In the last article, In Hunt for Andhra Mandala, which was the part 1 of the two part article, it was attempted to narrow down the historic geography of the region that was Andhra-desa or Andhra-patha. The interpretations can be unexplored and one can always add more and more variations to it. In part 2 of the article, what’s being hunted is the geography or geographical references that were made to Telangana. Ideally, it has retrieved the origin of its name but one cannot say for sure if every variation hints at the same expression and meaning.
Tailanga-desa, is the land between the Andhra country and another country. Between Srisailam and the Chola country lays the country of Tailanga desa. However history has been inconsistent in mentioning the Tailanga desa always as a separate state. The name Trilinga, the variant of Tailanga is traditionally said to have been derived from three lingas namely those of Kalesvaram, Srisailam and Daksharama. The Trilinga could be the corrupt variation of the Puranic Trikalinga. This Trikalinga draws a fine demarcation between Kalinga and Tilanga which has been mentioned as the Janapada for the south India.
According to the Muslim writers the capital of Telingana was Warangal. This along with the neighboring area of Hanamakonda was in epigraphs placed to be in Andhra. During the era of Kakatiya rule of King Rudra, the Andhra-Trilinga country which he ruled was bonded on the east by the sea, on the south by Srisailam, on west by the Kalyani Chalukyas or the Western Chalukyas. To the North of King Rudra’s territory lied the mountain Malyavanta. Archaeologists have pointed out this hill to be the fortified hill of Mallagad in Karimnagar (Rayachaudhari). During the realm of Rudra, the area is spoken of as Tillanga whereas in case of Rudramadevi it is said to be of Andhra.
According to the records of the 14th century CE, the boundaries of Tilinga desa has been given as Maharashtra on the west, Kalinga on the east, the Pandya territory on the South and the Kanyakubja to the North. The Pandyan territory that has been mentioned here is the Pandyan dynasty of Chitaldroog-Bellary area and not the Pandyans of Madurai.
Strikingly in 16th century the two names are combined to be in the expression as Andhra-Trilinga Madhyama country. Many a times the name Andhra and Trilinga are alternatively used. Sometimes they are also treated as variants. The geography doesn’t differ much from the location of the modern day Telangana. But one must understand that the ancient geographers or kings never looked at it as a separate territory. Tilanga is the Puranic name given to this particular region and it has been always treated as the place of historical and religious worship.
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