Garrydum at 02:55, 18 April 2026

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{{Short description|Indian historian (1891–1963)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}

'''Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma''' (24 December 1891 – 7 January 1963) was an Indian historian, who worked at the [[Andhra University]].<ref name=Reddi>{{citation |last1=Sarma |first1=M. Somasekhara |title=History of the Reddi Kingdoms (circa. 1325 A.D. to Circa 1448 A.D.) |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32066 |year=1946 |publisher=Andhra University |at=title page}}</ref> He was born at Miniminchilipadu Agraharam, a village in West Godavari district of [[Andhra Pradesh]] to Bhadrayya and Nagamma.
Somasekhara Sarma couldn't continue his education beyond matriculation due to poverty. He started his career as a menial employee in Kannemera Library in Madras (now called Chennai) where he could have interactions with intellectuals like Lakshmanrao Komarraju and Chilukuri Veerabhadra Rao.
Then he went to Rajahmundry to work for Deshamata, published by Chilakamarthi Lakshminarasimham.
He worked for Andhra Patrika magazine from 1924 to 1940.
He taught research in history at Andhra University from 1940 to 1946.<ref name="MallampalliCommemorationVolume"/>{{rp|1}}

== Works ==
* ''A Forgotten Chapter of Andhra History (History of the Musunūri Nāyaks)'', Andhra University, 1945.<ref name="worldcat">[http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n89-215550 Excerpts from worldcat database]</ref>
* ''History of Reddi Kingdoms (circa. 1325 A.D. to circa 1448 A.D.)'', Andhra University, 1946.<ref name="Reddi" />
* {{transliteration|te|ISO|Āndhra Deśa Charitra Sangrahamu}} (in Telugu), Vishalaandhra Book House.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=looMGwAACAAJ|title=Andhra Desa Charitra Sangrahamu|publisher= Visalaandhra Book House|author= Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma
|language=Telugu}}</ref>
* {{transliteration|te|ISO|Āndhrasaṃskrti taraṅgiṇī}} (in Telugu), Published by Andhra Pradesh Government, 1976.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hdXOPgAACAAJ|title={{transliteration|te|ISO|Āndhrasaṃskrti taraṅgiṇī}}|publisher= Andhra Pradesh Government|author= Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma
|language=Telugu|year=1976}}</ref>

The two books ''Forgotten Chapter'' and ''History of Reddi Kingdoms'' deal with the immediate aftermath of the fall of the [[Kakatiya dynasty|Kakatiya Empire]], the former covering the history of [[Musunuri Nayakas]] and the latter the history of [[Reddi Kingdom|Reddi kingdom]]. Some of his other works in Telugu include {{transliteration|te|ISO|Rohiṇī Candraguptamu}} novel, {{transliteration|te|ISO|Amarāvati Stūpamu}} and {{transliteration|te|ISO|Āndhra Virulu}} skteches.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=56PWDwAAQBAJ|title=Who's Who Of Indian Writers|publisher= Dalcassian Publishing Company|author= Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi
|language=Telugu|year=1961|page=344}}</ref>

== Reception ==
Sarma is a well known Telugu historian and after his death the Government of Andhra Pradesh published a commemoration volume in his memory.<ref name="MallampalliCommemorationVolume">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/sri-mallampalli-somasekara-sarma-commemoration-volume-ed-r-subrahmanyam-n-ramesa|title=Sri Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma Commemoration Volume|publisher= Government of. Andhra Pradesh
|language=English|year=1976}}</ref>

Sarma hypothesised that the Reddi kings were subordinate to the Musunuri chiefs during their inception:
{{blockquote|The Reḍḍi kings of Koṇḍavīḍu, who began as the subordinates of the Musunūri chiefs of Rēkapalli and Waraṅgal, soon became independent, and played an important role during the revival of Hindu supremacy in the post-Kakatiya period.<ref>{{citation |last1=Sarma |first1=Mallampalli Somasekhara |title=History of the Reddi Kingdoms (circa. 1325 A.D. to Circa 1448 A.D.) |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.32066 |year=1948 |publisher=Andhra University |page=v}}</ref>}}
The theory was criticised by historian M. Rama Rao, who noted that the founder of the Reddi line, [[Prolaya Vema Reddi]], predated [[Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka]].<ref>{{citation |first=M. Rama |last=Rao |title=The Fall of Warangal and After |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=10 |year=1947 |pages=292–297 |jstor=44137150 |ref={{sfnref|Rama Rao, The Fall of Warangal and After|1947}}}}</ref> He concludes:
{{blockquote|It is thus clear that various parts of Andhradeśa were rescued from the Muslims at various dates—Rajahmundry and the coastal region in 1324, the territory south of the Krishna in 1325 AD, the Rekapalli region in 1330 and western Andhra between 1330-35 AD. Several individuals—Prolaya Vema Reddi, Musunuri Prolaya nayaka, and Arviti Somadeva liberated these parts and they had no political connection with each other.}}

Modern historian Cynthia Talbot has warned against taking the inscriptional evidence at face value.<ref>{{citation |last=Talbot |first=Cynthia |title=Pre-colonial India in Practice: Society, Region, and Identity in Medieval Andhra |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19803-123-9 |year=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfAKljlCJq0C |pages=177–178}}</ref>
{{blockquote|One way a warrior could assume the Kakatiya aura was through simple juxtaposition of his exploits with those of the Kakatiyas in the introductory portion of an inscription. We find this strategy employed in the Vilasa grant of Prolaya Nayaka, the Musunuri chief.}}
She also opined that Musunuri Kapaya Nayaka being a lord of 75 subordinates was a formulaic device.<ref>{{citation |first=Cynthia |last=Talbot |title=Political intermediaries in Kakatiya Andhra, 1175-1325 |journal=The Indian Economic and Social History Review |volume=31 |number=3 |year=1994 |pages=261–289|doi=10.1177/001946469403100301 |s2cid=145225213 }}: For instance, [[Rudrama Devi]] was mentioned to have had 75 subordinate chiefs, [[Prataparudra]] 77 subordinates, Velugoti chiefs 77 subordinates, Induluris 72 subordinates, etc.</ref>

==Legacy==
{{Quote box
| quote = I would not like you to go away from us without a work of appreciation from me on behalf of myself and the [[Andhra University|University]] for the very valuable work you have done. Your researches appear to me to possess a high scientific value as they embody the results of patience and accurate investigation and the application of sound historical methods.
| source = — [[Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy|C. R. Reddy]]'s comment on Somasekhara Sarma's early retirement.<ref name="MallampalliCommemorationVolume"/>{{rp|5}}
| align = right
| width = 27%
}}
Recognizing his valuable contribution to the field of historical research, he was invited in 1940s to join in [[Andhra University]] by Dr. [[Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy]], then Vice-Chancellor of [[Andhra University]].<ref name="MallampalliCommemorationVolume" />{{rp|4}} He discovered some copper plate grants and the Vilasa grant of Prolaya Nayaka got deciphered by him and N. Venkataramanayya.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.06115/page/n9/mode/2up |title=Epigraphia Indica |publisher=Archeological Survey of India |year=1987 |volume=XXXII (1957-58) |page=239 |language=English}}</ref> His research work on history is considered as a major contribution to Indian history by many historians. For example, his work on the Telugu history after the fall of Kakaitya empire resulted in rectification of some versions of Indian history based on [[Firishta]] and considered to be an original and greatly significant contribution.<ref name="MallampalliCommemorationVolume" />{{rp|4}}

The ''Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma Historical Research Foundation'' was established in [[Visakhapatnam]] in honour of Sarma. It awards annual memorial awards in his name to acclaimed historians of Andhra.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-12-09 |title=Historian felicitated |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/historian-felicitated/article7967864.ece |access-date=2023-05-16 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somasekhara Sarma, Mallampalli}}
[[Category:1963 deaths]]
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian historians]]
[[Category:Historians of India]]
[[Category:History of Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:History of Telangana]]
[[Category:Indian academics]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Andhra University]]
[[Category:Historians of South Asia]]

Mallampalli Somasekhara Sarma - Revision history

Garrydum at 02:55, 18 April 2026