Part 4 - Nannichoda (A.D. 1050-1100)

Chronology: The records of Nannichoda are few and his Kumarasambhava gives little data to determine his date with any approach to accuracy. Not less than half a dozen princes bearing the name Nannichoda, and belonging to different branches of the Telugu chola lineage were found ruling in the Telugu country in some locality or other between A.D. 1000 and 1500. The identification of Nannichoda ofKumarasambhava from his several namesakes and the fixation of his chronology forms one of the most controversial problems of the history of the period as well as its literature. Plenty of literature has grown on the subject; no two writers agree and all have failed in their effort as they did not pay any attention to chronology and identified Nannichoda with all his namesakes and his father Chodaballi with aBallichoda, Tribhuvana Mall a choda of different periods and suggested irrelevant variants of names of persons e.g. Nannichoda’s mother.

The important views in brief were as follows:

1. Nannichoda identified with Rajadityachola ruled the country between the Godavari and Ceylon with capital at Uraiyur on the Cauvery, did digvijaya and assumed the title Tenkanaditya. He lost his kingdom, regained it, and lost his life in the battle with the Western Chalukyas in A.D. 940. The holder of this view is aware of the existence of several other Nannichodas of a later date.

2. Nannichoda was the earliest of Andhra poets, much earlier than Nannya, the holder of this view is dependent on literary evidence, and discredits all other views ‘known upto his day.

3. Nannichoda was a contemporary of Nannaya Bhatta, on the basis that they had some common passages in their works, the authors of this view say that Nannichoda and Nannaya held literary controversies in the court of Rajaraja, Nannichoda and his followers were defeated and the references to Tarakavi in Nannichoda’s work refer to him.

4. Nannichoda lived about A.D. 1150 and his father lived between A.D. 1145 and 1166 and his mother Mabaladevi. This view has been opposed on the ground that his mother was Srisati.

5. Nannichoda’ lordship of Orayur, his digvijaya and rule from Godavari to Ceylon and oppinions that Mabala is a variant of Machala and Srisati is a variant of the latter.

6. Nannichoda lived about A.D. 1120 on the basis of the Peddacherukur inscriptions.

7. Nannichoda was later than Palkuriki Somanath’s work In dvipada was written first and Nannichoda’s padyakanya later.

8. Nannichoda was later but nearer to Nannaya, and the Chalukyaraju in his verse definitely refers to Rajaraja fnarendra.

9. Nannichoda was later than Tikkana, as Chola inscriptions are found, till sixty or seventy jyears after. So Nannichoda must have lived towards the close of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century A.D. He was a feudatory "Chieftain and not the ruler of the country from the Gadavari to Ceylon.

Of all these dates for Nannichoda, same are based on purely indirect literary evidence and the inscriptions cited refer to Nannichodas other than the author of Kumarasambhava. The view 8th in the list above is nearer the truth. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, and in the light of the available material, Nannichoda may be placed from A D. 1050 to 1100, after Chodaballi and prior to Pottapi Kamachoda.

Nannichoda is mentioned as Srinanni devachodamaharaja in this record at Begaramudi, dated A.D. 1080. Like his predecessors he ruled Pakanadu with capital at Pottapi. His reign may have lasted till A.D. 1106—the earliest date for his successor. Nannichoda’s contemporary other rulers were—Vijayaditya VII of the Vengi Chalukyas, Kulottunga I of the Cholas, Vikramaditya VI of the chalukyas of Kalyani and Gonka I of the Velanandu Chodas. There are no signs of Nanni choda’s allegiance to the Cholas or the Chalukyas.

Inscriptions reveal some Telugu cholas of this period whose relationship to Nannichoda is not known. Rajamahendra Pottapi chodaraju is heard of from a record dated A.D. 1088. His ancestry is thus—Mantru Venkayaraju was the son of Chagi Venkana of the solar race. His son Nannichoda had a son Suraparaju whose son was Rajamahendra Pottapi Chodaraju. The Boppudi inscription gives the genealogy of another family. Panka, son of Dasavarman had a son Tyagikota. His son was King Balia, the ruler of Pakanadu 1000. Kali Kalachodaganda, a feudatory of a king of the Mahratta family and lord of Kalikadapura, is heard of from a record dated A.D. 1085.