Katamaraju biography books

INTRODUCTION

Katamaraju and Potharaju are considered as an incarnation of Lord Shiva, who had taken the avatars to protect the village people, and especially the women from dangers and difficulties. Both of them done lot of good activities during their life time, and considered as demi gods and worshipped by the village people.

Katamaraju was born in the Yadava community, and served as a king in a village at Andhra Pradesh, and captured his nearby regions due to his great warfare and braveness. He ruled his region in a proper manner, and provided all the facilities to the people, and his people were worshipped him as their god. During his reign, there were no drought, no famine and no dry situation prevailed in his region. All the people were lived happily and peacefully throughout their life. It is believed that he lived during the 13 century and given a golden rule to the people. He constructed Annadan shelters and resting places for the travellers, and also provided free food to the poor and the needy.

He took care of the women in a proper manner, and given much respect to them, and treated them as an aspect of Mata Kali. He also provided proper training to them in agriculture and given them work in agriculture fields and looked after them properly. Apart from his people, he was praised by kings in other states, and also by the demi gods in the heaven, for his good nature.

He contains good knowledge in all kinds of art, and learned the Hindu scriptures and other sacred texts and lived as per the guidelines of the divine texts. During his reign, no one has suffered from poverty, diseases, miseries and sorrows, since he is considered be an incarnation of Lord Shiva.

Let us worship the great gods and be blessed.

“OM SREE POTHARAJUVE NAMAHA”

“OM SREE KATAMARAJUVE NAMAHA”

“OM NAMAH SHIVAYA NAMAHA”

WRITTEN BY

R.HARISHANKAR

The King Katamaraju was a descendant of Krishna's family, and about 23 generations were found on some stone inscriptions, palm leaf manuscripts and copper plate inscription. Thus he is believed to be a 23rd-generation descendant of Krishna. He won the war with Nalla Siddi. That war story often referred to as a ballad cycle by scholars. It is composed of a number of episodes which are often sung independently. During the annual ceremonies honoring the lives of the deified heroes of the epic, large numbers of people of the Golla Community (Yadava) and kommavaru caste, gather on the banks of the Paleru River in Prakasam district where the great battle took place, to perform a ritual dramatization in connection with the recitation of the epic.

Epic

The epic of Katamaraju, a chieftain in Kanigiri, who fought a battle with the Nellore Chola king Nalama Siddi, on the banks of the Paleru River in the 13th century. Katamaraju, due to severe drought, had migrated with his people to the fertile lands of Nellore. There he entered a covenant with the king of Nellore for grazing his cattle and sheep. Due to a misunderstanding, the covenant was broken and resulted in a tremendous battle in which many of the great heroes on both sides lost their lives.

About the year 1260, a dangerous feud broke out between Manumasiddhi II and Katamaraju, the chief of Erragaddapadu in Kanigiri region. The feud was on the issue of the rights of the two princes to use certain wide meadows as grazing grounds for their flocks of cattle. It led to the fierce engagement of the two sides and the bloody battle was fought at Panchalingala on the Paleru river. Manumasiddhi's forces led by Khadga Tikkana, the cousin of poet Tikkana won the battle, but the leader perished. This feud and the consequent battle formed the theme of the popular ballad entitled "Katamaraju Katha". Shortly after this disastrous battle, Manumasiddhi died.

With the death of Manumasiddhi I

Katamaraju, also of Yadava Kshakriya lineage was the ruler of Yerragaddapadu. His relationaship to the Yadavas of Alavulapadu—Valluraja and his sons is not known. None of his predecesrors are heard of. Katamaraju is said to have ruled for thirtytwo years. Accepting that Pratapa in the Gundlapalem record is a mistake for Kakatiya Ganapati, Katamaraja’s identity with Kantamaraju of Boswell’s account may be accepted.

His Political Relations

Tradition and literature bear out that Katamaraja of Yerragaddapadu refused to pay grazing tax to Manmasiddhi III alias Nallasiddha III on the ground that he lost some calves in the fields of Manmasiddhi. Manmasiddhi would not let the beasts go and sent his armies under the lead of Ranatikkana alias Khadga Tikkana, the son of an elder uncle of Tikkana Somayaji. The royal forces were routed by Katamaraju and his forces. General Tikkana returned home, was insulted by his mother and wife for his cowardice, went back and was killed by the enemy. This battlte bewteen the Yadavas and the Telugu cholas took place a Somasila on the Penna, as general Tikka cites both as witnesses for his fight.

This battle evidently took place in Ganapati’s reign and not in Prataparudra’s as Manmasiddhi, contemporary of Ganapati, figures as the king in the battle. The battle is placed in A.D. 1263 and Manmasiddha along with Tikka is said to have lost his life in it. Even accepting the date of the battle as A.D 1263 Manmasiddha did not lose life in that year, as his records attest his rule till A.D. 1267. Mackenzie Mss say that Katamaraju was the ruler of Amaravati and Yerragaddapadu and that the site of the battle was located in the vicinity of Amaravati. But it is more probable that the battle was fought at Yerragaddapadu. The Kalamarajukatha or Yerragaddapati poltata is the story of Katamaraju or battle of Yerragaddapadu was the theme of many popular ballads and one of Srinatha’s works in the 14th century A.D