The paper presents the Andhra region in the Eastern Deccan as a zone which witnessed the emergence of local chieftains in terms of certain specific trends visible in 18^th century India. The penetration of the Mughal imperial authority in the early decades of the century, the establishment of the Asaf Jahi State and the increased activity of the European trading companies, especially the French and English provided the context for the rise of local chieftains. There has been an attempt in the paper to juxtapose the scenario in Andhra against the trends visible in other regions in 18^th century India where evidence similar to emergence of regional activism is being envisaged by some scholars. A study of role of local chieftains, especially from the optic of contemporary sources in Telugu helps us identify the nature of late medieval/early modern state besides providing insights into British colonialism in India. Finally, this paper pleads for understanding of Andhra history in terms of local perspective and its integration with overall understanding of 18^th century India.

The nature of writings on the 18^th century has been turning critical of late with new perspectives such as the emergence of local elite during the beginning of the century and their subsequent interaction with the State and the European trading companies. A proper understanding of this process is essential as it helps in arriving at broader generalizations on the nature of late medieval/early modern political formations. While many studies have come up on different regions, there has not been much focus on 18^th century Andhra which, in our opinion, fits very well into the overall debate on the 18^th century Indian scenario. The paper examines the process in which the local chieftains played a very important role and had swinging fortunes throughout. This is attempted by way of finding answers to questions such as:

The eastern Deccan in the 18^th century presents an interesting scenario because it witnessed many significant developments, which left a long-lasting impact not only on Deccan but also on the country as a whole. During the last decades of 17^th century, eastern Deccan became a part of larger Mughal Subah of Deccan. It soon emerged as a powerful regional state in 1724 AD when Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah I had arrived at Hyderabad. Further, the region had played host to the experimental territorial designs of the French East India Company and the English East India Company, which gave them territorial gains albeit unexpectedly. Eventually, it served as a testing ground for the British colonialism in India. The most striking phenomenon in this period was the emergence of local elite who played a predominant role in the political process.

Before going into details, it is pertinent to understand the political geography of the eastern Deccan. The Deccan literally means the southern and peninsular part of the huge landmass of India. One of the oldest geological formations, the Deccan has been prominently referred to right from the time of the Mahabharata. The Imperial Gazetteer of India, identifies the region thus, "including in its widest sense the whole of Peninsular south India lying south of the Vindhya mountains and the Narmada river which separates it from the north.'' The Deccan History Congress defines it as: "The Deccan shall be deemed to mean the region from Tapti in the north to the edge of the plateau in the south from sea to sea.''

History and Culture Journal, Local Chieftains, Eastern Deccan, British Colonialism, European Trading Companies, Andhra Region, Vijayanagara Empire, Social Groups, Political Pragmatism, Mughal Emperors, Golconda Kingdom.