Raja of Papannapet or Papannapet Samsthanam was

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 ...

Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...

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 was part of the undivided

Medak Medak, formerly known as Siddapuram, is a town in Medak district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Medak mandal in Medak revenue division. Etymology and History Medak was originally named ''Met ...

district of

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

state. The rulers of this Samsthanam had marital relations with famous Gadwal Samsthanam. Popular rulers of Samsthanam were Rai Bagan Maharani Shankaramma and Raja Sadashiva Reddy.

History

Erstwhile Papannapet Samsthanam covered almost entire undivided Medak district. In the history it was said as part of Andhol Rajyam with 24 paraganas (administrative units) and was ruled by the princess Rai Bagan Maharani Shankaramma, daughter of Sanga Reddy and Rajamma. She was born in 1702 at Gaudicherla Village. The ruler of Papannapet Samsthanam Ramadurga Venkata Narasimha Reddy (1720–1760) married her for her bravery. After the demise of Raja Narasimha Reddy in 1760, the power of Samsthanam went into the hands of Rani Lingayamma II (1760–1764) with the prevailing political situations. When the

peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

(prime minister) of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

invaded Nizam's territory, Rani Shankaramma countered them, for which she was honoured with the title Rai Bagan (Royal Tigress) and was restored to power as Rani of Samsthanam in 1764. She then built Sangareddi, named after her father Sanga Reddy Rajampet, named after her mother Rajamma. She was also credited with the building of Shankarampet after her name and Papannapet, named after Merelli Papanna. She adopted Sadashiva Reddy who married Parvathi Devi, daughter of Gadwal Samsthanam ruler Somanatha Bhupala. Sadashivapet was named after her adopted son, Raja Sadashiva Reddy. Rani Shankaramma died in 1774. Papannapet Samsthanam, which was already in legal disputes by the early 20th century after the death of Raja Durga Reddy, was merged into Hyderabad State in 1948, during the rule of Raja Ramachandra Reddy Bahadur. In the history Rani Shankaramma was compared with Rani Ahilya Bai and

Rani Rudrama Devi Rudrama Devi (reigned 1262–November 1289), also known by her regnal name Rudra-deva Maharaja, was a Kakatiya Queen regnant who ruled substantial parts of present-day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in southern India. She was among the few su ...

by historians for her administrative skills and valour. She was credited with agricultural development such as constructing ponds and was regarded as a social reformer for her act of making Neerudi Papanna, a

dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

, as commander. Many folkloric stories were sung describing her valour. Historians such as B. N. Shastri said that Papannapet Samsthanam history is clearly recorded from the rule of Rani Shankaramma. Suravaram Prathapa Reddy mentioned Rani Shankaramma and Raja Sadashiva Reddy in the journal '' Golconda Patrika''. Chidire Lakshmana Shastri, who was the Raja purohit of Samsthanam, published the history of Samsthanam, titled ''Medak Rajula Charitra'' (1979–1980) by gathering information from books such as ''Maa Poorva Vamshavali'' by Rani Lingayamma, ''Maa Vamsha Charitra'' written in Urdu by Raja Venkata Narasimha Reddy, ''Maa Samsthana Charitra'', ''Lingayamma Charitra'' by Venkatadwari, Tirumalacharya's ''Shaurya Rajya Vamshavali'', ''Shrimajjoginatha Charitra'' by Mudigonda Ramakrishna Kavi. Mudunga Ranga Krishnamacharyulu wrote ''Andhol-Jogipet'' (2006–2007) and ''Shauryaveerya Reddy Thrayam'' (2012) describing the Samsthanam. The history of Samsthanam is in circulation under the names "Andhol Rajula Charitra", "Medak Rajula Charitra", and "Rangampeta Charitra".

References

Hyderabad State Medak district {{Telangana-geo-stub

History

See also

References