History
The history of East Godavari district like the rest of Andhra, may be traced to the period of the Nandas. Mahapadma Nanda, the founder of the nanda dynasty, led expeditions and defeated several monarchs of a large portion of the Deccan The subsequent history of Nanda dynast is not known, except that, the last ruler Dhana Nanda was overthrown by Chandraguptha Maurya in 322 B.C.
Thus, Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya dynasty assumed control over the empire which included a large portion of the Deccan. He was succeeded by his son, Bindusara (297-272 B.C.). Bindusara was succeeded to the throne by Ashoka.
After the Mauryas,the district passed under the sway of the Satavahanas. The access of Hala in about 6 or 7 A.D lasted for only one year.Though there were no events of political importance during his reign, he won for himself a niche among the great poets of all time. The rule of Gautamiputra Satakarni(A.D. 62-86), Vasisthiputra Pulumayi( A.D. 86-114) and Yajna Sri Satavahanas (A.D.128-157) is evident from the coins found during excavations. The satavahanas appeared to have ruled till the first quarter of the third century A.D.
Samudragupta, the Gupta ruler, who invaded this district in A.D.350 came into conflict with the rulers of both Pishtapura and Avamukta. The local rulers joined the rulers of neighbouring principalities to resist the onslaughts of the Gupta ruler. However, the outcome of this united opposition is not known.
Samudra Gupta’s invasion was followed by the rule of a line of kings belonging to Matharakula. Their rule extended roughly from 375 A.D to 500 A.D. The earliest known ruler of the dynasty was Maharaja Sakthivarman.The district passed into the hands of Vishnukundin during the rule of Vikramendravarma I. They ruled for over two centuries from the first quarter of the 5th Century A.D. or a little earlier. The records discovered indicate that their domain extended over Visakhapatnam, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur, besides the present East Godavari district. Ranadurjaya, a member of the Durjaya family,ruled Pistapuram or Pithapuram as a vassal of Vikramendravarma in recognition of his services to the state. Another Vishnukundin,ruler of lndrabhattaraka, defeated the rulers of Vasisthakula and re established his authority over this region.
His success was,however, short lived. The early reigns of kalinga with the support of some petty rulers, completely routed Indrabhattaraka’s army. This resulted in the Vishnukundin’s power suffering a severe setback. Indrabhattaraka was followed to the throne by a few others belonging to the same family. Madhavarama III was the last important ruler of this family. Madhavarama III was, however, killed in a battle. He was succeeded by his son, Manchannabhattaraka who strove hard to maintain his hold over the ancestral dominion without much success.
Later, the western Chalukya ruler of Badami Pulakesin II, with the help of his brother Kubjavishnu, attacked Pistapura and emerged victorious. Kubjavishnu was given the newly acquired territories in the east in token of appreciation of the service rendered by him.
The rulers of eastern Chalukya dynasty founded by Kubjavishnu, ruled at first form Pistapura, then from Vengi and later from Rajamahendri(Rajahmundry). Many rulers held sway over the kingdom and their history is, at times largely a record of disputes about succession.
