Vizagapatam/Gazetteer/Parvatipur Taluk

by Walter Francis

PÁRVATÍPUR TALUK.

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This lies east of the north end of the 3,000 feet plateau, and includes the tangle of foot-hills which there hedge in that table-land. These latter belong to the Agency, and are chiefly inhabited by the more civilized kinds of Khonds, with a sprinkling of Konda Doras, Paidis, Ghásis and Gadabas. The rest of the taluk resembles in its appearance and people the adjoining parts of the plain country. The perennial Nágávali bisects it east and west, and for months in every year greatly impedes communication.

The more interesting places are the following: —

Addápusila : Three miles south-east of Párvatípur; population 748. Above the village stands a conspicuous hill which differs from the many others in the neighbourhood in being covered with bamboo and crowned with a row of naked black and yellow tors and pinnacles. Several of these latter have crashed down its sides to the bottom, and under the overhanging side of the most enormous of them are built four shrines which are cared for by a bairági and have a great local reputation. In front of these stand two small brick and plaster temples of the usual pattern, and the place is picturesquely surrounded by trees planted by the faithful. The stone from this hill is being used for the new dam across the Nágávali (p. 106).

Kurupám: Twelve miles north-east of Párvatípur, on the road to Gunupur; population 2,364; the head-quarters of the ancient zamindari of the same name. The newer part of the place (founded by and called after the present Rája's father Súrya Náráyana Rázu) contains a guest-house, choultry and dispensary maintained by the estate; while in the older quarter are the remains of the former fort, in honour of whose guardian goddess, Paidi Máramma, a festival is held in Vaisákha each year, the chief rites in which are the taking in procession of nine pots, the wearing of disguises (véshamulu) and the sacrifice of a buffalo.

Tradition says that the estate was originally given on the usual feudal tenure by Rája Visvambara Deo I of Jeypore (1672-76) to an Uriya named Sanyási Dora, with the title of Vairicherla ('a spear against the enemy') which is still borne by its owners. In 1775, when the lesser zamindars rose in revolt against Sítaráma Rázu, brother and díwán of the Rája of Vizianagram (see p. 46), the head of the Kurupám family, Sivaráma Rázu (who had usurped the estate and imprisoned his elder brother), attacked the rear-guard of Captain Mathews' and Sítaráma's force as it was marching to reduce Jeypore (see p. 267) and cut off its supplies. In the next year, Sítaráma accordingly proceeded to Kurupám and treacherously seized Sivaráma and all his family at an entertainment at which he was a guest.1^[1] They were kept for some time in confinement in the fort of Dévapalli, near Gajapatinagaram. Sivaráma was afterwards released at the intercession of Viziaráma Rázu, Rája of Vizianagram, and in 1778 2^[2] bribed the subadar of the 1st Circar battalion who was in charge of the Kurupám fort to deliver it over to him, garrisoned it with a force of his own, and began fomenting disturbances in the adjoining Pálkonda estate. In 1779 a detachment composed of the Company's and the Vizianagram troops accordingly marched against him. It retook Kurupám fort without resistance,3^[3] the estate was added to the Vizianagram possessions, and Sivaráma was brought to Vizagapatam, kept under surveillance, and granted a subsistence allowance. He seems to have died there in 1794.

When the Rája of Vizianagram was killed at Padmanábham in that year (p. 53) and the lesser zamindars rose in revolt against the Company, Kurupám fort was occupied by Venkata Rázu, zamindar of Mérangi (whose estate had been forcibly seized by Sivaráma) who garrisoned it with 1,000 men and defied the Company. Captain Cox marched against the place, it was evacuated, and the fort was occupied in April 1795 and destroyed.4^[4]

Captain Cox said that Sanyási Rázu, Sivaráma's young son, 'conducted himself with much zeal for the service' on this occasion, and Mr. Webb, the Collector, reported that his family 'by their influence over the inhabitants helped greatly to accelerate the bringing the country under obedience.' The estate was accordingly handed over to Sanyási Rázu, Mérangi being first separated from it and restored to its original owners. In 1803 the permanent settlement was concluded with this lad. He died in 1820 and was succeeded by Sítaráma Razu, a cousin's son whom he had adopted. This man died in 1830 and was followed by his widow Subbadramma; who, dying in 1841, was followed by her maternal grandson Súrya Náráyana Rázu. He was then an infant, and the estate was managed by the Court of Wards until 1857. Súrya Náráyana was a careful administrator, doubled the income of his property, lent his neighbours 3½ lakhs and invested a like sum in buying land.

Among his purchases was the small estate of Chemudu, a fief of Jeypore which had been seized by Vizianagram but restored to its ancient proprietors in 1794, had been constantly in finan cial difficulties and was sold in 1889. The Kottaparuvu subdivision of this (four villages) had already been granted to a Konda Dora named Sarike Bhíman Dora, for services rendered, and separately registered in 1883. It is now held by the Rája of Vizianagram, who acquired it by purchase.

Súrya Náráyana successfully defended a suit brought by his brothers for partition of the property1^[5] and the estate is now scheduled in Act II of 1904 as inalienable and impartible. He died on 5th January 1891 and was succeeded by his son Virabhadra Rázu, the present Rája. The latter was only thirteen years of age at the time and the estate was managed by the Court of Wards until 1898. The minor was educated under an English tutor and in 1895 married Lakshmi Narasayamma, second daughter of Mahárája Sir Gajapati Rao (see p. 221) who bore him two sons and a daughter and died in child-birth in 1901. In 1906 he was granted the personal title of Rája.

Mérangi(or Chinna Mérangi, Pedda Mérangi lies just west of it) is twelve miles north-east of Párvatípur and contains 3,987 inhabitants. It was formerly the capital of the zamindari of the same name which has now, see below, been split into four subdivisions.

This zamindari, according to tradition, was granted, like Kurupám, on the usual feudal tenure by Visvambara Deo of Jeypore to an Uriya named Jagannátha Dora, with the title (still borne by his descendants) of Satrucherla, or 'destroyer of the enemy.' As has been stated just above, the estate was afterwards seized by Sivaráma Rázu of Kurupám, but in 1796 it was separated from that property and given by Government2^[6] to one Ganga Rázu of the original Mérangi family. Another member of the family, Jagannátha Rázu, son of the Venkata Rázu who had seized Kurupám in 1794, claimed the estate on the ground that his father had been last in possession, but his claim was rejected because of his father's rebellion. It was afterwards in part conceded in order to keep him quiet, but he was still dissatisfied, and when Ganga Rázu died and the permanent settlement was made in 1803 with the latter's son Chandrasékhara, Jagannátha sued for the whole estate. He died soon after, but his son Vírabhadra continued the suit, was cast in costs and in his indignation, broke out into open rebellion, seized the zamindar, robbed him and his manager of all they possessed, collected the revenues on his own account, was twice engaged with the Company's troops and was only at last pacified by the grant of a small pension in 1809. The grant, however, was conditional on his living in Vizagapatam and this he steadfastly refused to do. In 1816 he went on the warpath again, devastated villages, murdered the zamindar's grandfather, and at last, having been unceasingly pursued and hunted out of his lurking-places, was captured in Jeypore. He was detained under surveillance at Vizagapatam, but continued to foment disturbances and in 1821 was removed to Chingleput, where he eventually died.

Meanwhile the young zamindar Chandrasékhara, whom Mr.Russell describes as 'a perfect idiot,' ran heavily into debt. His estate was eventually attached by the courts and put up for sale,and, no one being bold enough to purchase it, was bought by Government in 1833 for Rs. 500. At that time the Pálkonda rebellion (see p. 288) had not been completely crushed, three principal insurgents, known as 'the Atsapavalasa brothers,' lurking with their retainers in the Mérangi jungles. The manager of the estate assembled a body of hill peons, and, after a desperate fight near 'Gorai' in the hills to the south-east of Mérangi, slew all three of them. He and his peons begged that their reward for this service might be the restoration of Mérangi to Chandrasékhara's young son Jagannátha Rázu, 'a remarkably fine boy,' and in 1835 this was done. The estate was managed by the Court of Wards until the lad attained his majority in 1843. He died in 1864 and was followed by his son Chandrasékhara, who died on 7th September 1869 leaving an infant son named Jagannátha and three brothers called Rámabhadra, Sómasékhara and Jógirázu. The Court of Wards took charge of the estate. In 1884 the three brothers sued for the partition of the estate and won their case in all the courts up to the Privy Council.1^[7] The estate was accordingly divided in 1894 into four parts, of which Chinna Mérangi went to the then minor zamindar Jagannátha, Lakhanapuram to Rámabhadra, Pedda Boddedi to Sómasékhara, and Pedda Mérangi to Vírabhadra Súryanáráyana and Jagannátha, the two minor sons of Jógirázu, who had died in 1890.1^[8] The whole of it was taken under the Court of Wards. Meanwhile in 1893 the late Mahárája of Vizianagram had bought Chinna Mérangi, which still belongs to his family. Pedda Mérangi is now held by Súrya Náráyana, his brother Jagannátha having been shot dead by one of his own servants in 1904.

Párvatípur, the head-quarters of the taluk and division, and the residence of the Divisional Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police, deputy tahsildar, and district munsif, lies in low situation among wet land, only 395 feet. above the sea and surrounded by small hills which shut out the breeze and make the place very hot in the summer months. It consists of Párvatípur proper, the commercial quarter, an overcrowded and dirty spot containing little of interest except the ruined gateway of a former fort, and, about a mile to the south, the pleasanter suburb of Belgám, where the officials live and have their offices, which was much, improved in 1882-83 by convict labour. The two together make up a union of 17,308 inhabitants, and the place is the fifth largest town in the district and one the people of which, owing to the growing trade with the Agency, have increased at a faster rate (102 per cent.) in the last thirty years than those of any other in the district. In Belgám, besides the offices already mentioned, are the abandoned jail referred to on p. 207 (which occupies the site of the old fort), the lines of the police reserve alluded to on p. 206 and a station of the Schleswig-Holstein Lutheran Mission.

Belgám was once the head-quarters of the estate of the same name. The Circuit Committee's proceedings of 12th September 1784 show that this was originally a fief of Jeypore which was seized by Vizianagram.

Mr. Carmichael says that in 1796 fourteen villages (apparently part of the original estate) were granted by Lord Hobart for life to Sómasundara Náráyana Pátro, an Uriya, in acknowledg-ment of the services of his father to the State, This father, Jagannátha Pátro, was díwán to Rámachandra Deo II, Rája of Jeypore from 1781 to 1825, had been largely instrumental in preventing the Jeypore people from joining in the disturbances which (see p. 54) followed the death of the Rája of Vizianagram in 1794, and was afterwards confidentially employed by Mr. Webb, the Collector, in settling the north of the district when it was then taken from Vizianagram and re-apportioned among its former proprietors. At the permanent settlement of 1803 this property was granted to Sómasundara Náráyana Pátro as a permanent zamindari under the name of the Belgám estate.1^[9] The family use the title Tát Rája. Sómasundara Náráyana died in 1814; his son and successor Dhananjaya in 1849; his brother Visvambara, the third zamindar, in 1865; his son and successor, Náráyana Rámachandra in 1871; his nephew and adopted son'2 ^[10] Sivanáráyana, the fifth zamindar, in 1882; and the last-named's son and successor, Dhananjaya, died in 1888, without issue, leaving a widow to whom he had given power to adopt. The widow was not competent to manage the estate and it was accordingly taken over by the Court of Wards. In 1891 the widow adopted a son who was taken under the charge of the Court. Meanwhile, however, Súrya Náráyana and Sundaranáráyana, two cousins of her late husband's (descendants, with him, of the Visvambara who died in 1865) had brought suits for the partition of the estate. They won their cases both in the District and High Courts and before the Privy Council,3^[11] and the property was recovered from the Court of Wards and divided into the two portions (or 'hundas') of Párvatípur and Belgám, of which Súrya Náráyana took the former and Sundaranáráyana the latter.

Súrya Náráyana Tát Rája died on 8th December 1900, leaving a minor son, Chandrasékhara, born on 6th June 1894; and his brother Sundaranáráyana died on the 9th February following, leaving two sons of whom the elder, Janárdana, was born on 9th March 1888. Both estates were taken again under the Court of Wards. The two brothers had jointly borrowed 5½ lakhs from the Mahárája of Jeypore on a mortgage of the two hundas. To liquidate this and other debts the Court sold Narisipuram and eight other villages in the two properties in 1902 to the Mahárája of Jeypore. These are sometimes called the Narisipuram tána of Jeypore estate.

Sangamvalasa : Lies four miles west of Párvatípur; population 1,335. It is the chief village in the ancient zamindari of the same name, which has been scheduled as inalienable and impartible in Act II of 1904.

Tradition says that this estate was originally granted by Rámachandra Deo I of Jeypore (1708-11) to a favourite retainer, an Uriya, who at the same time was given the title Nissanku, meaning 'the fearless.' His family, like the other lesser zamindars, was dispossessed by Vizianagram about 1769. In 1796, after the death of the Vizianagram Rája, the property was restored by Government to the representative of the eldest branch, Venkanna Nissanku, and with him the permanent settlement of 1803 was made. Mr. Carmichael says that Venkanna was succeeded by his son Peddanna, whose mental incapacity led to the Court of Wards assuming the management of the estate, who died in 1829, and who was succeeded by his posthumous son Mrityunjaya. The latter came of age in 1847 and built the house in the pettah east of Sangamvalasa called Mrityunjaya-nagaram. He was known for his literary tastes and held the estate for no less than 58 years until his death in 1904. The second of his three sons brought a suit 1^[12] against him for the partition of the estate, but it was dismissed. He was followed by his eldest son's son Visvésvara. The estate suffers at present from financial embarrassment.

1. 1 Mackenzie MSS., Local Records, iv, 251-60 and Progs, of the Circuit Committee of 12th September 1784.
2. 2 Vizag. Cons, dated 21st September 1778.
3. 3 Captain Lane's letter of 17th February 1779 to the Vizagapatam Chief and Council.
4. 4 Captain Cox's letter of 25th April 1795 to Mr. Webb at Vizagapatam.
5. 1 I.L.R., XVII Madras, 287.
6. 2 Mr. G. E. Russell's report of 18th November 1834 already several times cited. This is also the authority for much of what follows.
7. 1 I.L.R., Madras, 380-98 and XIV, 244-7.
8. 1 G.O., No. 896, Revenue, dated 22nd December 1804.
9. 1 Mr. Alexander's report of 26th April 1803.
10. 2 A suit (O.S. 18 of 1870 on the file of the District Court) questioning this adoption was eventually compromised.
11. 3 Madras Law Journal (1893) iii, 100 and I.L.R., XX Madras, 25G.
12. 1 O.S. No. 21 of 1899 on the file of the Vizagapatam District Court.