The Yadavarayas were a local dynasty exercising authority over the northern and eastern portion of Tondamandalam. Tirukkalattideva Yadava raya was the first chief of the family. He assumed high sounding titles such as Chalukyanarayana ’ which indicate their connection with the Eastern Chalukyas from whom they appear to have acquired a portion of the V engi kingdom. His inscriptions are noticed in Chittoor, Nellorc and North Arcot districts. He strengthened his power by entering into matrimonial alliance with the Telugu Cholas. He was succeeded by his son Virarakshasa Yadava
raya who was in turn followed by Vira Narasingadeva Yadavaraya. He ruled over the principality for fifty-one years. He fought on the side of the Chola ruler, Rajaraja III, in the wars which Kopperunjinga waged. He came into conflict with the elder Kadavaraya Alagiya-Siyan. He was a subordinate of Vira Gandagopala, the Telugu-Pallava chief, whom Jatavarman Sundara Pandya I claimed to have defeated and killed. Another member of the family was Tiruvenkatanatha Yadavaraya. He ruled the principality for about fifteen years till A.D. 1336–37. On the request of his general Singaya Dannayaka, Tiruvenkatanatha Yadavaraya granted half the village of Pongalur for the celebration of the ’ Adi ’ festival in the temple of Tiruvenkadamudaiyan. He was subordinate to the Hoysala ruler Ballala IIl and paid tribute to him by levying a tax called the ‘Vallaladeva-vari.’ His relationship with the earlier members of the family or with his successor, Sriranganatha is not ascertainable. However, it is presumed that Tiruvenkatanatha was the father of Sriranganatha Yadavaraya. During this period a number of taxes were levied. The taxes were classified as gold taxes, grain taxes, taxes relating to free service known as ’ Amanji-Vagai,’ taxes levied by the assembly of the Nattar, and other old and new taxes promulgated from time to time. Some of the taxes related to tolls levied on animals, road-cess or a kind of poll-tax, profession tax on merchants, oil-mongers and weavers, licence fee for planting gardens and fishing in ponds and poundage on stray cattle. Two of the three ’ ancient and customary aids ’ mentioned in the inscriptions were the taxes levied for the benefit of the heir-apparent and the queen-mother. The third one, i.e., the aid for ransoming the body of the king if captured by the enemy, occurs as a kind of tribute paid to the liege lord.
Sriranganatha Yadavaraya succeeded to the principality in A.D. 1336 or 1337 and ruled for about 20 years. Consequent on the establishment
of the Vijayanagar kingdom, he submitted himself to the Vijayanagar authority and ruled as a subordinate of Harihara I. He is reported to have waged wars against kings when defied his commands, driven them out of their magnificent cities and made them seek shelter on mountains. As the period was characterised by political turmoil, Sriranganatha might have taken an active part in such warfare either for self-aggrandisement or in support of Vijayanagar
The invasions of the Delhi Sultanate, which began towards the end of the 13th century A.D., upset all the four major kingdoms in the south and caused a period of confusion terminated by the rise and expansion of the Bahmani and Vijayanagar kingdoms in the second quarter of the fourteenth century A.D. From the reign of Muhammad I (A.D. 1358-1375) almost right up to the end of the Bahmani kingdom, there was internecine warfare between the two powers and the bone of contention between them was the Krishna-Tungabhadra doab. Though the Bahmani dynasty came to an end by A.D. 1538, the Bahmani Sultan ceased to exercise any control whatsoever long before that date, over the governors of the provinces constituting the Bahmani kingdom.