his weight in gold to poor Brahmins and other poverty-stricken people of the District; and in times of famine he left the tax uncollected. After Mr. Venkatarayaningar, his widow began to manage the estate. As it was a large one, and as she had no experience, she lost every thing. A cousin of Venkatarayaningar, Jagannadha Rao, owned the present Polavaram estate, Taduvoy and Jangareddy Gudiem, and Ganapavaram estates, and also the present Gutata estate. These estates were not then so flourishing as they are now, and hence they did not pay the proprietors well. The Gutata estate passed to the hands of the Shroff of Mr. Venkatarayananingar, who was a dependant of the family. A partition took place, when Jagannadah Rao, retained to himself the present Polavaram estate and gave away Jangareddy Gudiem and Taduva estates to Pedda Subbarayaningar, and the Ganapavaram estate to Ramanna Garu. The estates of the latter two were partly sold, and partly lost to Government. Jagannadha Rao had a son, named Ramachandra Venkata Krishna Rao, who had a son, named Venkata Jagannadha Rao, and also a daughter. Venkata Jagannadha Rao died at the comparatively early age of 25, leaving behind him a young widow, Kamayamma Garu, and gave her the option of adopting a son of her own choice. She adopted her sister's son Mr. Krishna Rao, the subject of our memoir. Mr. Pedda Nagaraja Rao Garu was the great grandfather of Mr. Krishna Kao, and enjoyed the honor and privilege of being the leader of the Bar in the Provincial Court at Masulipatam. He was known to be of very high legal attainments, a great Sanskritist, and a renowned poet in Sanskrit and Telugu. He is the author of Sakuntala-praniam in Telugu, and of several commentaries on Sanskrit books.
