The very mention of the name ‘Vannuramma’ brought chill to the spine of the Matli kings and Kadapa Nawabs. Of all the Polegars (local chieftains) who had ruled the regional territories of Rayalaseema before the advent of the British, the lone woman ruler remains forgotten from the pages of history.
She ruled five ‘Durgams’ (under fiefdom) between 1781 and 1796 with Sakarlapadu as the administrative headquarters. According to historical accounts, she was born in Pathimadugu Rekulakunta, now in Kadapa district, and got married to Veerneni Chinna Narasimha Naidu in 1764. The family had the practice of praying at Vannuru Swamy temple in Kalyanadurgam of Anantapur district. Vannuramma thus got her name as she was born, as believed, as the god’s gift.
