Paritala, the first republic in Nizam\'s Hyderabad State, celebrates freedom

VIJAYAWADA: Paritala village, the first republic in the erstwhile Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, is all set to celebrate 75 years of its Independence from Nizam rule on Saturday, September 17.

Paritala, situated on Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway had been the first to announce its sovereignty during the Independence movement.

Recalling its history, locals say there had been seven villages in Paritala Taluk when it was ruled by Nizams of Hyderabad. The area had precious diamonds. But representatives of Nizam took away all the riches, leaving barely anything for villagers.

After Mahatma Gandhi launched the freedom movement, people of Telangana rebelled against the Nizam under the leadership of Mallikarjuna Rao. Led by Mallikarjuna Rao, they attacked a police station on November 12, 1947 and decamped with guns and ammunition. While such rebellious attacks continued, on November 15, 1947, under the leadership of Madiraju Devaraj, Paritala proclaimed itself as an independent republic and hoisted the national flag.

During that time, rebels from Paritala received support from Jayaprakash Narayan, N.G. Ranga, Prakasam Pantulu, Swami Ramananda Theertha, Kakani Venkataratnam and many other national leaders.

Finally, Nizam’s rule ended on September 17, 1948. Paritala villagers say at a function scheduled on Saturday, they will educate the younger generations about the first Republic of Andhra Pradesh.