C P Brown: Andhra, Southern Guardians

8. ANDHRAS – THE GUARDIANS OF THE SOUTH

Having studied Indian and British backgrounds over Millennia let us come nearer home to the SOUTH of this subcontinent. Dakshina patha the area south of Narmada, was the home of Andhras, Chalukyas, Kalingas, Rashtrakutas, and Satavahanas though the predominant powers were changing from time to time. These people participated in wars with Ashoka in 230 B C near Mahanadi. The Andhras ruled over the North from Patali Putra for over 300 years BC 200 – AD 78. Sri. Harsha was stopped North of the Narmada by Pulikesin.

The Ajanta and, Ellora were the creations of these people. There is an ANDHRA VALLEY in present day Maharashtra. The coexistence of Buddhist, Jain, Hindu sculptures side by side show the changing power equations, which did not entail destruction of culture, religious attitudes, and values and coexistence.

Marco Polo of the 13 the century described Masulipatnam, then known as Motu Palli as the oldest known port existing for over 12 centuries, (by then) Roman coins found in NELLORE, about a 100 miles from present day Madras are clear indication of a hoary past of this region and its wealth and sea trade.

The area was under the Andhras, under various rulers Till 1565. After 1565 the Nayaka Kings of Madurai and Tanjore declared independence.

Strictly speaking the Mughals never had any direct rule over the South as the Bahamanis fought the Mughals as vigorously as the Marathas later. They were more or less independent even under Aurangazeb who finally was exhausted by his southern wars and died in 1707. Soon after Hyderabad became independent in 1724 and was the biggest Southern kingdom extending all the way to Mahanadi. For the first time the British took the Coastal districts in the East in 1769 coming from Bengal on invitation by Ananda Gajapati Raju of Vizianagaram!

In 1799 Hyderabad gave away Cuddapah, Kurnool, Bellary, and Ananthapur to Wellesley to protect him from the Marathas, whose forays were more to weaken the British entrenched in Madras.

Later the British were also opposed by both Hindus and Muslims together, and thus you have Tippu, and Hyder, with soldiers from all castes and creeds mostly from the areas described above. These wars prove to the hilt not only a cultural unity, a unique togetherness and above all lack of caste or societal divisions. In short it was a harmonious society living in peace and fighting fiercely for its culture and peace when needed.

A psychological trait of the ANDHRAS is an excessive pride in themselves as exemplified by their sacrifices in wars. But unfortunately, not given to crockery, and mean politicalising they fell a prey to later forces, which, “crawled and spread like water under a mat.” Above all the valorous lot fought and died leaving the weaklings “living and partly living” as “hollow men, headpiece filled with straw” as Eliot would have written about them.

In 1788 Karnataka was taken over by the British and after the death of Tippu, Wadayar was put in 1799 in Mysore. In brief it may be stated that a real dominance of the British as rulers in the South was after 1800 A.D. only, as also in the North after the HOLKAR.