Kota Vamsa in Telugu

Telugu language

Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

 means Fort Dynasty and is used to refer to the medieval dynasty which ruled over a small region 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...

 (Guntur

Guntur

Guntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...

 district) with Dharanikota

Dharanikota

Dharanikota or Dhanyakatakam or Palden Drepung is a town near Amaravati in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in India, which means a town of rice or paddy.- Location :...

 as their capital from around 8th century AD to the mid 12th century AD. Kota Kings were of Dhananjaya Gotra and are considered to be the ancestors of the Rajus

Rajus

The Raju are a Telugu caste inhabiting Andhra Pradesh, India.-Etymology:Raju is a Telugu variation of the Sanskrit word Raj and Raja meaning king, prince or lord...

 of Dhananjaya gotra.
The Kotas of Dhanunjaya gotra appear as the second among the four important branches of Kshatriya

Kshatriya

*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

s in Telugu

Telugu people

The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...

 land, even to this date.

History

From the Chalukya period (around 7th century AD), there were small dynasties ruling over parts of Andhra. Amongst them were the Parichedis

Pericchedi

The Pericchedi Kings were an ancient ruling clan in Andhra and are ancestors of the Pusapati royal family. Paricchedis built Bezawada off the river Krishna by 626 AD and another capital in Kollipaka establishing themselves for nine centuries there.-History:Paricchedis were staunch patrons of Hindu...

, Chagi

Chagi

The Chagi were an ancient ruling dynasty of Andhra Pradesh who ruled over Natavadi region with Gudimetla as there Capital. Chagis were Suryavanshi Kshatriyas of Vasishta gotra and are ancestors of Sagi and Vatsavai clans of Kshatriya Rajus of Andhra...

s, Kalachuri

Kalachuri

Kalachuri Empire is this the name used by two kingdoms who had a succession of dynasties from the 10th-12th centuries, one ruling over areas in Central India and were called Chedi or Haihaya and the other southern Kalachuri who ruled over parts of Karnataka...

s and the Kota Kings (Kota Vamsa). Kota Kings initially patronised Jainism

Jainism

Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

 and later on they also patronised Hinduism like the Chalukyas. They favoured Shaivism

Shaivism

Shaivism is one of the four major sects of Hinduism, the others being Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being. Shaivas believe that Shiva is All and in all, the creator, preserver, destroyer,...

 and their family god was Amareswara of Amaravati

Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh

Amaravathi is a small town situated on the banks of the River Krishna in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is famous for its Amareswara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is one of the famous Pancharamas. Amaravati, also known as Dhanyakataka/Dharanikota was the site of a...

. They built several Hindu temples during their reign.

Kota Kings followed the varna system. The Brahmins were held in high esteem in the society. They were given gifts of land and money. The Kshatriyas were the ruling class. The Komatis (Vaisyas) was trading community.

Some historians mention that Dhanunjaya gotra of Kota Kings might have come from there ancestor Prince Dhananjaya who ruled Madhyadesa. But the exact origin of this semi mythical Prince Dhananjaya is still contradicted by different historians due to lack of more information.

Kota Kings most of the time of their reign enjoyed independent rule, while in their later stage of their reign they became subordinates of Kakatiya

Kakatiya

The Kakatiya dynasty was an Indian dynasty that ruled most parts of what is now Andhra Pradesh, India from 1083 CE to 1323 CE, with Orugallu , now Warangal , as its capital. Orugallu is also called 'Eka Sila Nagaram'...

s. Kota Kings had lot of political successes during their reign. Kota Vamsa was closely connected by marriage ties with the Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Paricchedis, Chagis and Kalachuris. Kota Betaraja married Ganapamba, daughter of Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva. Kota Betaraja was the last ruler of the Kota Dynasty which ended in 1268 AD.

Much information about the initial Kota Kings is not exactly known, Kota Hariseemakrishna was said to be the founder of the Kota dynasty.
Basing on inscriptions of later Kota kings, Kota Bhimaraja ruled in 11th century AD.

Kota Ketaraja II who was the common ancestor of Andhra Kshatriya families of Datla

Datla

Datla is a common surname that belongs to members of a Kshatriya caste in Andhra Pradesh known as Rajus. They are of the Chandravanshi sect and belong to the Dhananjaya Gotra. They are descendants of the "Kota Vamsa" dynasty that ruled parts of Andhra Pradesh in the 11th and 12th Century AD.Some...

, Dantuluri

Dantuluri

Dantuluri is a surname of the Kshatriya Rajus clan who were descendents of the Kota Kings.. Kota Kings were an ancient ruling clan who ruled over small region of Andhra Pradesh with Dharanikota as their capital in the medieval period...

 and Jampana

Jampana

Jampana is a rare surname that belongs to members of a Kshatriya caste in Andhra Pradesh known as Rajus. They are of the Chandravanshi sect. Kota Jampana belong to the Dhananjaya Gotra and they descended from the "Kota Vamsa" dynasty that ruled small parts of Andhra Pradesh from 7th-8th century AD...

 ascended the throne in 1182. Kota Ketaraja II ruled the entire Kota Kingdom consisting of Shatsahara, Kondanatavadi, Kandravadi, DoddiKandravadi and Kondapadumati districts from 1218 AD with the help of his two sons Kota Bhimaraju and Rudraraju.

List of the later Kota Kings (rulers):

• Kota Bhimaraja I - 1100 AD.
• Kota Ketaraja I - 1130 AD.
• Kota Bhimaraja II.
• Kota Ketaraja II - 1182 AD to 1232 AD.
• Kota Rudraraju.
• Kota Betaraja - 1268 AD.

Inscriptions of Kota kings

There are several inscriptions mentioning Kota Ketaraja and Kota Betaraja, who built several temples around Dharanikota and Amravati region. The inscriptions in the temple of Amravati

Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh

Amaravathi is a small town situated on the banks of the River Krishna in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is famous for its Amareswara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is one of the famous Pancharamas. Amaravati, also known as Dhanyakataka/Dharanikota was the site of a...

, Kota Ketaraja has been mentioned along with his minister Proli Nayudu.

After the decline of Kota kings in 1268 AD. The following inscriptions of Kota kings descendants were found:

1. Rudraraju was mentioned in the records of Kunkalagunka in 1275 AD. Rudraraju was the grandson of Kota Rudraraju, son of Kota Ketaraja of main branch Kota Kings.

2. Pochalamadevi, Wife of Kota Manma Ganpadevarajulu was mentioned in Srikakulam

Srikakulam

Srikakulam is a town, municipality and headquarters of Srikakulam district in the north-eastern Andhra Pradesh, India. It is part of Srikakulam Assembly constituency and Srikakulam Parliament Constituency. Srikakulam was formerly called as Gulshanabad during Muslim rule and was headquarter of...

 records. Kota Manma Ganpadevarajulu was son of Kota Ganapati, son of Kota Ketaraja III.

3. Dantuluri Gannabhupala of Kota lineage was mentioned as ruling the tracts about Dharanikota about 1400 AD.

4. Famous Telugu poet Srinatha

Srinatha

Srinatha was a well-known 15th-century Telugu poet who popularised the Prabandha style of composition.-Biography:Srinatha was born to Bhimamba and Marayya in 1370....

 wrote Dhananjaya Vijayam and dedicated it to Dhantuluri Gannabhupala of Kota lineage.

5. Mahamuni Kavya Kanta Ganapathi Shastry mentioned in his book that King Dantuluri Gannabhupala gave away his daughter Surambika to Ana Vema Reddy who ruled Addanki, Dharanikota and Kondaveedu in marriage. This was mentioned to be the first marriage between Kshatriya and Reddy

Reddy

Reddy is a social group or caste of India, predominantly inhabiting Andhra Pradesh. They are enlisted as a forward caste by the government. Traditionally, they are a high-caste community of nobility, warriors and cultivators. According to academics, they were a warrior caste in the remote past and...

 communities.

6. The Lords of Kota appeared as the feudatories of Pusapati

Pusapati

Pusapati or Poosapati was the ruling clan of the Kalinga Vizianagaram . They were Kshatriyas of the Suryavanshi sect.-History:...

 Rachiraju Tammaraju in 17th century.

Decline

It is believed that after the decline of Kota Vamsa in mid 12th century AD the Kotas dispersed and named themselves after the villages of their origin such as Jampana, Dantuluri, Datla, Pakalapati, Chintalapati, etc. Very few Kotas migrated to different parts of the country, it was known in history that Kotas served Nizams.

The Jampana, Dantuluri, Datla, Uppalapati, Pakalapati and Nallaparaju royal families of Dhananjaya Gotra, who were Zamindars of Rama-Chandra-Puram

Ramachandrapuram, East Godavari

Ramachandrapuram is a village and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located about 20 km from Kakinada and about 10 km from Mandapeta. The famous temple of Lord Shiva at Draksharamam is located about 5 km from here...

, Mogalthur

Mogalthur

Mogalthur or Mogalturru is a village and mandal in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India. 214A National High way crossed Palakol Narasapur and Mogalturu. The famous Lace Village Seetharampuram was near by.-Geography:...

, Kotapalli, Ghandavaram, Kuppili, Moida

Moida

Moida is a village panchayat in Nellimarla mandal of Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh, India.Penumatsa Sambasiva Raju, the Zamindar of Modia is the longest serving MLA from Sathivada assembly constituency. He has been continuously elected to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly from 1967 till 2005....

and Mutta Talaga Chirala.