Vizianagaram State was one of the most important zamindaris of the Madras Presidency in India. The estate acceded to the Indian Union in 1949. This area was ruled by different Hindu Emperors of Kuntal up to the mediaeval period. After the fall of centralisedGajapatiKingdom of Kalinga the region was governed by the Ranchimore rulers. The ancestors of Maharajas of Vijyanagaram belong to descendants of Maharaja Veer Prataps clan, namely those are the same ancient Suryaveer ruling clan in Rajasthan and are ancestors who had built Vijayanagram.
History
The Pusapatis are the descendants of Pericchedis, the ancient ruling clan of Andhra Pradesh. Paricchedis were staunch patrons of Hindu Dharma in contrast to the Chalukyas, who initially were patrons of Jainism. The family name was changed to Pusapati after moving to the coastal region. The village Poosapaadu in Nandigama Taluq was built by Amala Raju, a descendant of Pericchedi clan Rulers. Rulers of this princely state hailed from Poosapaadu, hence they were known as Poosapaatis , meaning belonging to PoosaPaadu. Their surname is nothing but the adverbial form of noun Poosapaadu, their native place. It is obtained by suffixing a -ti to the noun Poosapaadu according to the rules of Telugu grammar. They founded the city of Vizianagaram, named it after Vijay Rama Raju, spelled with a Z to differentiate it from the Vijayanagar Dynasty in Hampi. They obtained the title of Gajapati, after aiding the British forces of the Northern Circars against Vikram Dev I of Jeypore Kingdom in the 18th century. In 1754, Pusapati Vijaya Rama Gajapathi Raju, of the ruling family of Vizianagaram, made an alliance with the French, but a few years later the territory was ceded to the British. It remained under their control until independence in 1947. Vizianagaram Fort was constructed in the year 1712–1714 A.D. Traditionally five Vijayas or signs of victory were present at the inception of this fortress. It was named Vizia-nagaram after its founder Vijaya Rama Raju and the foundations were laid on Tuesday, the tenth day of the Dasara Festival in the year Vijaya of the Hindu calendar. In 1827 Maharajah Vijay Rama Gajapati Raju III had several honors conferred on him by the British Government. Lord Northbrook obtained for him the title of His Highness, and had his name enrolled among those of chiefs entitled to return visits from the Viceroy. The revenue of the estate is nearly about 26lakhs by 1938 and nearly about 30 lakhs by the time of abolition. They paid a peskash of 4,96,580/- by 1877. After the Battle of Padmanabham they were reduced from the position of Princely State to Zamindari in 1794 and made the Permanent setllement in the year 1802-03. They were also conferred with Maharaja titles.
