Reddi Kingdom

Origins

Prolaya Vema Reddi, a former Kakatiya follower, joined the revolt of the Musunuri Nayaks against the Delhi Sultanate and around 1325 established his own rule in coastal Andhra. He made Addanki and then Kondavidu his capital, and the dynasty extended along the coast from the Krishna to the Godavari.

Rule and society

The Reddi kings ruled through a network of hill forts such as Kondavidu and Kondapalli and controlled the port of Motupalli, encouraging trade. Their court supported Telugu and Sanskrit literature: the great poet Srinatha served Pedakomati Vema, and Errana completed the Telugu Mahabharata. The kings granted land generously to Brahmins and temples.

Decline and legacy

Caught between the Vijayanagara Empire, the Bahmani Sultanate and the Gajapatis of Odisha, the Reddis lost territory steadily. Kondavidu fell to Vijayanagara around 1424, and the Rajahmundry branch was absorbed by the Gajapati Kingdom by 1448.