బొబ్బిలి యుద్ధం

 

The Bobbili Jamindari is currently located in the Vijayanagaram District of AP. When the Battle of Bobbili took place it was a part of the composite Visakhapatnam District in the Madras Presidency.

It consisted the Paraganas of Bobbili, Rajam, Kaviti and Sitanagaram. The Jamindari along with other estates had an area of 480 Sq.Km. and included 202 Jerayati Villages, 70 Agraharams and 6 Mokhasas.

It had land revenue of about Rs 5,00,000 and the Peshcush was Rs 95,315 and the land cess was Rs 32,467 in the year 1907. The average rate of rent per acre of wetland was Rs 7.50 and that of dry land Rs 2 per year. The population of Bobbili Jamindari was 1,58,506 as per the 1901 census with Bobbili itself being a small town with about 15000 population.

The estate had 1725 tanks for irrigation and irrigation channels connected to the rivers Janjhavati, Vegavati and Nagavali.

The founder of Bobbili was the 15^th descendant of the Venkatagiri Raja family. In the year 1652 Sher Mohammed Khan, the Nawab of Chicacole (Srikakulam) marched against Visakhapatnam on behalf of the Mughal Emperor. He was then accompanied by Nirvana Rayappa also known as Peda Rayudu the 15^th descendant of the Venkatagiri family as well as Madhava Varma the ancestor of the Vijayanagaram family.

In recognition of the meritorious service rendered by Peda Rayudu to the Nawab of Chicacole, the Moghul Emperor made a grant of the Rajam estate to him. The Emperor also conferred the title of Raja Bhadaur to Peda Rayudu. Peda Rayudu built a fort in the estate and called that area Bebbuli in the name of his Chief Sher Khan which name was later corrupted to “BOBBILI”.

After Peda Rayudu his son Lingappa came to the throne. One day the son of the Nawab Sher Mohammed Khan went on a hunting expedition when some rebels kidnapped him near Rangavaka near Palasa in the Ganjam district. Peda Rayudu in turn attacked the rebels and got the Nawab’s son freed from their captivity. Impressed by the act the Moghul Emperor conferred the title of Rangarao on him.

Now the Rajas of Vijayanagaram and Bobbili always had a running feud. We cannot really pinpoint an exact reason for this. The lands of the Vijayanagaram estate were far more extensive than those of Bobbili and it had a population of 20,00,000 in comparision to the 158,000 of Bobbili. Not only that, the Raja of Vijayanagram is the largest of the Jamindar or Raja in coastal Andhra Pradesh. The lands of Bobbili lay adjoining those of Vijayanagaram. The Bobbili people diverted water from the canals for which Vijayarama Raju could not retaliate. Robert Orme the famous Biritish Historian wrote this in 1807, but what is puzzling is that why Vijayarama Raju with his far superior treasury and troops could not repel them. 

Vijayaramaraju sent an army to capture Narayanapatnam under Sagi Narayanaraju but this army had to pass through the Bobbili territory and the Bobbili forces harassed the Vijayanagaram forces and did not allow it. Later Vijayaramaraju built the Belagam fort near Parvathipuram and occupied Narayanapatnam. Thereafter he made an attack on Bobbili but was defeated. A third attempt to take Bobbili under Pusapati Ramachandraraju also resulted in a defeat for the Vijayanagarm forces. Now after all these efforts why Vijayaramaraju failed is surprising considering his far superior monetary as well as troop resources.

So Vijayarama Raju was waiting for an opportune moment to attack Bobbili and take it. As providence would have it, he was presented an opportunity by the French General Bussy. The French installed Salabatjung, the third son of the Nizam as the Nizam of Hyderabad and in gratitude Salabatjung ceded the Northern Circars in coastal Andhra to the French with an authority to receive the Peshcush.

In 1756 the disorderly behaviour and non-payment of peshcush by the Jamindars led the French General Marquis De Bussy along with troops of about 1000 in number of which only 250 were Europeans to the Circars. They had at their disposal 4 canon. He camped at Rajahmundry and all the Jamindars including Vijayarama Raju went and paid their respects to him. The Raja of Bobbili alone did not do so which angered Bussy.

The Raja of Vijayanagaram grabbed the opportunity and bribed Hyder Jung the representative of the Nizam sent along with Bussy with a large sum of money to turn him against the Raja of Bobbili and convince Bussy. He finally got Bussy convinced that the Raja of Bobbili had no respect for Bussy and was willingly not paying the peshcush and if Bobbili was handed over to him he would regularly remit the peshcush to the French.

When a contingent of French sepoys was to transverse the Bobbili territory with the prior permission of Bobbili, they were secretly attacked by the Vijayanagaram forces and 30 of them were killed and the blame was thrown on the Bobbili people. 

Ibrahim Khan, the French fouzdar of Srikakulam rebelled against the French, fled to Bobbili and took refuge. These incidents enraged Bussy and Vijayarama Raju managed to effectively  convince Bussy with the active help of Hyder Jung, and instigated Bussy to attack Bobbili and placed his 11000 troops at his disposal for carrying out the task.

At that time the 6^th Raja of Bobbili was on the throne with the name Rao Gopalakrishna Ranga Rao.

The Raja of Vijayanagaram joined the French with 11,000 troops when they already had 1000 troops including 250 Europeans and 750 Sepoys to assist him in disciplining Bobbili. Thus including his troops the French had 12,000 men along with 4 cannon. In turn the Raja of Bobbili had a mere 400 men to defend his mud fort.

Bussy promised the Raja of Bobbili an equally valuable land elsewhere and asked that he should vacate his estate, but the Raja considered that an insult and flatly refused the offer.

The Raja of Bobbili anticipated the attack from the French and his brother in law Tandra Paparayudu who is a warrior of great valour encamped at Rajam Fort which is on way to Bobbili 40 Km away with a contingent of soldiers to deter, harass and demoralize them. However the French soldiers did not attack Rajam and with the help of Vijayarama Raju bypassed it without the knowledge of Tandra Paparayudu.

The French attack on Bobbili was one of the most amazing battles in Indian history. It was fought with tremendous odds. Bussy divided the army into 4 sections with one cannon to each of the sections with about 3000 soldiers in each section. As against this only 75 Bobbili soldiers defended the fort on each side.

The attack commenced at daybreak when initially the 4 cannon opened fire on the 4 ramparts of the fort which are built with mud. The Fort was nothing substantial and is about 200 yards square. On receiving canon fire the ramparts immediately collapsed and breaches were made into the inside of the fort. Now the raja of Bobbili hardly had 250 men at his command in the fort. Double that number in the fort was the family members of the men numbering about 500.

Despite the overwhelming advantage of troops and the blistering initial attack by the cannons on the ramparts of the fort, for 4 hours the French troops could not get into the fort due to the fierce resistance that was put up by the Bobbili troops in hand to hand combat. Among the Bobbili troops each soldier fought unto death giving no quarter to the enemy and it became impossible for the French to get in. Then Bussy withdrew the army back in order to protect them and the French canon fired another volley to widen the breaches so that more troops could get in. Despite widening breeches that too resulted in no gain and another 5 hours of hand to hand fighting could not get the French troops into the fort.

The French troops withdrew and another round of artillery barrage was let loose again on the fort. In one of the canon barrages the Raja Gopalakrishna Rao himself fell to death. Before he died he realized that their resistance was hopeless and he ordered one Sardar and his soldiers to go to the living quarters and put all the women and children to death. Raja Gopalakrishna Rangarao did not want their families to fall into the hands of the French lest they commit some terrible acts on them. The Rani of the King immolated herself in a fire and all the rest of the women and children were killed but China Rangarao the Kings son was given to the safe keep of one old man which was totally against the Kings orders to the Sardar.  

Generally when a commander dies, the army fled the field in retreat. However, the Raja’s death seems to have enraged the soldiers further not to speak of the death of their own kin and they fought like wild beasts.

But the defenders now found their position to be hopeless against large odds and cannon. This drove them to desperation as they knew the fall of the fort was inevitable and with their families thus killed, the troops are now ready to completely sacrifice themselves and gave no quarter to the French troops despite the immense odds against them.  

Finally after very hard fighting, only by sunset the French troops could enter into the fort, and that too only because no Bobbili soldier was left standing and each and every defender had been killed or lying seriously wounded. Knowing about what happened in the Fort Bussy refused to enter the fort. The Raja’s younger brother Vengalarao was seriously lying wounded but survived.    

Then the old man into whose safekeeping China Ranagarao was delivered came to Bussy and in remorse for what he had done Bussy gave back the lands of the Bobbili Jamindari to China Ranga Rao under the guardianship of Vengalarao.

Tandra Paparayudu came to know about the battle only after the battle was over. Immediately he rushed back to Bobbili and the events that happened there shocked him. He was enraged and took a vow that he would kill Vijayarama Raju. 3 days after the event when the troops of Vijayanagram were sleeping in their tents, Tandra Paparayudu and one of his associates surreptitiously entered the tent of te sleeping Vijayarama Raju. He shouted to him “The Tiger of Bobbili had come wake up”. When Vijayarama Raju tried to get up both the intruders stabbed him 32 times and Tandra Paparayudu stated that he had done his duty. They were then shot by the troops who entered into tent.  

In Andhra Pradesh this story is very popular and even couple of movies had been made out of it. It represents desperate valour and an uncompromising stand on the principles of independence the Raja of Bobbili stood for despite unbeatable odds. He never cared for his life and finally died for the principles he believed in.