Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
1. The Qutb Shahis of Golconda (1518–1687)
- Coastal Andhra came under Golconda; Ibrahim Qutb Shah patronised Telugu poets, who called him Malki Bharama.
- Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) was the kingdom's main port — famous for kalamkari and textiles.
- Bhakta Ramadasu (Kancherla Gopanna) — tahsildar under Tana Shah, built the Bhadrachalam temple.
- Aurangzeb annexed Golconda in 1687.
2. Europeans on the Andhra coast
| Power | Settlement |
|---|---|
| Dutch | Masulipatnam (1605), Bheemunipatnam, Pulicat (Tamil Nadu) |
| English | Masulipatnam factory (1611) — their first on the east coast |
| French | Yanam (near Kakinada) — still part of Puducherry UT |
3. Asaf Jahis and the British
| Event | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1724 | Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah I became independent in the Deccan |
| Northern Circars | The coastal districts (Srikakulam to Guntur) were given to the French (Bussy, 1753); after the Carnatic Wars, the Mughal emperor granted them to the English (1765) and the Nizam confirmed it by treaty (1766) |
| 1798 | Nizam Ali Khan became the first to accept Wellesley's Subsidiary Alliance |
| 1800 | The Nizam handed the districts of Bellary, Anantapur, Kurnool and Cuddapah to the British — the "Ceded Districts", later named Rayalaseema (name adopted in 1928) |
- Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema thus became part of the Madras Presidency, while Telangana stayed under the Nizam — a split that shaped later history.
4. British administration
- Sir Thomas Munro — Ryotwari system in the Ceded Districts; Collector of the Ceded Districts; died at Pattikonda (Kurnool) in 1827.
- Sir Arthur Cotton — Dowleswaram anicut on the Godavari (1852); the Krishna anicut at Bezawada (Vijayawada) followed in 1855 and was later replaced by the Prakasam Barrage (1957). The two deltas became the "rice bowl" of the south.
- C. P. Brown — collected and printed Telugu classics; Telugu–English dictionary.
Revision SummaryQuick recap
- Masulipatnam — main Golconda port; English factory 1611.
- French at Yanam (Puducherry UT).
- Northern Circars → English 1765–66.
- Subsidiary Alliance 1798; Ceded Districts 1800 → Rayalaseema (name from 1928).
- Munro — Ryotwari; Cotton — Dowleswaram anicut 1852; C. P. Brown — Telugu literature.