Suryapet district is a district in the Indian state of Telangana. The city of Suryapet is the district headquarters. The district has three revenue divisions Suryapet, Kodad and Huzurnagar. It is sub-divided into 23 mandals.
The district shares boundaries with Nalgonda, Khammam, Yadadri, Jangaon and Mahabubabad districts and with Andhra Pradesh state.
It is carved out from erst while Nalgonda district.
Part of Amangallu-70 (Suryapet) and Kondapalli-300 or Kondapallinadu (Huzurnagar) in olden times.
208 AD - c.320 AD : Ikshvakus or Ikshavakus of Vijayapuri came to power in Telangana after
Satavahanas.
Founder : Vashishthiputra Sri Santamula (Santamula I) Capitals : Vijayapuri (Nagarjunakonda).
Language : Sanskrit, Prakrit, Telugu
Religion : Hinduism, Budhism
Ikshvakus were originally feudatories of the Satavahanas and bore the title Mahatalavara.
Ikshvaku coins are also found at – Nagarjuna konda, Phanigiri, Nelakondapalli, Vaddemanu (Mahaboobnagar dist.), Eleshwara in Nalgonda district. This indicated the extent of their kingdom.
They had two subordinate and related families, the Pugiyas and Hiranyakas.
208 - c. 253 AD : Vasithiputra Sri Santamula (Santamula I)Chamtamula Maharaja. : 3rd century C.E. : Brahmi and Prakrit.
This fragmentary inscription found in Phanigiri in Suryapet district excavations is in Prakrit language and in Brahmi characters of 3rd century CE. It mentions Ikshvaku king Chamtamulamaharaja and Siritagissa and the date portion i.e. divasam 6.
c. 253 - c. 278 AD : Virapurushadatta
Ruled for at least 24 years, as he is attested by an inscription dated to his 24th regnal year.
An inscription dated to the 20th regnal year of Virapurushadatta mentions Chamtamula's death, dated in the vijayasamvacharra (273 A.D) 1 Padhama 2 divasa.
c. 278 - c. 302 A.D : Ehuvula Santamula (Santamula II)
c. 302 - c. 320 A.D : Rudrapurushadatta Phanigiri Inscription of Rudrapurushadatta in Suryapet District
Prakrit and Sanskrit.
The excavations have revealed remains of Stupa structure in a mound where excavations were conducted. At the foot of the mound there are two temples which are under worship. The relationship between these temples and the Buddhist structure and epigraphical remains is not clear.
The inscription under study consists of 10 lines of writing on one face of the pillar in which line-10 is unfortunately badly damaged. The inscribed area measures 39 cms X 74 cms. The text consists of 4 verses in Sanskrit, each verse being numbered from 1 to 4. The engraving of the record is neatly executed and, as stated above, but for the last line preservation is satisfactory.
Language of the inscription is Sanskrit in lines 1 to 7 while 8 to 10 are in Prakrit language. The writing abounds in orthographical peculiarities most noticeable of which is unnecessary doing of consonants, for example prakkhyata, Ruddra, aggra and so on. In line 8 the first word is dagdhani instead of dagdha̅ ni. In the first line there are two types of 3, one after the word paksha and the other after the word divasa.
The doubling of the consonants in words like chakkara (lines 4 and 8) reminds us of the same tendency of doubling of the consonant k in Gupta inscriptions. The inscription under study belongs to the reign of the Ikshvaku king Rudrapurushadatta and is dated in his 18th regnal year, the other details of date being Hemanta paksha (winter season) 3 and day (divasa) 3. There are two types of numerical figures for number 3 in this line, the first one after Hemanta paksha being horizontal 3 almost resembling modern Nagari 3 whereas the second figure 3 following the word divasam consists of 3 horizontal strokes and the same is repeated in line 6. Though the details are not enough for the firm dating of the inscription, on palaeographical grounds the inscription may be assigned to the middle of the 4th century A.D.
We already know a couple of Ikshvaku inscriptions which are in Sanskrit but clearly betraying Prakrit influence. The inscription under study is not only in Sanskrit language for the first eight lines but also contains four verses. This may be considered as the earliest Sanskrit poetic composition in the Ikshvaku kingdom. The four verses are of great poetic, historical and religious interest. Of the four verses the first one appears to be metrically defective. Of the four lines, the first line agrees well with the anushtubh metre while line 2 has eleven syllables. Line 3 also is in defective anushtubh metre while the last line has 9 syllables. Verses 2, 3 and 4 are in upajati. But the 3rd line of the fourth verses is metrically defective. The verses are of considerable religious interest. The first verse records the erection of a lofty dharma chakra(wheel of righteousness) by the chief physician of the Ikshvaku ruler Rudrapurushasatta who is lauded as of shining fame. Verse 2 the import of which is somewhat obscure refers to the destruction of the haughty Manmatha by the Lord having the bull for his banner (Siva). Verse 3 refers to the episode of the killing of the evil king Kamsa by the great lord Madhusudana (i.e., Vishnu). The last verse obviously refers to the Buddha rhetorically by comparing him with the illusory god of fire, who was given to deep contemplation and who had burnt down the forests of ignorance, jealousy, suffering through (dharmma) chakra.
As stated above, part of line 8 and lines 9 and 10 are in Prakrit. This position refers to a religious grant (details not clear) made by mahasenapati Saramenamdinaka in the same year (reg. year 18). Again it refers to the installation of some object (text worn out) by Bhadamta Dharmasena. The text ends with the last seven letters reading manuso loko iti with two dandas. This damaged portion possibly originally contained a benedictory passage invoking blessings on the world of human beings.
1040 AD - 1268 AD : Kandur Chodas
c.1040 - c.1065 : Eruva Bhima I
c.1065 - 1077 : Tonda I son of Eruva Bhima I
1077 AD - 1091 AD : Bhimachoda II son of Tonda I
Bhimachoda II sons are Tonda II and Mallikarjunachoda by his wife ganagadevi.
1088 AD - 1097 AD Tonda II son of Bhimachoda II
Udayachoda I, Bhimachoda III, Gokarnachoda I are the sons of Tonda II.
1097 AD - 1104 AD : Mahamandalesvara Mallikarjuna Choda Maharajulu brother of Tonda II
24th December A.D. 1097 : Vollala, Suryapet
This inscription is on a stone at the local tank bund near the Siva temple.
Damaged. The first side-describes the genealogy of the Kanduru Chola family, beginning with Karikala of the Solar race. Karikala is said to have built the embankments of the river Kaveri and the Dravida-panchaka nadi (?) matrika (irrigated by the rivers). Then there is a mention of Oraiyur, the ancient capital. Then, Choda Bhima, the lord of Panugallu, Tondabhupala, another Bhima who is said to have pleased the emperor by his prowess, and Choda Malla who gave an agrahara to the brahmanas are mentioned. Then there is a reference to a Vijayaditya Deva, who probably granted some land as devabhoga.
On another side of the inscription, it is stated that in C.V.22 Isvara, Jyeshtha su.7, Adityavara (S. 1019, Wednesday no: Sunday, 20th May A.D. 1097) while the Chalukya emperor Tribhuvanamalladeva was ruling, his subordinate Mahamandalesvara Mallikarjuna Choda Maharajulu granted a revadachenu 30 puttis in extent and other fields measured with Sanivarasiddhi-kola in Yendi palli abutting the boundary of Vollala included in the Amanakanti-kampana for havir-ball and archana of the god Kesavadeva installed by Golapati (Kulapati) Appanapeggada of Vollala, an agrahara in the middle of Amanagallu-70.
1104 AD - 1136 AD : Kumara Tailapa and
Govindarajulu
mahapradhana and dandanayaka Potayya
1120 AD - 1121 AD : Benna
1120-21 AD : Medlacheru, Huzurnagar
This inscription is on the ceiling of the (temple ?) near Patakota. The record seems to have been partly built in. It is in Sanskrit verse. Contains the names of devotees named Malla, Benna and Pota of Maphalya-gotra and Apastamba-sutra stated to be the sons of Neravoda- gamda and his wife Darambika. Benna, of the three brothers, is said to have constructed
5th November A.D. 1123 : Huzurnagar
This inscription is on a slab in the Siva Temple on the tank bund. The inscription opens with a Kannada verse praising Anantapala Pradhanadhisa, son of Krishnaraja, and the moon to the dvija-vamsa (brahman lineage). It states that, while the Chalukya emperor Tribhuvanamalladeva was ruling victoriously, the kingdom of the earth from the nelevidu of Kalyanapura. His subordinate Mahapradhana, Govindarajulu the nephew of Mahapradhana Banasaverggade, Anantapala dandanayaka, who was ruling Kondapalli-300, granted some land for the anga-bhoga, offerings and the lamp etc., of the god.
1123 AD : Huzurnagar
This inscription, engraved on a stone at the entrance of the Siva temple, is in Telugu language and characters. The record is dated Saka (A.D. 1123) and states that when the Chalukya king Tribhuvanamalla Deva was staying in his camp at Kalyanapura, mahapradhana and dandanayaka Potayya, and Govindarajulu were administrating Kondapalli-300 and made grants of lands for the worship, food-offerings and maintenance of perpetual lamp to the deity Kotsvaradeva on the occasion of Uttarayana-Sankranti. The gift is stated to have been entrusted to a certain Suri-nayaka.
1124 AD : Kondapallinadu was governed by the Chalukya general Govinda danda-nayaka the nephew (sister's son) of the famous Anantapāla-daṇḍa-nayaka.
1136 AD : As per Inscriptions in Hanumakonda Library. Established son of Gokarna on Throne. Prolla II is responsible for subduing the Telugu Cholas of Kandur who defeated King Govinda and gave his kingdom to Udayaditya and defeated Kumara Tailapa
1268 AD : Mahamandalesvara Vishwanath Maharaja
1267-68 AD : Rahamantapur.
This inscription is on a stone pillar now in the compound of the office of the Director of Archaeology and Museums, Hyderabad. States that, mahamandalesvara Visvanatha maharaj of the Yadava lineage made a gift of the village of Guddupalli with all its tanks and all its incomes to the Rachaguru Santasiva Desika Mallaradhya. It is interesting that, Visvanatha Maharaja bears a very long string of titles of which, Kakkaladeva-Sirah-khandana (he who cut off the head of Kakkaladeva), Parabhavikrita Ballalana (the vanquisher, or Ballala) and Bandikrita Andhrarajena (the capturer of the king of the Andhra country) are important. Most of the titles enumerated in this record are also found in the prasasti of the Yadava King
Singhana.
1136 AD - 1178 AD : Udayachoda II Son of Gokarnachoda I
