Continued from Vol. 1.
In the last part, we have seen how Vizagpatnam was ruled by various regimes, right from the Kalingas, the Mauryas, the Satavahanas and the Chalukyas. Now we will see the part since the Oriyan Gajapatis came into power.
1. 1434 — 1541: The Gajapatis Take Over
There was a minister in the court of the last Ganga king Banudeva IV, who took over the throne and started a new dynasty called Gajapati (he called himself by a fancy name of Pratap Kapilesvara, by the way). He fought many battles with the king of Vijayanagara before extending his empire to include Vizag region and beyond. His grandson Pratap Rudra was defeated by Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanagara in 1515, who set up a victory pillar in Potnuru and left inscriptions in the Simhachalam temple. Gajapatis continued to hold their empire till 1541, when one of their ministers assassinated the king to take over the throne. In 1560, a commander usurped the ruler before the territories were taken over by the Sultanate of Golconda in 1568. History is filled with such crazy coups, isn't it??
The victory pillar set up by Krishna Deva Raya in Potnuru.
2. 1568 — 1687: The Sultanate of Golconda
From 1568, the Sultans of Golconda (of the Qutb Shahi dynasty) ruled the Northern Circars - a 78,000 sq. km of coastal land encompassing the present areas of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Vizagpatnam was part of the Chicacole circar which was ruled by the Sultans through a Faujdar (local officer). In 1636, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan made the Golconda Sultan accept the his suzerainty(samanthakata), which he did but in reality they remained independent. In 1687, Aurangzeb conquered the Golconda Sultanate and took over the Northern Circars as well.
India during the 1600s.
3. 1662 — 1825: The Dutch Arrive
Meanwhile, India was opening her arms for the new, exotic European guests. The first such "guests" were the Dutch, who enjoyed staying in and around Vizag a lot! The first Dutch settlement was in Bheemunipatnam(Bheemli). The 1781 war between the British and the Dutch resulted in the Dutch factory being destroyed. The factory was rebuilt and was again taken over the British(who were, as we all know, cocky f***ers). Finally all the Dutch property in Bheemunipatnam and the rest of India went to the British after the treaty of 1824. All that remained was this Dutch Cemetery. :P
4. 1682 — 1858: The English Settlement
When Aurangzeb defeated the Sultan of Golconda and asked the British to leave... his dominion got retracted within a year. The British built a factory and a fort for their defence, it took them decades to firmly established themselves in Vizag. In 1758-59 the British Company army defeated the French and captured the Northern Circars from them, which was then granted to the British by the firman(royal decree) issued by the Mughal Emperor in 1765. In 1769, Visakhapatnam was made the captial of the Northern Circars district. By 1825, the English had got the all the Dutch settlement in and around Vizag under their control.
The Northern Circars under the British.
5. 1687 — 1758: The Mughals
The Mughal rule in the south started with Aurangazeb's defeat of the Deccan Sultanates and the occupation of most parts of the Deccan which included the Northern Circars. He placed governors (also known as subedar and later known as Nizam-ul-Mulk) to rule the Deccan region. But after his death in 1707, the subedars started to become independent of Delhi.
In 1724, the subedar Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah made himself independent of the Mughal king and started a new dynasty called Asaf Jahi which ruled the state of Hyderabad for decades. When Asaf Jah died in 1748, the French and English who had established their respective small colonies in Vizagpatnam took sides in the fight for the succession to the position of Nizam-ul-Mulk. This led to the French gaining control of the Northern Circars in 1753 but by 1758 the English had taken the control over the region, as we have seen previously.
A mosque, believed to be built on the land granted by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, near Visakhapatnam Port Trust.
Continued in Part 3...
The victory pillar set up by Krishna Deva Raya in Potnuru.
2. 1568 — 1687: The Sultanate of Golconda
From 1568, the Sultans of Golconda (of the Qutb Shahi dynasty) ruled the Northern Circars - a 78,000 sq. km of coastal land encompassing the present areas of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Vizagpatnam was part of the Chicacole circar which was ruled by the Sultans through a Faujdar (local officer). In 1636, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan made the Golconda Sultan accept the his suzerainty(samanthakata), which he did but in reality they remained independent. In 1687, Aurangzeb conquered the Golconda Sultanate and took over the Northern Circars as well.
India during the 1600s.
3. 1662 — 1825: The Dutch Arrive
Meanwhile, India was opening her arms for the new, exotic European guests. The first such "guests" were the Dutch, who enjoyed staying in and around Vizag a lot! The first Dutch settlement was in Bheemunipatnam(Bheemli). The 1781 war between the British and the Dutch resulted in the Dutch factory being destroyed. The factory was rebuilt and was again taken over the British(who were, as we all know, cocky f***ers). Finally all the Dutch property in Bheemunipatnam and the rest of India went to the British after the treaty of 1824. All that remained was this Dutch Cemetery. :P
4. 1682 — 1858: The English Settlement
When Aurangzeb defeated the Sultan of Golconda and asked the British to leave... his dominion got retracted within a year. The British built a factory and a fort for their defence, it took them decades to firmly established themselves in Vizag. In 1758-59 the British Company army defeated the French and captured the Northern Circars from them, which was then granted to the British by the firman(royal decree) issued by the Mughal Emperor in 1765. In 1769, Visakhapatnam was made the captial of the Northern Circars district. By 1825, the English had got the all the Dutch settlement in and around Vizag under their control.
The Northern Circars under the British.
5. 1687 — 1758: The Mughals
The Mughal rule in the south started with Aurangazeb's defeat of the Deccan Sultanates and the occupation of most parts of the Deccan which included the Northern Circars. He placed governors (also known as subedar and later known as Nizam-ul-Mulk) to rule the Deccan region. But after his death in 1707, the subedars started to become independent of Delhi.
In 1724, the subedar Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah made himself independent of the Mughal king and started a new dynasty called Asaf Jahi which ruled the state of Hyderabad for decades. When Asaf Jah died in 1748, the French and English who had established their respective small colonies in Vizagpatnam took sides in the fight for the succession to the position of Nizam-ul-Mulk. This led to the French gaining control of the Northern Circars in 1753 but by 1758 the English had taken the control over the region, as we have seen previously.
A mosque, believed to be built on the land granted by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, near Visakhapatnam Port Trust.
Continued in Part 3...
