An inscription from Panugallu (A.D. 1121) records that the government of Maduvula village in Kukkaḍam-30 was granted to Bhimana preggada while a village in Addaluru-70 was granted to Doddaya bhattu as estates. Doddaya bhattu was referred to as the son of the above Bhimana preggada. This shows that the vaidika and niyogi sects were not clearly seperated or not crystallised as endogamous groups or sects in the early Kakatiya period.
The life of Gangadhara shows how an agrahara brahmin became a niyogi. His Karimagar inscription records Gangadhara’s receiving niyogi vrittis (insignia of office) from king Rudra along with the title amatya. At the end of the inscription he is referred to as Gangarāju. This shows how niyogis were formed out of agrahāra brahmanas.
Ved article
Source: TW
The Niyogi Warrior Brahmins Origins Thread Part One By Ved Aitharaju
From building and ruling over empires as army commanders, fort commanders, and feudatory kings to the protecting the Telugu land from invaders (from the era of the Kakatiyas to the Vijayanagara), to pioneering the foundational pillars of the Telugu language, To conquering lands till Indonesia ( in the form of Salakayanas), to ushering in economical progress (in the form of PV Narasimha Rao), freedom struggle (Prakasam Panthulu), social (Gurazada Apparao), and scientific enlightenment (Yellapragada Subbarao) to designing the Indian flag (Pingali Venkayya). The footprint of the Niyogi Brahmins in Telugu Brahmins is huge in Telugu history. But who are they?
The earliest reference to the creation of the Niyogi Brahmin warriors sect is found in the legendary tale of Rani Rudrama Devi’s battle. A battle where 6000 Brahmins along with Annamantri (a Niyogi himself) is described [1]. After Annamantri, the army commander of Rani Rudrama Devi, rode into battle with 6000 Brahmin Warriors and slayed the enemy, and presented victory to Rani Rudrama Devi. Annamantri later married Rudrama Devi’s daughter.
We find even earlier references that point to a peculiar military origin/military yet intellectual based lifestyle of the Niyogis. For example, this source describes Tikkanna garu’s, the legendary Telugu poet who translated the Mahabharata into Telugu, family background [2]. Tikkanna’s father Kommanna was a army commander by occupation. Tikkanna’s cousin too was an army commander. Whilst Tikkanna garu himself was a legendary Minister of Ganapatideva of the Kakatiya Empire. Tikkanna’s cousin was the legendary Khadga Tikkanna, the Niyogi warrior [3] who valiantly fought in a legendary battle in Nellore. His story is recorded in the Telugu folk epic Kattamraju Katha. His death and sacrifice for battle is sung by Dalit folk artists since centuries. Niyogis seem to have continually doing this for centuries.
Even early as the times of the Chola Kings, Niyogi Brahmins served as army commanders, ministers, and poets of the Telugu land. One primary example is Vasanapreggada, the Brahmin warrior for the Telugu Chodas. [4] Gradually, Niyogis emerged as a class of warriors, army commanders, and ministers, and poets. They swung the sword, as beautifully as they wrote poetry. So much so, that the book a History of the Telugu Literature said the following about them [5]…
Gradually, by the time of Ganapatideva of the Kakatiyas, Niyogi Brahmin warriors were given the job of karanamas (village revenue officers). Frykenberg, a scholar documents about how Niyogis were assigned these jobs by the Kakatiyas. Niyogis replaced Aravas (Tamils), Jains, and took bulk of the administrative postings, after Niyogis along with Kakatiyas, famously crushed Jains in Oil Mills. [6] The Niyogi rise to power thus begun. But their golden age as Frykenberg says was the Vijayanagara Empire.
The Niyogis served as army commanders, ministers and as feudatories of the Kakatiya Empire. The most famous Niyogi feudatory we know of was the Induluri Dynasty that ruled Coastal Andhra. The Induluris had 12,000 cavalary, 5 lakhs of infantry and 6000 Swords. [7]
Niyogis became so powerful that the book Medieval Andhra A Socio-Historical Perspective describes them “No ruler no matter how invincible could rule without the Niyogi Brahmin”. The fall of Warangal and the Kakatiyas after Khiliji’s attack lead to chaos in Southern India.
The last greatest Hindu empire Vijayanagara was born from this chaos, begin by two feudatories of the Kakatiya Empire, Harihara and Bukka. Vijayanagara saw a host of Niyogi ministers, army generals, and of course the greatest Telugu poets, the astadiggajas were all Niyogis. The next thread shall cover Niyogi Brahmins role in the building of Vijayanagara and its expansion southward. And the role of Niyogis in the Hindu revival post the fall of Vijayanagara.
SOURCES:
[1] Rani Rudrama Devi by Nori Narasimha Sastry
[2] A History of Telugu Litearature by P Chenchiah
[3]Journal of Indian History and Culture Sept 2008 15th Issue C.P. RAMASWAMI AIYAR INSTITUTE OF INDOLOGICAL RESEARCH (affiliated to the University
[4]The History of Andhra Country, 1000 A.D.-1500 A.D.: Administration, literature and society
[5] A History of Telugu Litearature by P Chenchiah
[6] Traditional Processes of Power in South India : an Historical Analysis of Local Influence by Frykenberg