Wanaparthy Samsthanam or Raja of Wanaparthy was a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

of the

Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

. He controlled the feudatory of Wanaparthy. It was one of the three important samsthanams, the other two being

Gadwal Samsthanam Gadwal Samsthanam was a vassal of the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was once part of Raichur district (though it is now Gadwal in Jogulamba Gadwal district). It was one of the three important samsthanams, the other two being Wanaparthy Samsthanam an ...

and Jatprole Samsthanam.

History

Wanaparthy Samsthanam traces its history back to the 14th century after the Kakatiya kingdom declined. The successive Turkic Muslim dynasties, who invaded and settled in Deccan, found it ideal for Samsthanam to prevail. It was surrounded by three other Samsthanams. Wanaparthy was one of the 14 major Zamindari segments in Telangana in Post-Independent India. For administrative purposes the Samsthan was divided into two ''talukas'' namely "sugar" and "Kesampet" under to Tahsildars. 1512 - 1540 AD : Raja Veera Krishna Reddy 1540 - 1566 AD : Raja Venkata Reddy 1566 - 1592 AD : Raja Rama Krishna Reddy 1592 - 1625 AD : Raja Pedds Venkata Reddy 1625 - 1648 AD : Raja Inunidi Venkata Reddy 1648 - 1676 AD : Raja Gopal Rao 1676 - 1691 AD : Raja Bahiri Gopal Rao 1691 - 1719 AD : Raja Venkata Reddy 1719 - 1746 AD : Raja Bahiri Gopal Rao 1746 - 1763 AD : Raja Sawai Venkata Rao 1763 - : Raja Bahiri Gopal Rao 1781 AD : Rani Janamma 1781 - 1807 AD : Rani B. Janamma 1807 - 1822 AD : Raja Ramkrishna Rao I 1822 - 1866 AD : Raja Rameshwar Rao I , on 17 March 1843, the title of "Balwant" was conferred on the Raja as a mark of honour by 3rd Nizam Sikander Jah. To build an armed force, Raja imported Siddis from Somalia and Abyssinia and organized them into 2 regiments African Bodyguard and Wanaparthy Lancers. On account of skirmishes and conflicts between Rajas forces and Nizams the British residency intervened and arranged a treaty by which the Raja presented his regiments to Nizam and was appointed as inspector general of Nizams forces and Nizam accepted Rajas autonomy. The Hyderabadi battalion of the Bison Division was formed on 5 November 1853. The Nizam had appointed the Raja as inspector of his army and after the Raja's death in 1866, the battalion was absorbed into the Nizam's Army and became its nucleus. 1866 - 1880 AD : Raja Ramkrishna Rao II 1880 - 1922 AD : Raja Rameshwar Rao III , he was adopted from a family in Rangapuram that traditionally supplied adoptive heirs to the royal family; married and had issue. He died on 22 November 1922, being survived by two sons. 1922 - 1944 AD : Raja Krishna Deva Rao As his successor, Krishna Dev, was a minor, his estate was managed as a Ward of the Court. Krishna Dev himself died before attaining majority and the crown passed on to his son Rameshwar Rao III. 1944 - 1998 AD : Janumpally Rameshwar Rao III Thereafter India abolished all regal titles He was born on 23 February 1923 in Madras to Raja Krishnadeva Rao and Rani Sarala Devi. He studied at Nizam College, Hyderabad, Madras University and Bombay University. 1944 : He was granted full administrative powers in 1944. 1950 - 1957 : Joined the Foreign Service and served in various capacities till 1957, including a posting as First Secretary, India's Commission in Nairobi. 1957 –1977 : Member of Parliament from Mahabhubnagar Constituency Member of the United Nations Conciliation Commission on the Congo 1960/1961; Chairman of Orient Longman 1964/1968 He died at the age of 75 years in Hyderabad on 15 September 1998. He is survived by wife Shanta, one son and three daughters.

The Vassal Family

Raja Rameshwar Rao II, who was a vassal of the Nizam of Hyderabad, died on 22 November 1922. As his successor, Krishna Dev, was a minor, his estate was managed as a Ward of the Court. Krishna Dev himself died before attaining majority and the crown passed on to his son Rameshwar Rao III, later to become simply J. Rameshwar Rao. With the surname 'Janampalli', Ramdev Rao was the youngest son of the Raja of Wanaparthy. He had an older sister, Janamma, and elder brother Krishna Dev. The family roots have spread around

Mahbubnagar district Mahabubnagar district is a district in the Indian state of Telangana. Mahabubnagar is the district headquarters which is popularly known as Palamoor. The district shares boundaries with Narayanapet, Vikarabad, Rangareddy, Nagarkurnool, Wanap ...

Jadcherla Jadcherla is a census town in Mahbubnagar district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Jadcherla mandal in Mahbubnagar revenue division. In 2011, it was upgraded from village to a census town, along with 11 other villages. It is ...

and nearby talukas. Kingdom of Hyderabad first Hindu Kotwal

Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy (22 August 1869 – 25 January 1953) was a police officer who served as the Commissioner of Police of the Hyderabad City Police. He was the first Hindu Kotwal of Hyderabad State, as in the late 19th and early 20 ...

was a Grand Nephew of the Raja of Wanaparthy. Raja Ramdev Rao has said that he didn't have much interaction with his father – it was quite a formal relationship – and he only replied to him when spoken to.

Contributions to architecture

Raja Rameshwar Rao left behind a grand legacy of structures constructed during his reign. 1885 constructed Wanaparthy Palace, Sarala Sagar Project is the second biggest dam in Asia with siphon technology. It is the oldest project in India after independence Raja of Wanaparthy Raja Rameshwara Rao founded by the Sarala Sagar Dam Project that has incorporated siphon technology from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States.

Armed forces

The early Rajas maintained an army numbering 2000 infantry and 2000 cavalry. The time the kingdom fell into the ambit of the powerful Hyderabad State, until Wanaparthy's armed forces were absorbed into the Hyderabad Army as the Bison battalion on the orders of Nizam of Hyderabad. The ruler was relegated from commander to the honorary post of Inspector of the Bison battalion. Subsequent to the Hyderabad State’s merger with the Indian Union in 1948, all units of the

Hyderabad State Forces The Hyderabad State Forces were the armed forces of the princely state of Hyderabad. People from both India and abroad were recruited into the Forces. Among these groups were Arab nationals like Chaush and African nationals like Siddi's who no ...

were disbanded and volunteers absorbed into the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

. These units, colloquially known as the "Hyderabadis" had, for that time, a unique mixed class composition.

References

{{Reflist Hyderabad State Mahbubnagar district Wanaparthy district

History

The Vassal Family

Contributions to architecture

Armed forces

See also

References