Reddi Kingdom

The Reddi Kingdom was a medieval South Indian monarchy established in 1325 by Prolaya Vema Reddy that ruled coastal and central Andhra for more than a century, until 1448, with territory at its greatest extent stretching from Cuttack in Orissa in the north to Kanchi in the south and Srisailam in the west. Governed by nine successive rulers who administered the kingdom according to the Dharmasutras and levied a tax of one sixth of the agricultural surplus, it was first ruled from the capital Addanki before the court relocated to the fortified hill city of Kondavidu, and a subsidiary branch of the dynasty was established at Rajahmundry in 1395. Known for its fortifications, including the hill forts of Kondapalli and Kondavidu, the Reddi Kingdom patronized Telugu and Sanskrit literature and Hindu temple building, and its territory was eventually absorbed by its two more powerful neighbors, the Vijayanagara Empire and the Gajapati Empire.