Kondapalli
Kondapalli, 1908
Town and hill-fortress in the Bezwada taluk of Kistna District, Madras, situated in 16° 37' N. and 8o° 33' E. Popu- lation (1901), 4,799. The place is now unimportant, but was formerly a fortress of considerable strength and the capital of one of the five Northern Circars. Built about a.d. 1360 by the Reddi kings of Kondavid, it became the centre of numerous struggles. It was taken by the Bahmani Sultan in 1471 from the Orissa kings, and in 1477 from a revolted garrison. Falling once more into the hands of the Orissa kings, it was again captured by Krishna Deva of Vijayanagar about 15 1 5, and by Sultan Kuli Kutb Shah in 153 1. It surrendered to the troops of Aurangzeb in 1687, and in 1766 was taken by General Caillaud from the Nizam. A small British garrison was stationed here till 1859. The ruined outworks, some miles in circumference, are now overgrown with jungle or covered with corn-fields ; but the citadel on the rock overhanging them is still a striking object. At Kondapalli there is a special industry — the manufacture of small figures and toys from a light wood which grows on the hills.
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
