{{Short description|Indian ruling clan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}} {{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}}
'''Poosapati / Pusapati''' was the ruling clan of the Vizianagaram estate.
==History== [[File:West Entrance of the Vizianagaram fort in Andhra Pradesh.jpg|thumb|West Entrance of the Vizianagaram fort in Andhra Pradesh]] thumb|Main Entrance of Vizianagaram Fort The Pusapati clan claims descent from Madhavavarma, who led a Kshatriya colony into the Krishna Valley in the late 6th century.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=339}} The members of the colony subsequently held important positions at the court of Golcanda.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=339}}
The Pusapati chieftain Sitaram Chandra Raju received the villages of Kumili and Gundredu from Raghunath Krishna Dev of the Jeypore Estate.{{Sfn|Senapati|Sahu|1966|p=63}} Viziaram Raju was appointed as an administrative minister of the Jeypore Estate by Ram Chandra Dev I{{Sfn|Senapati|Sahu|1966|p=66}} and succeeded his father as the head of the clan in 1710.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=339}} Viziaram Raju occupied a portion of the coastal territories of the Jeypore Estate under Vishwambhar Dev II{{sfn|Senapati|Sahu|1966|p=67}} and moved the capital of the estate from Potnuru to Vizianagaram in 1712; he named the capital town after himself.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=339}} Viziaram Raju prompted the neighboring landowners (''zamindars'') to secede and gain independence from the Jeypore Estate.{{Sfn|Senapati|Sahu|1966|p=66}} In 1757, Viziaram Raju formed an alliance with Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau, which allowed him to seize the capital of the rival landowner of Bobbili.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=339}}
Following Viziaram Raju, the Pusapati clan was led first by Ananda Raju and next by Viziaram Raju II, who was largely controlled by his half-brother Sitarama Raju.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=340}} In 1761, Sitarama Raju attacked Parlakhemundi defeating its force and their Maratha allies further adding territory to the Vizianagaram Estate.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=340}} In 1768, Viziaram Raju II claimed the right to hold and cultivate (''patta'') Kasipuram, Nandapur, Madgol, etc. with the support of and marking the increasing involvement of the British East India Company; this resulted in the dissatisfied landowners rising against Vizianagaram.{{Sfn|Senapati|Sahu|1966|p=69}} As Viziaram Raju II was unable to make the requisite revenue collection payments, he was ordered to leave the district.{{Sfn|Senapati|Sahu|1966|p=70}} He defied the orders, which resulted in the Battle of Padmanabham against the East India Company Madras Presidency forces led by Colonel Prendergast wherein Viziaram Raju II was defeated and slain.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=341}}
Following the Battle of Padmanabham, Narayana Babu Raju was unable to quell the increasing revolts from the hill landowners, which ultimately led to further reductions of the Vizianagaram Estate.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=341}} The successive chieftains Viziaram Gajapati Raju and Ananda Raju proved to be capable leaders and brought in a period of flourishing for the Vizianagaram Estate.{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=341}}
The Pusapatis obtained the title of Gajapati after the battle of Nandapur.{{Sfn|Satyanarayana|1997|p=48}}
Pusapadu is a village in erstwhile Guntur district.
==Pusapati rulers== thumb|Coat of Arms of Vijayanagaram thumb|Branches of the Sisodia Clan *Sitarama Raju{{Sfn|Richards|1978|p=55}} *Pusapati Amala Gajapati Raju (Founder) *Pusapati Rachi Gajapati Raju *Pusapati Tama Gajapati Raju *Viziaram Raju I (reigned 1710–1757){{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=339}} *Ananda Raju{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=340}} *Viziaram Raju II{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=340}} *Narayana Babu Raju{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=341}} *Viziaram Raju III (Viziaram Gajapati Raju, reigned 1848–1878){{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=341}}{{Sfn|Frenz|Berkemer|2006|p=1264}} *Ananda Gajapati Raju (reigned 1879–1897){{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=341}}{{Sfn|Frenz|Berkemer|2006|p=1264}} *Raja Pusapati Viziaram Gajapati Raju{{Sfn|Frowde|1908|p=341}} *Alak Narayana Gajapati Raju<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2002-08-05 |title=A socialist among princes |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2002080501120200.htm&date=2002%2F08%2F05%2F&prd=mp& |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925185348/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2002080501120200.htm&date=2002%2F08%2F05%2F&prd=mp& |archive-date=2012-09-25 |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=The Hindu}}</ref> *Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapati Raju (eldest son of Alak Narayana Gajapati Raju, reigned 1945–1995)<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2016-03-27 |title=Ananda Gajapathi Raju passes away |url=http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2016-03-27/Ananda-Gajapathi-Raju-passes-away/216633 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029154005/http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2016-03-27/Ananda-Gajapathi-Raju-passes-away/216633 |archive-date=2018-10-29 |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=The Hans India}}</ref> *Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju (eldest son of Vijayarama Gajapati Raju, reigned 1995–2016)<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-26 |title=Anand Gajapathi Raju passes away |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/Anand-Gajapathi-Raju-passes-away/article14176262.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029033558/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/Anand-Gajapathi-Raju-passes-away/article14176262.ece |archive-date=2021-10-29 |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=The Hindu}}</ref> *Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju (second son of Vijayarama Gajapati Raju, ascended in 2016)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-05-27 |title=Ashok Gajapathi Raju |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/ashok-gajapathi-raju-114052600980_1.html |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=Business Standard}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati |url=https://www.oneindia.com/politicians/ashok-gajapathi-raju-pusapati-32436.html |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=OneIndia}}</ref>
==Notable members== * P.S. Kumaraswamy Raja – Former chief minister of Madras State (1949–1952)<ref>{{Cite web |title=List of Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu |url=https://www.oneindia.com/list-of-chief-ministers-of-tamil-nadu/ |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=OneIndia}}</ref> and governor of Odisha (1954–1956).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Odisha Governor List |url=https://www.oneindia.com/odisha-governors-list/ |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=OneIndia}}</ref> *Pusapati Vijaya Ananda Gajapathi Raju (also known as Maharajah of Vizianagram or Vizzy) – Former Indian cricketer,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maharajah of Vizianagram Profile – Cricket Player India |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/maharajah-of-vizianagram-35930 |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=ESPN CricInfo}}</ref> politician,<ref>{{Cite web |title=1962 India General (3rd Lok Sabha) Election Results |url=https://www.elections.in/parliamentary-constituencies/1962-election-results.html |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=Elections.in, 5 Dots Partners}}</ref> and winner of the Padma Bhushan Award in Sports in 1958.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Padma Bhushan Award Winners |url=https://www.oneindia.com/padma-bhushan-award-winners-list/ |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=OneIndia}}</ref>
==Notes== {{reflist}}
== References == * {{citation |first1=Sri Nilmani |last1=Senapati |first2=Dr. Nabin Kumar |last2=Sahu |title=Orissa District Gazetteers: Koraput |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.08556 |year=1966 |publisher=Orissa Government Press Cuttack}} * {{citation |first=Henry |last=Frowde |title=The Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume XXIV, Travancore to Zira |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/toc.html?volume=24 |year=1908 |publisher=Oxford at the Clarendon Press}} * {{Cite journal |last=Richards |first=J.F. |date=1978 |title=Mughal Retreat from Coastal Andhra |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25210918 |journal=The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland |volume=110 |issue=1 |pages=50–68 |doi=10.1017/S0035869X00134227 |jstor=25210918 |s2cid=154680334 |url-access=subscription }} * {{Cite journal |last1=Frenz |first1=Margret |last2=Berkemer |first2=Georg |date=April 1, 2006 |title=Colleges and Kings: Higher Education under Direct and Indirect Rule |url=https://www.rrcee.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/145_Colleges_and_Kings.pdf |journal=Economic and Political Weekly}} * {{Cite thesis |last=Satyanarayana |first=Kasimsetty |title=Gurazada: A Biographical Study |date=1997 |degree=PhD |publisher=University of North Bengal |url=https://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/1212}}
Category:Early modern history of India Category:Hindu dynasties Category:Telugu monarchs Category:Dynasties of India Category:Former monarchies of India Category:Raju Category:Surnames Category:Telugu-language surnames Category:Social groups of Andhra Pradesh Category:Culture of Andhra Pradesh