Durjaya (Andhra chieftain)
Durjaya (Sanskrit for "difficult to conquer" or "invincible")[1] was a legendary chieftain of ancient Andhra. The identity of Durjaya remains unknown.[2] Several ruling dynasties of medieval Andhra and Telangana, such as the Kakatiyas, Velanati Chodas, Malyalas, Viryalas, Haihayas, Konakandravadis, Ivani Kandravadis, Kondapadumatis, Natavadis, Parichchedis, Kotas, and Chagis, claimed descent from him.[3][4][2] In the opinion of Bhavaraju Venkata Krishna Rao, he probably flourished in the 3rd century CE.[5]
References
- ^ "Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary --द". Retrieved 9 June 2023 – via French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (Inria).
- ^ a b Gajjala Vasanta Lakshmi (ed.). "Post-Kakatiya Telangana" (PDF). Epigraphia Telanganica. 4: 25.
Several other medieval ruling families in Andhra such as the chiefs of Kota, Chagi, Velanati, Haihaya, Kondapadumati, and Kakatiya also trace their descent from Durjaya. The identity of Durjaya remains unknown, though the inscriptions of the Velamas and the chiefs of these dynasties unequivocally state that they belong to the fourth caste.
- ^ Talbot, Cynthia (20 September 2001). Precolonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra. Oxford University Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-19-803123-9.
- ^ A Thousand Laurels--Dr. Sadiq Naqvi: Studies on Medieval India with Special Reference to Deccan. Department of History, Osmania University. 2005. p. 638.
It is interesting to note that the feudatory chiefs such as the Velanati Chodas, Haihayas, Kondapadumatis, Natavadis, Chagis etc., who emerged as political power during the medieval periods claim the lineage from Durjaya.
- ^ Vēṅkaṭakr̥ṣṇarāvu, Bhāvarāju (1973). History of the Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi, 610-1210 A.D. Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Akademi. p. 438. Retrieved 9 October 2021.