt lost its momentum and petered out by October 1923. Police officer Mr. N. Gnaneswara Rao responsible for Raju's entrapment was awarded the title of Rao Bahadur. 

While describing the great exploits of Sitaramaraju it has to be made clear that what he resorted to was guerilla warfare in which he was very successful due to the familiarity of the terrain. There were no direct battles. However, the greatness of the man is evident from the fact that he dared to defy the mighty British Empire with a few hundred soldiers of tribal volunteers armed with bows and arrows and he was ready to lay down his life effortlessly for the cause he believed in.

Sitarama Raju was shot dead by the British at the age of 26. His selflessness and scant regard for his life make him truly great in the annals of the fight against the British.   

RACHAKONDA KINGDOM OF PADMANAYAKA VELAMAS

The Recharla chiefs came to political prominence only in the reign of the Kakatiyas, and they ruled an independent kingdom only after the fall of the Kakatiyas. They ruled from Rachakonda in Nalgonda district. It is one of the historically famous forts from Telengana.

                                                          RACHAKONDA FORT.

The sasanas describe the founder of the kingdom as Dachanaya also known as Eradachanaya. Velugotivari Vamsavali however, describes the earlier three generations and terms Bethala Reddy also known as Chevi Reddy as the founder of this dynasty. It appears unlikely as none of the kings who ruled Rachakonda had the name Reddy. It appears that this is a mistake which happened as the Vamsavali was compiled subsequently. During the time of Chevi Reddy, Pillalamarri was ruled by Reddi Mannis who are also of Recharla Gotra out of whom he was prominent. Even the Velamas are from Pillalamarri and Anumagallu area only.  

The first known Velamas of this line are Dama, Prasaditya and Rudranayakas. All these were in the service of the Kakatiyas under Ganapati Deva and of them Prasadityanayaka was the most prominent. After Ganapatideva’s death some Kakatiya senanis and samantas tried to prevent Rudrama Devi from coming to the throne. Prasaditynayaka then defeated them and made her ascend the throne. For this he is given the title “Kakatiyarajya Sthapanacharya” by Rudrama Devi.

Nothing is known about his brothers Damanayaka and Rudranayaka. Nothing is also known about Damanayakas sons Vennamanayaka and Sabbinayaka. In the Vamsavali it is mentioned that Vennamnayaka defeated a Muslim army.

Vennamanayakas son is Dachanayaka or Eradachanayaka with whom the Rachakonda kingdom begins. Dachanayaka had three sons Singama, Vennama and Yechama Nayakas. Dachanayaka and his son Singamanayaka were senanis of Prataparudra. When Prataparudra attacked the Pandyas at Kanchi in 1316 AD, Dachanayaka and Singamanayaka have shown great valor and helped the king in winning the battle. Prataparudra gave the title of “Panchpandyadala Vibhala” to Dachanayaka. He probably died in the battle of Orugallu with the Muslims in 1323 AD.    

When the various Andhra Kings united under Musunuri Kapayanayaka in 1335 AD to fight the Muslims, Singamanayaka was also subservient to him but when the Muslim danger was stemmed, as everyone else had done, he had also started building a kingdom for himself. 

When Kapanayaka was fighting the Bahamanis Singama defeated all the nayakas of the Southern Andhra and extended his kingdom upto river Krishna. He also wanted to extend his kingdom in the North and hence attacked Kapayanaka. As per the Vamsavali he defeated Kapayanaka. This, however did not appear to have yielded him much benefit because as per the Pillalamarri sasanam of Kapayanaka in 1357 AD, Kapayas kingdom stretched right upto Pillalmarri. Singamanayaka attacked Jallipalli fort with an intention to increase his kingdom further but was killed by the ruling Somavamsa Kshatriyas by treachery.

Singamanayaka had two sons Anapotanayaka and Madanayaka. When they heard about the death of their father, they marshalled their forces and attacked Jallipalli fort in 1361 AD., and killed the Somavamsa Kshatriyas as well as their supporters. At that time their capital appears to have been Anumagallu. Anapotanayaka shifted the capital from Anumagallu to Rachakonda and built a strong fort there.

Anapotanayaka and Madanayaka did not stop with the killing of the Somakula Kshatriyas and went after the remaining kingdoms like Reddimannis and Telugunayakas which supported them.

The Vamsavali mentions various victories obtained by the brothers. Many of these places are on the Southern bank of the Krishna in the Guntur, Kurnool and Nellore areas. There is evidence that they came to the southern side of the Krishna, won the battle with the local kings and obtained control of the Srisailam area. In a book called Rasarnava Sudhakaramu it is mentioned that  Anapotanayaka constructed steps for Sriparvata  and is described as ruling the area between the Vindhyas and Srisailam. While occupying the Srisailam area only they had a conflict with the Kondaveeti Reddy chiefs. At that time Srisailam was under the Reddimannis. As per the Vamsavali Madanayaka and his uncles son Naganayaka defeated Anapota Reddy near Dharanikota. Although victorious Dharanikota did not fall into Anapotanayakas hands. This is the first conflict between the Velama chiefs and the Reddy chiefs. From this time onwards uptill the end of the Kondaveedu Reddy kingdom, this rivalry did not abate.

After this southern conquest Anapotanayaka attacked the Orugallu kingdom of Kapayanaka which was already weakened by the attacks of the Bahamani kingdom. The battle took place at Bhimavaram in Warangal district and the Recharla chiefs emerged victorious. Kapayanayaka was killed in the battle and Anapotanayaka got the control of the kingdom. This must be around 1369 AD in which the Ainavolu sasanam of Anapotanayaka describes him in possession of  Tribhuvanagiri(Bhongir), Orugallu and Singavaram forts. With this victory his kingdom stretched upto Godavari in the North, Srisailam in the South, Bahamani kingdom in the West, and Kondaveedu in the East.

Looking to the excellent relations these kings had with the Bahamani Empire, it is possible that the Bahamanis have helped them in their war against Kapayanayaka. After sometime Anapotanayaka made his brother king at Devarakonda and divided the kingdom for administrative convenience. Devarakonda was subservient to Rachakonda. Anapotanayaka attacked the Kalinga kingdom in 1380 AD. This is known by his Simhachalam sasanam. The Vamsavali however is silent on this. Anapotanayaka ruled upto around 1384 AD.

After Anapotanayaka his son Singamanedu II ascended the throne of Rachakonda. He is also known as Kumara Singabhupaludu. Before coming to the throne he captured the fort of Kalyani in Gulbarga district. It appears that he went to Karnataka to help the Bahamani kings and took this fort during the campaign.

In the early days of Sighabhupala’s reign, the Vijayanagara kings took Srisailam and marched against Rachakonda. The Vijayanagara sasanam in Tumkur district dated 1384 AD states that the king of Vijayanagara Harihara Devaraya II, sent his son Vira Bukkaraya against Orugallu. The Bahamani sultan then laid siege to Kottakonda in Mahabubnagar district (possibly taken earlier by the Vijayanagara forces) and one of the Vijayanagara commanders Saluva Ramadevaraya died in the battle. As per the sasana the sultan has done this to protect his samantas who owed allegiance to him. It appears from the sasana that the Vijayanagara forces were defeated.

The reason for this aggression by Vijayanagara is unknown but Ziauddin Barani mentions that Kapayanaka and Harihararaya (the founder of the Vijayanagara kingdom) are related. Although this may not be certain they may have been closely associated with each other and Kapayanayakas defeat, coupled with the leanings the Rachakonda kings had shown towards the Bahamani kings precipitated the attack.

In 1387 AD, Kumara Singha Bhupala has attacked the Gowtami banks area via Southern Kalinga which was in his possession. As per his Simhachala sasanam he scored a number of victories in the area which was lying in the Kondaveedu kingdom at that time. With this campaign the authority of the Reddys was extinguished in the southern Kalinga.

The Vijayanagara king Hariharadevaraya did not forget his defeat at the hands of the Rachakonda kingdom and the Bahamanis. In 1397 he declared a war against the Bahamani kingdom and as per his Vijayanagara sasana, one of the Vijayanagara senanis, Gunda Dandadhinadha inflicted a defeat on Siaf Khan and Fateh Khan.

To reduce the pressure on the Bahamani forces Singhabhupala sent Ramachandranayaka, the son of Vedagirinayaka to attack the area of the Vijayanagara kingdom on the banks of river Krishna. Ramachandranayaka crossed the Krishna river, entered Kurnool and started plundering it whereupon he was attacked by the Vijayanagara armies near Bandikanuma. Ramachndranayaka emerged victorious in this battle.

Now Harihara II sent his son Bukkaraya to attack Ramachndranayaka. Bukka then defeated Ramachandranayaka and drove him out of the Vijayanagara kingdom. He then entered the Rachakonda kingdom and plundered it. It appears that the victories enumerated in the Vamsavali attributed to  Anapotanayaka son of  Singhabhupala and Ramachandranayaka and Madanayaka the sons of Pedavedagirinayaka seem to have taken place during this campaign. Although both sides claimed victory in this campaign, it appears that Vijayanagara kingdom had been victorious in this battle.

Bukkaraya took his armies crossed the Krishna and attacked the Panugallu fort in Devarakonda kingdom. The Bahamani armies immediately came to the rescue of Panugallu. In this campaign, Pedavadagirinayaka’s son Kumaramadanayaka has defeated Era Krishnaraya and Pandadadhisa as per the Vamsavali. In this Era Krishnaraya besieged Devarakonda. Although he was defeated, Bukkaraya scored a victory and secured the Panugallu fort in 1397 AD. In this campaign the son of Bukkaraya Anantabhupala had shown great valor. A few days after the Panuganti war Kumara Singhabhupala died.

After Singhabhupala his son Immadi Anapotanayaka came to the throne in 1399 AD. He is also known as Kumara Anapotanayaka and Pinnamanayaka. He is a contemporary of the Bahamani sultan Firoz Shah. The burden of saving his kingdom from Bukkaraya fell on him. As per Velugotivari Vamsavali he saved 10,000 people from Metuku (Medak) Fort. It is possible that Bukkaraya went up to Medak fort victorious and laid seize to it and Anapotanayaka relieved and saved the garrison during this campaign.

A number of victories were attributed to him by the Vamsavali. It appears that on the side of Bahamani sultan Anapotanayaka scored a number of victories against the Kondaveedu and Rajahmundry reddy kings and also Vijayanagara kings. It is probable that the Raya supposed to have been stopped by him is Devaraya I.

Contemporary to Anapotanayaka Devarakonda was ruled by Kumara Madanayaka and Ramachandranayaka, the sons of Pedavedagirinayaka. Annadevachoda took refuge in Devarakonda during Pedavedagirinayaka’s reign. Kumara Madanayaka gave him an army and sent him via Kalinga to regain his kingdom. However, this army was defeated by Chalukya Vishveshwara Bhupati a tributory king of the Gangas in 1402 AD. After this Kumara Madanayaka proceeded with an army to help Annadevachoda. It is possible that the victory attributed to him over the Rajahmundry Reddy kings took place during this campaign.

Anapotanayaka mounted a successful campaign in 1417 AD against Panugallu. During the campaign the Bahamani sultan Tajuddin Ferozshah laid siege to Panugallu. At that time Panugallu was under the Vijayanagara kings. The Velamanayakas also went along with their armies to help Ferozshah, but during the campaign their relations soured. Seeing the opportunity Devaraya I negotiated with the Velamanayakas and turned them into his favor. During a fierce battle at Panagallu fort the Velamanayakas like Anapotanayaka came over to the side of Devaraya along with their armies. Due to this Ferozshah ‘s assumed victory turned into defeat and he could barely escape and reach his capital Gulbarga.  Anapotanayaka died during this battle in 1421 AD.

After Anapotanayaka, his brother Madanayaka came to the throne in 1421 AD.,probably because Anapotanayaka’s eldest son Singamanayaka was too young to assume charge. Madanayaka and his relations maintained a rivalry with the Bahamani kings and tried to destroy their kingdom. In the war of 1424 AD.between Devaraya II and sultan Ahmedshah who ruled the Bahamani kingdom with Bidar as his capital, Madanayaka helped the Vijayanagara kings. Due to this after signing a truce with Devaraya II, sultan Ahmedshah declared a war on Telengana in 1425 AD. and sent Azimkhan to besiege Orugallu. Azim Khan was victorious in the war. After this Azim Khan also attacked a number of forts under the Velama Kings and emerged victorious. The Rachakonda kings finally had to sign a truce with Ahmad Shah, the ruler of the Bahamani kingdom. When Ahmad Shah was immersed in a war with the Sultan of Gujarat, the Rachakonda kings recovered all their lost forts.

After Madanayaka his brother Anapotanayaka’s son  Mummadi Singamanayaka came to the throne. He ruled from 1430 AD. onwards. From his time, the Rachakonda and Devarakonda kingdoms fell into decline and  by 1433 AD., the forts of Rachakonda and Orugallu were taken over by the Bahamani Sultan. Only Devarakonda remained in the Padmanayaka’s hands.  

After his war with the Sultan’s of Malwa and Gujarat, Ahmad Shah again attacked the Rachakonda kingdom in 1433 AD. and emerged victorious. In Devarakonda, the contemporary of Mummadi Singhabhupala was the son of Kumara Madanayaka, known as Lingamanayaka. Lingamanedu was very valiant in battle and at the age of 12 years itself, he led the forces and fought a battle. The Vamsavali attributes a lot of victories to him, but many of them could not be confirmed. However, it is certain that Lingamanedu’s attack on the Rajamahendravaram Reddy kingdom weakened and destroyed it. The Padmanayakas of Rachakonda and Devarakonda supported the Bahamani Sultan’s for sometime, the Vijayanagara kings for sometime and the Gajapati’s of Orissa for sometime and fought with their respective enemies.

After 1433 AD., the Rachakonda and Devarakonda kingdoms disappeared and only some forts remained in the Padmanayaka’s control. They then sought the help of the Gajapati’s of Orissa for regaining their kingdom. Kapileswara Gajapati of Orissa attacked the Telengana areas of the Bahamani kingdom, but was defeated by the Bahamani Sultan, Allauddin. In 1435 AD, the Rachakonda area was given by the Sultan to his brother Mohammed Khan. The Padmanayakas then supported Sikander Khan in his rebellion against the Bahamani Sultan Humayun Shah.

Humayun Shah marched against Sikander Khan and killed him in battle. To punish the Padmanayakas who supported Sikander khan, he sent Kwaza Jahan and Nizam Ul Mulk. They raised an army of 20,000 cavalry, 40 elephants and innumerable foot soldiers and laid seize to Devarakonda fort, which was under the Padmanayakas.

The Padmanayakas then sent a message to Kapileswara Gajapati of Orissa appealing for his help and also promising him a large amount of money. The Gajapati then sent his son Hamviradeva (known to Muslims as Ambar Roy) along with a huge force to help the Padmanayakas and also to release Telengana from the control of the Bahamani Sultan. When Hamviradeva’s forces attacked the Bahamani forces from the rear, Singamanayaka and Lingamanayaka came out from the fort and attacked the Bahamani forces from the front. The Bahamani forces were caught in between and suffered a humiliating defeat. Kwaja Jahan and Nizam Ul Mulk somehow escaped from the battlefield. When Humayun Shah came to know of the defeat, he becme enraged and killed Nizam Ul Mulk and imprisoned Kwaja Jahan.

The Bahamani Sultan then assigned the work to Mohammed Gawan, his minister. This was beyond Mohammed Gawan and the Muslim forces suffered one defeat after another in the hands of Hamviradeva and the Padmanayakas. One fort after another fell to them. They took Rachakonda, Bhuvanagiri and finally Orugallu around 1461 AD. Mummadi Singamanayaka’s brother Rao Dharmanayaka became the king of Orugallu. However, now Padmanayakas lost their independence and became the tributaries of the Gajapatis of Orissa.

After the death of the Bahamani Sultan Humayun Shah, Nizam Shah became the Bahamani Sultan. He again tried to recover the Telengana areas from the Padmanayakas, but again Kapileswara Gajapti sent his armies which inflicted a defeat on the Bahamani forces and came near the capital Bidar. Then one Amirzada Muhibullah scored a tactical victory over the Gajapati forces, as a result of which Bidar could be saved. This is however, not a complete victory and the Orugallu kingdom remained under the Padmanayakas.

As long as Kapileswara Gajapati was alive, the Bahamanis could not conquer the Orugallu kingdom and it remained with the Padmanayakas. He died around 1470 AD. The Bahamani Sultan, then sent Malik Nizam Ul Mulk Bahri to conquer Telengana. This man not only took the forts in Telengana, but also Kondaveedu and Rajamahendravaram forts and occupied all of Telengana. The Orugallu kingdom was given by the Sultan to Azim Khan. This happened around 1475 AD. The Recherla kingdom is thus over and the Padmanayakas joined the court of Hampi Viajayanagar.