Karvetinagar
Encyclopedia
Karvetinagar or Karvetnagar is a village and a Mandal
in Chittoor district
in the state of Andhra Pradesh
in India
.
that was most prominent during the Vijayanagar
rule. The Bommaraju family traces their origins back to an ancestor who migrated from the Pithapuram
area of the Godavari Delta
about the 8th or 9th century. One ancestor obtained the favor of the Eastern Chalukya King, Vimala Aditya and Saluva Narasa was appoint the chief of the country around Tirupati, where he founded his capital called Narayanavanam
. The rulers later built their new capital, Nagaram at this place by clearing the forest. In Tamil
Kadu means forest, and vetti means clearing. Hence this place was known as Kaduvettinagaram and later known as Karvetinagaram. The founder of the family Narasa was granted permission by his patron, the Chalukyas, to use the royal seal and boar-signet of the Chalukyas, a proud distinction still kept up.
At one point Saluva Venkatapati was deposed by the Cholas. Saluva Bhima recovered their territory. Saluva Narsimha assisted a Kerala
King named Kirti Varman and assumed independence, ruling for 36 years. Saluva Bhujanga was defeated and became a feudal of Western Chalukya king Someswara and taken prisoner to Kalyan where he died. Subsequent descendents recovered the estate and in 1230 AD, a part of the estate was taken over by Raja Raja Chola the second, of the Chola dynasty, but during the next four generations, as the power of the Cholas decayed, the fortunes of the Karvetinagar family rose, and in 1314 A.D The chief stabilized his power by marrying off his daughter to Prolaya Reddi, the first of the Kondavidu Reddy dynasty
. The family became feudatories of Vijayanagar, and had marriage alliances with the Saluva
and loyalties to the Aravidu Dynasty
over the next two hundred years. Around the 16th century the family changed their name to the current Bommaraju, retaining Saluva as a title.
The Kings of Karvetinagar has constructed so many temples in their Kingdom. Every tourist must visit and see the temples. There are:
Poet Sarangapani was famous for his padams. He has written over two hundred padams. He wrote compositions in both Sanskrit and Telugu. In his personal life, he was a Vidhadhikari (Minister of Education) in the court of Maharaja Venkata Perumal who had the authority to issue Raja Sasanams (royal orders). Sarangapani was also a learned scholar of the Natya Sastra (Art of Dance). Most of his padams were in praise of Lord Krishna
. He was held in high esteem not only by the ruler and the ruled, but also by contemporary musicians like Govindaswami.
Contribution: Nearly 200 padams of this composer are available in ancient fibrous paper. A study of these reveals that these padams can be divided into four categories:
All his compositions bear the mudra Venugopala, in praise of his Ishtadevata (favourite deity) of Karvetinagaram.
Popular compositions: Padams like Mogadochi (Sahana), Pattakura (Anandabhairavi), and Upamugane (Yadukulakambhoji).
in the northern most coastal Andhra and Karvetinagaram in the southern most Chittoor district
. The Gajapatis of Vizianagaram and the Kshatriyas of Karvetinagaram have shown special interest in the promotion and retention of this skill. The ancestors of the present-day performers were great warriors, who worked in various capacities in the military of these principalities. Today, some of the present heirs of the great tradition train a few youngsters in the art.
The swords used for Kathi samu are of various types. Besides the long, curved sword, they also use a Limcha, used in the wars earlier, and Pata, a sword with a wooden cover. A shield (daal) or the horn of a lamb is also used as a shield. While the leaders (Senapathis) use a shield, the ordinary soldiers use a horn. The performance itself starts with the skilful display of stick fight as a prelude to the sword fight and the skills shown in the use of the sword.
The stick fight is called vairi. The starting is called pataka or ettubadi. A sword fight follows this. Each time two members of the team come into the garidi (fighting place) and show their skill in sword fight, using each time one particular type of sword. At the end comes the pair using two swords, one in each hand.
Other important aspects of the sword-skills are noteworthy. The first among them is the Dal Farri Khadga - a display of two people with swords and shields. Another skill is Gareja: a man holding four swords, two in each hand and move them to protect himself and to strike at the foe.http://www.szcc.tn.nic.in/08_martial/andhra/Kathi%20Samu/kathisamu.html
The people who used to protect temples, Kings palaces and Zamindaris with their skilful use of the stick and the sword took to other jobs, but retained them as family treasures. Such is the case with Veera Mushthi people, Harijans and Nayakas whose profession of protecting the people and their properties was no more needed in the present context of the existence of the military and the police.
During the village festivals and also in the marriage processions of some communities, Karra samu is a necessary attraction. When the marriage procession or the temple procession stops at a centre where four roads meet, the karra samu experts come forward and show their skills usually to the beating of the dappu. In some village in Guntur, Krishna, East and West Godavari districts, this practice still continues and it is a necessary attraction during marriage processions.
The performance starts with the showing of individual talents. A fighter comes into the arena (Garidi) and points out his stick in different angles to the beats of dappu. In some areas Tasha, an instrument, which gives fierce inspiring noise, is also used. Sometimes a whistle called Bigil is used. Then the fighter holds the stick in the middle and shows his mettle by moving it in all directions as though he is protecting himself against several opposing fighters. All the other team members also show similar skills.
(15 km) in Andhra Pradesh. Some express trains stop here. Frequent buses ply from Puttur
to Chittoor
via Karvetinagar. Alternatively, it can be accessed from Pallipattu
(10 km) in Tamilnadu
From Tirupati to Karvetinagar via Rayalacheruvu, Pachikapallam is the very nearest root.Chittoor to puttur Bypass road approved by World bank work in progress.recently running the metro bus from tirupathi to karvetinagarm.
Subdivisions of India
The Administrative divisions of India are Indian subnational administrative units; they compose a nested hierarchy of country subdivisions. Indian states and territories frequently use different local titles for the same level of subdivision The Administrative divisions of India are Indian...
in Chittoor district
Chittoor district
Chittoor District , also known as Chittur, is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. The district headquarters is Chittoor City. The district has a population of 4,170,468 according to 2011 census of India. Chittoor district is famous for the Tirupati, Kanipakam and Sri Kalahasti temples...
in the state of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Geography
Karvetnagar is located at 13.4167°N 79.4500°E. It has an average elevation of 266 meters (875 feet).History
Karvetinagar was a former ZamindarZamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
that was most prominent during the Vijayanagar
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
rule. The Bommaraju family traces their origins back to an ancestor who migrated from the Pithapuram
Pithapuram
For famous Playback singer see Pithapuram Nageswara RaoPithapuram is a town and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh....
area of the Godavari Delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
about the 8th or 9th century. One ancestor obtained the favor of the Eastern Chalukya King, Vimala Aditya and Saluva Narasa was appoint the chief of the country around Tirupati, where he founded his capital called Narayanavanam
Narayanavanam
Narayanavanam is a census town and mandal headquarters in Chittoor district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.-Geography:Narayanavanam is located at . It has an average elevation of 122 metres ....
. The rulers later built their new capital, Nagaram at this place by clearing the forest. In Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
Kadu means forest, and vetti means clearing. Hence this place was known as Kaduvettinagaram and later known as Karvetinagaram. The founder of the family Narasa was granted permission by his patron, the Chalukyas, to use the royal seal and boar-signet of the Chalukyas, a proud distinction still kept up.
At one point Saluva Venkatapati was deposed by the Cholas. Saluva Bhima recovered their territory. Saluva Narsimha assisted a Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
King named Kirti Varman and assumed independence, ruling for 36 years. Saluva Bhujanga was defeated and became a feudal of Western Chalukya king Someswara and taken prisoner to Kalyan where he died. Subsequent descendents recovered the estate and in 1230 AD, a part of the estate was taken over by Raja Raja Chola the second, of the Chola dynasty, but during the next four generations, as the power of the Cholas decayed, the fortunes of the Karvetinagar family rose, and in 1314 A.D The chief stabilized his power by marrying off his daughter to Prolaya Reddi, the first of the Kondavidu Reddy dynasty
Reddy dynasty
The Reddy kingdom was established in southern India by Prolaya Vema Reddy. The region that was ruled by the Reddy dynasty is now part of modern day coastal and central Andhra Pradesh...
. The family became feudatories of Vijayanagar, and had marriage alliances with the Saluva
Saluva Dynasty
The Saluva Dynasty was created by the Saluvas who by historical tradition were natives of the Kalyani region of northern Karnataka. The Gorantla inscription traces their origins to this region from the time of the Western Chalukyas and Kalachuris of Karnataka. The term "Saluva" is known to...
and loyalties to the Aravidu Dynasty
Aravidu dynasty
The Aravidu Dynasty was the fourth and last Hindu dynasty which ruled Vijayanagara Empire in South India. Its founder was Tirumala, whose brother Rama Raya had been the masterful regent of the last ruler of the previous dynasty...
over the next two hundred years. Around the 16th century the family changed their name to the current Bommaraju, retaining Saluva as a title.
The Kings of Karvetinagar has constructed so many temples in their Kingdom. Every tourist must visit and see the temples. There are:
- 1.Sri Sambasadaasiveswara Swamy Temple, Karvetinagar
- 2.Sri Kaasi Visweswar Swamy Temple.(Saalagrama Siva Lingam)
- 3.Sri Venugopala Swami Temple, Karvetinagaram: There is a sub-temple with the idol of Sri Sita # Lakshmana Sametha Sri Rama swamy and another Sub Temple of Goddes Maha Lakshmi.
- 4.A large size Skanda Pushkarini in Karvetinagaram
- 5.Old Palace in Karveti Nagaram
- 6.Sri Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy Temple, Appalayagunta Village in Vadamalapeta Mandal, Chitttoor # Dist.
- 7.Nimishachalam is surrounded by holy places like Sholingur, Appalayagunta, Narayanavanam, # Karvetinagaram, Tiruttani and R.K. Pet. The Dhruva Beram in the temple is "Eka Murthi" with the # Kamadhenu on the left side, which is said to be a rare one. The Utsava idol is that of # Venugopalaswamy flanked on either side by Rukmini and Sathyabhama with Kamadhenu standing # nearby.
Sarangapani (17th century)
Poet Sarangapani was famous for his padams. He has written over two hundred padams. He wrote compositions in both Sanskrit and Telugu. In his personal life, he was a Vidhadhikari (Minister of Education) in the court of Maharaja Venkata Perumal who had the authority to issue Raja Sasanams (royal orders). Sarangapani was also a learned scholar of the Natya Sastra (Art of Dance). Most of his padams were in praise of Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. He was held in high esteem not only by the ruler and the ruled, but also by contemporary musicians like Govindaswami.
Contribution: Nearly 200 padams of this composer are available in ancient fibrous paper. A study of these reveals that these padams can be divided into four categories:
- Sringara padams
- Desya padams
- Janapada padams
- Vairahya padams
All his compositions bear the mudra Venugopala, in praise of his Ishtadevata (favourite deity) of Karvetinagaram.
Popular compositions: Padams like Mogadochi (Sahana), Pattakura (Anandabhairavi), and Upamugane (Yadukulakambhoji).
Kathi Samu
Kathi Samu' (sword fight) is an ancient skill, mastered by the royal armies of yester years. Today this prestigious martial art remains only a pastime of those family members, who were once in the service of their Rajahs as soldiers. This is especially patronized in the native principalities and Zamindaris of VizianagaramVizianagaram
Vizianagaram is the main city of the Vizianagaram District of north-eastern Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Vizianagaram district was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. It is, at present, the largest municipality of...
in the northern most coastal Andhra and Karvetinagaram in the southern most Chittoor district
Chittoor district
Chittoor District , also known as Chittur, is a district of India's Andhra Pradesh state. The district headquarters is Chittoor City. The district has a population of 4,170,468 according to 2011 census of India. Chittoor district is famous for the Tirupati, Kanipakam and Sri Kalahasti temples...
. The Gajapatis of Vizianagaram and the Kshatriyas of Karvetinagaram have shown special interest in the promotion and retention of this skill. The ancestors of the present-day performers were great warriors, who worked in various capacities in the military of these principalities. Today, some of the present heirs of the great tradition train a few youngsters in the art.
The swords used for Kathi samu are of various types. Besides the long, curved sword, they also use a Limcha, used in the wars earlier, and Pata, a sword with a wooden cover. A shield (daal) or the horn of a lamb is also used as a shield. While the leaders (Senapathis) use a shield, the ordinary soldiers use a horn. The performance itself starts with the skilful display of stick fight as a prelude to the sword fight and the skills shown in the use of the sword.
The stick fight is called vairi. The starting is called pataka or ettubadi. A sword fight follows this. Each time two members of the team come into the garidi (fighting place) and show their skill in sword fight, using each time one particular type of sword. At the end comes the pair using two swords, one in each hand.
Other important aspects of the sword-skills are noteworthy. The first among them is the Dal Farri Khadga - a display of two people with swords and shields. Another skill is Gareja: a man holding four swords, two in each hand and move them to protect himself and to strike at the foe.http://www.szcc.tn.nic.in/08_martial/andhra/Kathi%20Samu/kathisamu.html
The people who used to protect temples, Kings palaces and Zamindaris with their skilful use of the stick and the sword took to other jobs, but retained them as family treasures. Such is the case with Veera Mushthi people, Harijans and Nayakas whose profession of protecting the people and their properties was no more needed in the present context of the existence of the military and the police.
Karra Samu
Karra Samu (stick-fight) is an ancient skill. Young people were trained in fighting with sticks to protect themselves and protect the village. This was particularly helpful in olden days when thefts were common in villages. It was also useful to protect themselves and their properties when people travelled to far-off palaces and highway robbers used to loot them. What had started as a self-protective measure, became a pastime when the need for such self-protection had ceased.During the village festivals and also in the marriage processions of some communities, Karra samu is a necessary attraction. When the marriage procession or the temple procession stops at a centre where four roads meet, the karra samu experts come forward and show their skills usually to the beating of the dappu. In some village in Guntur, Krishna, East and West Godavari districts, this practice still continues and it is a necessary attraction during marriage processions.
The performance starts with the showing of individual talents. A fighter comes into the arena (Garidi) and points out his stick in different angles to the beats of dappu. In some areas Tasha, an instrument, which gives fierce inspiring noise, is also used. Sometimes a whistle called Bigil is used. Then the fighter holds the stick in the middle and shows his mettle by moving it in all directions as though he is protecting himself against several opposing fighters. All the other team members also show similar skills.
Connectivity
Nearest railway station is PutturPuttur, Andhra Pradesh
Puttur , is a census town and mandal headquarters in Chittoor district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.-Etymology:The word Puttur is a combination of Tamil words Pudhu + Wooru which means New village in Tamil language. In ancient days, this region was part of Tamil country of...
(15 km) in Andhra Pradesh. Some express trains stop here. Frequent buses ply from Puttur
Puttur, Andhra Pradesh
Puttur , is a census town and mandal headquarters in Chittoor district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.-Etymology:The word Puttur is a combination of Tamil words Pudhu + Wooru which means New village in Tamil language. In ancient days, this region was part of Tamil country of...
to Chittoor
Chittoor
Chittoor also known as Chittur, is a City and municipal corporation located in the Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is conveniently located on major highways linking the cities of Bangalore and Chennai....
via Karvetinagar. Alternatively, it can be accessed from Pallipattu
Pallipattu
Pallipat is a town in Tiruvallur district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India .-Geography:Pallipat is located at . It has an average elevation of 154 metres .-Demographics:...
(10 km) in Tamilnadu
From Tirupati to Karvetinagar via Rayalacheruvu, Pachikapallam is the very nearest root.Chittoor to puttur Bypass road approved by World bank work in progress.recently running the metro bus from tirupathi to karvetinagarm.