Battle of Padmanabham

Expansion of the East India Company
Date July 10, 1794 Location Padmanabham (now Visakhapatnam districts) Result Vizianagaram comes under Company rule
Belligerents
Vizianagaram	East India Company
Commanders and leaders
Chinna Vijayaramaraju	Colonel Pendargast
Casualties and losses
Severe loss of soldiers, including a Chinna Vijayaramaraju.

The Battle of Padmanabha occurred in Padmanabham, Visakhapatnam district (modern Andhra Pradesh, India), on 10 July 1794. This battle occurred between the provincial raja of Vijayanagar and Colonel Pendargast, on behalf of the British Governor of Madras, John Andrews. Chinna Vijayaramaraju died in the war.

As a consequence of the war, Vizianagaram became entirely under British rule.

The causes of war

By 1768, the tribal areas such as Parlakimidi, Ganjam, Mohiri, Gunsuru, and Pratapagiri were under 20 jamindars. They owned 34 of their forts and roughly 35,000 army troops. Many of these had been jamindars who revolted against the English. Some of the castles were located in the hills above the manyam. Therefore, the defeated rebel jamindars had retreated to the fortress.

After the death of Ananda Gajapatiraju, Vijayaramaraju became jamindar of the Vizianagaram area. As a boy, Sitaramarajunu appointed divan, the son of his stepmother. At a younger age, Vijayaramarajuku removed Sitaramarajunu from Diwan.^{[Clarification needed]} Diwan was angry with this, so he formed a friendship with the English.

During the period between 1759–68, Vijayaramaraju ruled as tyrant and captured a number of their areas in Ganjam and Visakhapatnam by defeating jamindars and putting them in jail.

The British attempted to increase payment of peskas from Vijayanagara jamindaru to reduce the strength of his army and collect his dues of 8,50,000 peskas. Although he proved that he had no dues, the British had captured Vijayanagara on August 2, 1793. The farmers refused to pay for the Kingdom Hearts. So British ordered that Vijayaramarajunu must go to macilipatm by the pension of Rs 1200 per month. However, Vijayaramarajunu refused the orders and he went to Padmanabham between the Bhimunipatnam and Vizianagaram. The British troops defeated and killed Cinavijayaramarajunu in the battle.

Aftermath

After the death of Vijayaramaraju, his son Narayanababu found shelter in search of Makkuva village. The konda doras and sardars supported him. In the end, he compromised with the British, and agreed to pay 5 million peskas.

After the Brits occupied Vijayanagaraville, they liberally PBR'ed Jamindarulaku whom was trapped in his mom. They renewed the zamindars lands and deprived them of their unique venture. By 1802, they implemented the permanent tax system for zamins.

References

• ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ సమగ్రచరిత్ర, పి.వి.కె.ప్రసాదరావు, ఎమెస్కో, విజయవాడ, 2007.