The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c30.5

v1.c30.5

According to one of Venkata's grants of 1586 he had four wives: Venkatamba, Raghavamba, Pedobamamba and Pinavobamamba ¹. But in the Dalavay Agraharam plates, which were issued the same year, the name of Pinavobamamba is replaced by that of Krishnamba ². This would mean that Pinavobamamba had died the same year, and that a new wife called Krishnamba filled her place ¹. These four names, viz. Venkatamba, Raghavamba, Pedobamamba and Krishnamba are again mentioned both in the Vellangudi plates ² and in the Padmaneri grant of the same Venkata II ³, both issued in 1598. But in 1601 the Vilapaka grant mentions five wives: the four just spoken of, plus Kondambika ⁴, thus showing that between 1598 and 1601 Venkata married another wife named Kondambika. Raghavamba however did not live long. The Ramarajiyamu, which seems to have been written towards the close of Venkata’s reign, gives only four names: Venkatamma, (Venkatamba), Obamma (Pedobamamba), Krishnamma (Krishnamba), and Kondamma (Kondambika) ⁵. The same four names are repeated in a grant of 1633 ⁶. One of them however must have died early; for when the death of Venkata occurred at the end of the following year, 1614, only three wives committed sati, according to both Fr. Barradas and Floris, who will be quoted later on. We cannot ascertain which of these four consorts of Venkata died previous to his death; but we may affirm that the question lies between Krishnamba and Kondambika. This we shall discuss while narrating Venkata’s demise.