Sourabha Rajyam- The Land Where Women Don't Matter

King Ugra Narasimha Raya

Kasyap sat in the library reading “Raja Ugra Narasimha Raya Educational Trust – A Legacy”. It spoke of the complete history of the king Ugra Narasimha Raya who founded the trust and the legacy – the one he inherited and the one he had left behind.

Raja Ugra Narasimha Raya belonged to Suryavamshi clan of kings. Born of Koundinasya gotra, his dynasty was a branch of the illustrious Ikshvaku kings of Bhaarat, one of the best known scions being Lord Rama. Raja Ugra Narasimha’s ancestors had migrated to a vast fertile region in the southern part of the empire establishing their kingdom beside the sea. They had access to both river Ratnavali and the Soura Samudram. The dynasty was named the Shakteya Dynasty – symbolizing power, values and prosperity. The dynasty was known to hold a high regard for women, being impartial, sticking to high ideals of honesty, honour, valour and dignity.

The founder king Raja Ugra Vaibhava Raya, was a great scholar. He had written great works of art like Lalitha Manjari, Matru Vaibhavam, etc. Shodasa Guna Samhita – a work of values that men and women need to follow - is considered the base of the many edicts and laws that the later kings and Queens brought during their rule. He had established his capital at Avantipuram on the bank of the river Ratnavali. Since he had access to both river and sea, he had also focused on building a strong navy. He had also realized the importance of air support during a war and so was instrumental in encouraging research in aeronautical engineering. This had led to the establishment of a powerful air force. The kingdom even boasted of an inland air transport - a feature that was unheard of in other kingdoms on the planet. The kingdom had been named Swargapuri Rajyam – the kingdom of The City of Heaven. 

The second king Raja Ugra Pratapa Raya, true to his name, was known for his valour and exceptional prowess in battle. Legend has it that he was so skilled and ferocious in battle that no one could defeat him in combat. The result was the establishment of a vast empire that included several illustrious and strong vassals who greatly respected the skill, courage and honour of Pratapa Raya. Despite remaining undefeated in battle, Pratapa Raya never humiliated his defeated foes. He was known to respect his opponents and treat them with great honour irrespective of the outcome of the battles they fought. His opponents respected this trait in Pratapa Raya and so he almost had no issues in expanding his empire. Throughout his rule he remained undefeated and an “Ajatashatru – one that has no enemies”.

The next monarch was Rani Ahalya Devi. She was known for her brilliant administrative acumen and shrewd political strategies. She implemented solid welfare schemes that had ushered in a prosperity that was unparalleled in the history of the empire. The people were so rich that gems, diamonds and such were sold in the open markets like groceries. The literacy rate was high, people were content, morality was high. The people laid great emphasis on values, honour and tradition. There was no crime in the society. Wrong doing was highly frowned upon. The people were so morally upright that even thinking of harming a person was considered a great sin and the person would undertake a mission to cleanse his/her thoughts. This was the first golden age of the empire.

This ideal rule and state of things continued during the rule of the next 5 monarchs heralding a great era of prosperity and well being. The first cracks in the society appeared during the rule of Raja Ugra Sourabha Raya nicknamed Chandala Raya or the Worst King. He was a bane in the prestigious lineage of the dynasty. He was a great misogynist and introduced many laws that restricted the freedom and prestige of women severely. The women were treated like slaves and objects of pleasure. There were so many atrocities committed on women that life became unbearable for them. The kings brother, Prince Ugra Goutama Raya, was killed fighting to defend a group of helpless women. His daughter, Princess Sudheshna Devi, was turned into a woman of pleasure and ravaged for 3 months before she managed to escape and go underground. This rallied the people to organize themselves and to fight back. This led to the revolt of 1676 – 78 that brought in a regime change.

The Revolt of 1676 – 78 is considered one of the glorious incidents in the history of the empire. The people, led by Uppalapati Vasundhara Rani, revolted against the rule of Raja Ugra Sourabha Raya. The tribals had started the fight a bit early in the month of Sravanam, kick-starting a revolt in the whole empire. Though the tribal revolt led by the Tribal Queen Jangama Jogulamma, had been suppressed brutally, it had inspired the women all over the empire to rise against an evil despot. Revolts broke out throughout the empire, ending the tyranny of Sourabha Raya. The people declared Princess Sudeshna Devi as their Queen, but she spoke passionately about the rule of merit set by the founder king Raja Ugra Vaibhava Raya. She strongly stressed the need of merit based appointments as Sourabha Raya had shown that even their dynasty was prone to corruption. She passed the rule to Uppalapati Vasundhara Rani, praising her valour, leadership and virtue, proclaiming her the Queen.

Queen Vasundhara Rani brought many changes in the administration, changed the laws and brought stability and peace to the empire. She also established the rule of merit, where the ruler and/aspirant ruler had to prove his/her merit to rule. So, the practice of selecting the best person as king/queen came into force. No one was exempted from this rule, ushering an era of prosperity, peace and happiness to the empire. The heirs of Shakteya dynasty strove hard to improve themselves taking great care to imbibe the values laid out in Shodasa Guna Samhita – Sixteen character traits.

The next monarch, Raja Ugra Dharma Raya ushered in a rule of dharma where the emphasis was on the individual following dharma. During his rule the people learnt to control their mind, emotions and to follow the rule of law. This brought a second golden age for the empire. The heirs continued to get elected purely on merit.

 The dynasty lost its impact during the rule of Raja Ugra Jyotisha Raya. During his rule the vassal states dominated the political arena taking up the reins of administration which led to the present state of misogynist empire. Many laws were brought in during this period restricting the power of the Shakteya Dynasty.

The influence of the dynasty was re-established by Raja Ugra Narasimha Raya. He was a virtuous man, who laid great emphasis on moral education and recognizing merit. He established the Raja Ugra Narasimha Educational Trust, in 1872, clearly outlining the rules and regulations by which the trust was to run the educational institutions under its management. He had also got an exemption from government influence by having a separate university recognized by the new government but not controlled by the government. This had allowed him to enforce the principles and values he believed in strictly. This was followed by his heirs later. Raja Ugra Narasimha Raya was also known for being a true gentleman, human being and a patriot. He greatly respected women and trusted them with complex administrative responsibilities. He believed in leading from the front and was successful in inculcating the values in his followers.

In 1928, he was passing by a city on his way to the new administrative capital of the empire, Dharmapuri. There he came across a mob of 5000 men trying to molest 100 women. Enraged by the shameful act, he roared like the Mighty Lord Rudra himself and jumped into the mob like a bolt of lightning. With his massive trademark staff, he created a perimeter for the women and then proceeded to fight furiously. He was Lord Shiva in his fury as he enacted a Tandava Dance of destruction. The women were saved but not before the 86 year old Ugra Narasimha Raya succumbed to his innumerable injuries and loss of blood. The huge piles of innumerable bodies of injured men had terrified the survivors who ran away in fear. He had reduced the mob of 5000 to less than a few hundred single-handedly.

This led to a constitutional amendment making the Raja Ugra Narasimha Raya Educational Trust, its management, employees, institutions under its management, the Royal Family and heirs of Shakteya Dynasty exempt from any laws - past, present and future – that were enacted by any government of the empire. This was a Rigid Law meaning it could not be amended or removed by any future governments. This had given the immunity to the Royal Family who used it to rescue oppressed and helpless men and women and care for them.

Parasuram

The Principal of AVM Girls High School, Mr. Parasuram Prajapati, was a true leader and a true human being in every sense of the word. He practiced all the values that he asked his staff and students to follow. A fearless man, he had shielded the school several times from the attacks of the misogynists.

The first time the school had faced trouble was when he had refused to turn the girls-only school into a co-ed school. The District Collector had passed an IGO (Imperial Government Order) 46, turning the girls-only school into a co-ed school. He had immediately appealed against the Order citing the Constitutional Amendment Act 1929, that granted the school immunity from any government laws. This had forced the District Collector to rescind the IGO 46.

The second attack was when the District OSD, Mr. Pratapa Ranga Rao, ordered the Class X girls to appear before him for processing. Parasuram had again cited Constitutional Amendment Act 1929, to nullify the order, thus protecting the girls. The OSD had tried to declare them Public Property but since there was no proof of disobedience on the part of the girls, the decision of the OSD had to be rescinded on technical grounds. The OSD had then banned the girls from appearing for their Class X Board Exams. This was practically useless as the girls took exams conducted by the Raja Ugra Narasimha Raya Board of School And Collegiate Education, an autonomous Board Recognised by the Constitution and immune to Government influence. The government had then tried to appoint staff in the school but had failed miserably due to the immunity enjoyed by the Royal organizations.

Several times the school had been attacked by mobs trying to take over the school by force. Parasuram and the other staff had fought off these mobs valiantly every single time, making sure none of the girls were harmed. The Royal Shakteya Army Volunteer Force had assisted the school in withstanding these multiple attacks. The attacks decreased gradually as the men realized they could not touch the school.

Meanwhile, Parasuram had also come up with the plan of making the women self reliant. Thus, he had set a new curriculum that emphasized imparting knowledge, skills, confidence, self defence tactics, rational thinking ability, impartial thought, humane behavior, sense of service and patriotism in the girls. This had led to the early discovery of talent and training of the girls in an appropriate way.

Recognizing the need to help the girls and women who were the target of male ego, he had also started a women’s shelter, housing any woman or girl who couldn’t take the oppressive laws anymore. He would often send Royal Shakteya Vehicles to save such women, get them treated in the Royal Shakteya Hospitals run by the Trust, then rehabilitate them in the shelter he had started. Mounika Sattenapalli and Ramya Kuchipudi were but a few examples of females who had been rescued by him.

Making full use of the unlimited funds that the Trust had at its disposal, and the vast 250 acres that had been donated to the school, he had constructed several buildings with hidden underground bunkers that could hold hundreds of women for years in case the surface buildings fell.

He had also made sure that the staff recruited by him were those with impeccable moral background and were fearless persons who could stand their ground for their principles even if the whole world stood against them. This had meant that school was now an oasis of hope for the beleaguered women.

Parasuram was himself a man of irreproachable character. He was outspoken, just, kind, generous, brave, but a hard taskmaster. He set himself as a benchmark for the values that he inculcated and demanded from others. His role models were the monarchs Raja Ugra Vaibhava Raya, Raja Ugra Narasimha Raya and Queen Uppalapati Vasundhara Rani. With the support of the present heir and monarch Raja Ugra Ganapathi Raya, he carried out his plans to perfection providing solace to many women.

Raja Ugra Ganapati Raya was a man of action, preferring to work rather than waste time talking. But it did not mean he was hasty. He understood the value of careful thought and planning before taking a decision and implementing it. He often took the wise counsel of men like Parasuram before making key decisions. He had already put into action a plan of expansion for the Trust, to expand its activities throughout the empire. He had appointed Parasuram the Chairman of the Expansion Committee. This had made Parsuram a very powerful man in the empire, enabling him to do things which otherwise he would not have been able to do.