SWAMI SRI VEERABRAHMENDRA

A Monograph on Pothuluru Veerabrahmendra Swamy

The Crisis

South India, particularly Rayalaseema, had become the worst victim of a political and social crisis which engulfed a major portion of Cuddapah and Kurnool Districts during the seventeenth century. After the battle of Rakshasi-Tangedi (1565 A.D.) Rayalaseema passed through a turmoil. The city of Vijayanagar greatly suffered from the depredations by the political invaders. The petty palegars exploited the situation and displayed their spirit of independence. The endless differences among the later Vijayanagara princes lead to an alarming social disorder. In their struggle for power they invoked them¬selves the aid of Deccan Sultans. In some of the altercations, the Vijayanagar princes lost a large portion of their empire to the Deecan Sultans. The Sultans always aimed at expanding their own empire and on a number of occasions, they succeeded in installing their deputees, the petty Nawabs. These Nawabs encroached quite naturally into not only the social life but also the religious life of the people. The religious feelings of the people were seriously hurt and they rebelled against the Nawabs who, in turn, tried to crush them and bring them into their political fold. This lead to a disastrous civil war which finally resulted in a social and religious crisis.

This was the scene which Veerabrahmam witnessed during the early forties of his life. Evidently we find a number of references to this disastrous scene in his ‘Kalajnanam'. The political changes that took place in the Vijayanagar empire right from Harihararaya down to Venkatapatiraya (from 1326 to 1614 A.D.) were also described in the 1st canto of Kalajnanam. The dates of the Vijayananagar rulers and their reign were given in chronological order. Some details of historical importance also could be inferred from the descriptive writings of Veerabrahmam in his Kalajnanam - (Canto I). In the Sangama dynesty, Harihara, Kampa and Bukka constructed the Vidyanagar city with the help of Madhava Vidyaranya, the principal Guru of Sringeri mutt. The Hampi deity, in those days, was called Virupaksha. The city of Hospeta which was in the neighbourhood of Hampi was called Virupakshapuram. Harihararaya, Bukkaraya, Harihararaya II, Devaraja I, Veerevijaya (Bukka) raya, Devaraya II, Devaraya III (Mailikarjuna) and Saluva Narasimharava came into power one after the other. Later, Virupaksha III, Krishnadevaraya, Aliyaramaraya(in leiu of Sadesivaraya) then Sadasivaraya, Tirumalaraya, Srirangaraya, Venkataraya I, Srirangaraya III, and Venkatapatiraya came into power. The actual period of the rule of Venkatapatiraya was clearly given in Kalajnanam as 28 years 7 months and 15 deys. It was made clear that the lunar Kings’ race was no more after Venkatapatiraya (1614 A.D.). Veerabrahmem must probably be a boy of 6 years whan the last king in the lunar race breathed his last. The attack on Veluru by Srirangaraya III (1642-69 A.D.) must be very well known to Veerabrahmam.