Sayapaneni Nayaks

The Sayapaneni Nayaks were a prominent Telugu Hindu warrior-administrative clan that significantly shaped the political and military landscape of South India from the early 16th to the early 19th century, particularly under the Vijayanagara Empire. Originating in the Andhra region, they belonged to the Kamma community and were one of the 37 major Kamma Nayak clans that emerged following the dissolution of the Kakatiya dynasty.

Their rise commenced in the post Musunuri Nayakas period, with their prominence establishing itself in central Andhra, specifically in the Dupati Seema (Dupadu) region near Srisailam. This was initiated by a Jagir from Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara, who, around 1509 CE, granted administrative control of the Dupadu Region to Shayappanayadu, then a twenty year old from the family. Subsequent consolidation of this area by his descendants, including Vengala Nayudu and Venkatadri Nayudu, as detailed in the Dupadu Kaifiyat, is considered as a period of stable governance.

They consolidated a vast estate encompassing approximately 533 villages across what are now the Prakasam, Guntur, and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh. They were instrumental in safeguarding the empire's northern frontier, often collaborating with other influential Kamma clans like the Pemmasani Nayaks and Ravella Nayaks. Venkatadri’s marriage to Venkatamba, the sister of Pemmasani Thimma Nayudu, strengthened their regional ties. Notable leaders such as Sayapaneni Venkatadri Nayudu and Sayapaneni Vengala Nayudu played crucial roles in repelling incursions from the Bahmani and later the Golconda Sultanates.

The decline of the Sayapaneni Nayaks began with the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire after the Battle of Talikota in 1565. While they, along with the Ravella and Pemmasani Nayaks, initially continued to resist the expanding Deccan Sultanates, particularly the Golconda Sultanate, this resistance gradually waned. A significant blow came in 1652 when Gandikota, the crucial stronghold of the Pemmasani Nayaks, fell to Mir Jumla, symbolising the establishment of Muslim rule in the region. Ultimately, the Dupadu principality, still under Sayapaneni control, was annexed by the British East India Company in 1802, thereby ending their political autonomy, though descendants of the family remained influential as zamindars and local elites under British rule.