Part 9 - Nagadevaraja (A.D. 1235-1254)

Nagadeva had a reign of twenty years. His earliest inscription is from Kondanayanivaram, dated A.D. 1135. It traces the King’s descent from Siva and refers to the founder Kadu-vetti, the founder of the 70 villages. Nagadeva’s next inscription is from Bezvada dated A.D. 1242 in which only the last letter of the surname (Gonturi) of Nagadeva is preserved. It mentions Potanamatya samastasenadhipati of the king and lord of Gopipa i.e. Gopipettana. The last record of the reign is from Bezvada dated A.D. 1254. In A.D. 1251, Narayanabrother of Nagadeva made some grants at Kondanayanivaram. Probably Naga associated Narayanu in governing the kingdom; towards the close of his reign.

His Political Relations

Nagadeva, like Odayaraja, did not bear a prasasti. His-relationship to Odayaraja is not known. In one record, he is mentioned as Sakalagunalamkritumdaina Srimanmahamanda-lika Gonturi Nagadevaraju. Nagadeva was a stronger ruler than Odaya. He must have possessed a good army.

The rulers contemporary with Naga in other kingdoms were—Rajaraja III and Rajendra III of the Cholas, Mallideva II and Bbima IV of the Konahaihayas, Ganapati and Dora III of the Chagis, Keta III and Manma Ganapati of the Kotas, Rudradeva, Beta and Ganapama of the Yenamandala Kotas, Bhima of the Parichedis, Rudra I and Rudra II of the Nata-vadis, Mahadava and Ganapati of the Malayas, Mangayaadeva of the Sarohathas, Chandrasekhara and Vijayaditya IV of the Chalukyas of Pithapur, Ayyapadeva II of the Vengi chalukyas, Abhideva Malideva of the Nellore Pallavas, Madhava and Singala of the Yadavas and Kumaradeva, Tikka I, Manmasiddhi III and Allutikka of the Telugu cholas.

Naga and the Kakatiyas

The Kakatiya ruler was Gangapati Nagadeva came into conflict with the Kakatiyas and lost his life in fighting. For Pattasahini Padtkamu Boppadeva, general of Ganapati and Rudrama had the epithets—Godavaritirasamaragandivi, Gonturinagadevanitalagondaganda and Kakatiya Ganapatidevamaharajadivyasripadapadmaradhaka in his Tripurantakam epigraph dated A.D. 1161 and the 2nd year of Rudradeva Maharaja. The title regarding Gonturi Nagadeva definitely shows that he was killed which must have happened before A D. 1261—the date of the record mentioning the title. Probably as has been suggested already, Nagadeva along with the Kayasthas and other feudatories of the Kakatiyas; rebelled against the suzerainty of the Kakatiyas towards the close of the reign of Ganapati and the beginning of Rudrama’s reign. Consequently, the Kakatiya armies under Boppadeva invaded the pallava kingdom.