Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala – Under Matli Chiefs

Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala – Under Matli Chiefs

The Matli chiefs were among the most important of the feudatory dynasties connected with this district. They belonged to the Devachoda family. They ruled from Matli in Rayachoti Taluk in Kadapa district, their rule over the eastern half of the Kadapa district comprising parts of Badvel, Siddhavattam, Kadapa, Pullampet or Rajampot taluks, with the Anantarajapuram near Rajempet as their capital. They come to the forefront when the Vijayanagara Empire was at its zenith. They had acquired sufficient status to enter into matrimonial alliances with the imperial house itself. They stood firmly by the rulers of the fourth or the Aravidu dynasty and helped to continue the great traditions of the Vijayanagara Empire in diverse spheres.

The first ancestor of the family was Bommaraja. He had three sons namely, Somaraja, Timmaraja and Mangaraja. Somaraja had five sons. Of all these chiefs, Varadaraja, the son-in-law of Sri Krishnadevaraya, functioned as the virtual ruler. An epigraph at Tirupati (AD 1544) registers his gift of 312 rekhai-pon (gold coins). This was made use of by the Temple Authorities for the improvements of tanks and channels in the temple villages. The next Matli chief of importance was Kumara Anantaraja exercised authority over the territory lying between the hills of Tirupati and Ahobilam.

He was a great scholar, he deeply attached to the Vishistadwaitha School of Ramanuja but was however, tolerant of other schools of thought. Considerable light is thrown on the varied achievements of Kumara Ananta in two epigraphs of (AD 1628) noted on the walls of the Pathala Mandapam at Alipiri. He founded about a dozen free feeding houses for the benefit of pilgrims proceeding on foot between Setu and the Himalayas. Tirupati was one among the places where such a house was established. Tirupati itself, he constructed Gali- gopuram (the tower on the top of the front hill) on the path way with a flight of steps.

The other inscriptions at Tirupati reveal that the major works for which Kumara Ananta was responsible at Tirupati included the big outer gopuram (tower) of the temple of Govindaraja with seven storeys and the second gopuram at the foot of the hills called the Kotta Gopuram through which the pathway to Tirumala runs. His numerous other offerings to the shrine included a crown set with gems". He made many gifts to the temple at Srikalahasthi also. Finally, Mijumla marched against his principality and after occupying it entrusted its administration to Triambaka Sankaraju Pant. With this, the administration of the Matlis in the district came to an end.