Bobbili Estate was a Zamindari in the Vizagapatam District of the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

, presently in the

Vizianagaram district Vizianagaram district is one of the six districts in the Uttarandhra region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with its headquarters located at Vizianagaram. The district was once the part of ancient Ka ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It comprises 153 Jeroyati villages, 53 Agraharams, 5 Mokhasas by 1907 and a revenue of 8,33,000/- by 1938. It is one of the most influential

Zamindari A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous Indian feudalism, feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian language, Persian was the offi ...

. It is spread over 300 square miles. It also bought shares in many estates like

Kirlampudi Kirlampudi is a village in Kakinada district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Kirlampudi mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It i ...

, Dontamuru etc. It prospered in the period of

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

History

The Zamindars of this estate belong to the

Venkatagiri estate The Venkatagiri estate was an estate in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. It was located in the Nellore district of the present-day Andhra Pradesh. The town of Venkatagiri was the administrative headquarters. History Medieval times The kingdom wa ...

Royal family. The 21st descendant of the Venkatagiri Estate owners named Pedda Rayudu. During the campaign of Shere Mohammad Khan,

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

of chicacole to the circar districts, Pedda Rayudu accompanied him and proved his valour for which he was awarded the title, Ranga Rao as hereditary title and Rajam Hunda for lease. The

Zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

built a new fort and named the place

Bobbili Bobbili is a town in Vizianagaram district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Geography Bobbili is located at . It has an average elevation of 103 metres (337 feet). History The town of Bobbili was founded during the 17th c ...

(originally Bebbuli which means Tiger or Sher). They were continuously in fight with Vizianagaram Rajah's which led to the

Battle of Bobbili The Battle of Bobbili, comprising the attack on the fort of Bobbili on 24 January 1757, was a significant event in the princely state of Vizianagaram (present day Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh). Gen. Tandra Paparayudu gained the sobr ...

Battle of Bobbili

The battle of Bobbili The Battle of Bobbili, comprising the attack on the fort of Bobbili on 24 January 1757, was a significant event in the princely state of Vizianagaram (present day Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh). Gen. Tandra Paparayudu gained the sob ...

in 1757, is a significant episode in the history of the region. It was between

Vizianagaram Vizianagaram, also known as Vijayanagaram, is a city and the headquarters of the Vizianagaram district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the Eastern Ghats, about west of the Bay of Bengal and north-northeast of Visakhapa ...

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

General

Marquis de Bussy Charles Joseph Patissier, Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau (8 February 1718 or 8 February 1720 – 7 January 1785) or Charles Joseph Patissier de Bussy was the Governor General of the French colony of Pondicherry from 1783 to 1785. He served with dis ...

against Bobbili. The army of Bobbili faced the Vizianagaram-French allies with tremendous valour but lost the war and the heir evaded from the battlefield. He later re-established the territory during the British reign.

During British Reign

This estate prospered during the British reign. They paid a peskash of 89,774/- by 1877. They got the hereditary tile of

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

and Personal distinction of Maharaja.

Relations

The Zamindars of Bobbili are closely related to the

Nuzvid Estate Nuzvid Zamindari is one of the ancient Zamindari of the Madras Presidency. It comprises nearly about 288 villages or 18 paraganas. It pays a peskash of 95,443/-. It is further divided into Vuyyuru, Mirzapuram, Kapileswarapuram and other estate ...

Raja's through marital alliances.

Pithapuram Estate Pithapuram Zamindari was a Zamindari in the East Godavari district of Madras Presidency. In 1802, Pithapuram was overshadowed by the renowned Peddapuram estate. But, in 1843, all other villages of Peddapuram were lost except Kottam and they wer ...

, Pinapenki and Jetprole royal families are very closely related to

Royal family as they all claim their descent from the same ancestor.

References

{{Reflist Zamindari estates History of Andhra Pradesh Madras Presidency

History

Battle of Bobbili

During British Reign

Relations

Further reading

References