The Velamas are considered traditional rivals of Reddys during Kakatiya period. Both the groups got along fine as feudatories of the Kakatiyas but to gain prominence in the royal court the professional rivalry went to the extremes:
" Prataparudra had to fight battles throughout his reign against either the internal rebels or the external foes. The caste-ridden factional rivalries among the Kayastha, the Velama and the Reddi communities might have incited the internal revolts. As a result of these constant internal troubles and the external dangers, especially the invasions of the aliens, the Kakatiya Empire ultimately collapsed. Eversince Prataparudra assumed the reigns of government, he made the rehabilitation of the kingdom his sole aim. To strengthen the defences of the kingdom, he set about reorganizing the administrative system. Tradition, based on authentic facts, points out that he recruited exclusively from the Velama community seventy five or seventy seven nayaks, assigned them territories and entrusted to each of them the defence of one of the seventy - seven bastions of the fort at his capital Warangal. He must have found the Velama ( Padma Nayaka ) chieftains eminently fitted to the duty. This well - meant reform and the special favour shown to the Velama community, of course, excited the jealousy of the Reddi chieftains who grew sullen and discontented. Prataparudra even decentralised power as far as possible. " (Durga Prasad 1988:147 & 148 pages)
Velamas say if not for Terala Bhoja Reddy's opportunistic attitude during the battle with Delhi Sultan's army, Kakatiya Empire would have been intact at least till the British colonial period. On the other hand, Reddys accuse the Velamas of colluding with alien Bahamanis to keep their state intact and indulge in attacking the Reddy kingdoms at every given opportunity.
The sons of Recharla Singama Nayaka ( Anavota Nayaka and Maada Nayaka ) subsequently attacked the Reddy Kingdom of Addanki in retaliation for the conspiracy leading to brutal assassination of their father by jallipalli kshastriyas ( non-Telugu aliens ), Anvota Nayaka even killed Kapaya Nayaka ( then ruling from Orugallu ) on the outskirts of Warangal suspecting his indirect hand in the murder of their father, and later on their kingdom face the combined forces of Addanki Kingdom and Vijayanagar forces with the assistance of Bahamani Sultans. Eventually Velamas had to join the imperial service of Vijayanagar as military contingents and regional governors. Many Velamas thus settled in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere.
" Prolaya Vemas' son and successor, Anavota Reddy ( 1353 A.D. - 1364 A.D. ), is said to have joined hands with the Jallipalli Kshatriyas ( non-Telugu ) who in turn assassinated the Recherla chief Singama Nayaka. To take revenge on the Reddis, Singama's sons Anavota Nayaka and Maada Nayaka attacked the Reddi kingdom. Mada Nayaka is said to have defeated Anavota Reddi in the battle of Dharanikota, in Guntur dist. Thus began a feud between the Velamas and the Reddis, which raged with the unabated fury till the middle of the fifteenth century. " (Durga Prasad 1988: Page 181)
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