Page:A Family History of Venkatagiri Rajas.djvu/51

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and there. From the middle of the city shoot up two peaks known as Rachakonda and Naganayakonda, and a big wall built with boulders runs round them and forms a compound. There are four towers on Rachakonda with rock-built ramparts, twenty yards high, and there are other towers on the second hill also. The big gateways leading up hill are of special interest to the spectators. The central hall of the palace called Boddu-Chavika is still intact. Temples of Ramaswami and Veerabhadra are the only two in sound condition to-day. There are besides a river flowing north-east, many wells and tanks. South of Rachakonda is Vedagiri with its cave-temple of Varaha-Narasimha.

His character, love of learning and martial spirit are well described in the famous book Narasabhupaliyam.

A short history of his brother Mada Naidu and his descendants is written for the sake of completeness and on account of its