RAJA (English form Rajah), Sanskrit nom. sing, of the stem rdjan (in modern Indian vernaculars raja, rajah, raja, rajan, rdzu, irdsen, also the forms red, rdo, rdna are traceable to the same stem) = king, prince, chief, from the root raj, to be resplendent. In the oldest times the headman of any petty tribe was called rhjh from the fact of his being conspicuous for the number of golden ornaments with which he was decked out. Then raja became the common designation for a king, whether of a small tribe or of a large state. The constitution of all states was monarchical, mostly hereditary, occasionally also electoral, but in no case absolute, for the people had a voice in the government. On the other hand, the king was greatly hampered in his action by his duties towards the priestly caste. Even in that later stage of Indian civilization which we find portrayed in the code of Manu the king appears as subordinate to the priest, though his prerogative is in all other respects paramount, especially in the matter of revenue. Theoretically this system has been continued ever since; but practically the rdj d’s powers have been gradually extended, some of them being distributed by him at his pleasure among various officials, who were rewarded, not by regular salaries, but by grants and the profits of oppression. It thus appears that the title is, strictly speaking, only applicable to Hindu potentates, but in practice it is not unfrequently used to indicate a ruling chief irrespective of his nationality or creed....

RAJAMAHENDRI (Rajamahendravaram, Rajahmun-dry), a town of India, in the Godavari district, Madras presidency, situated on high ground on the left bank of the Godavari river in 17° N. lat. and 81° 49' E. long., and 365 miles north-east of Madras. Its population in 1881 numbered 24,555 (males 12,290, females 12,265). Rajamaliendri, was formerly the headquarters of a separate district of the same name, but is now incorporated with Godavari.

Tradition divides the merit of founding this city between the Orissa and Chalukya princes. There appears little doubt that the city of the Vengi kings was identical with the site of the present town, and that this also was the seat of the Orissa power in the south. In 1471 Rajamahendri was wrested from Orissa by the Mohammedans, but early in the 16th century it was retaken by Krishna Raja and restored to Orissa. It continued under Hindu rule till 1572, when it yielded to the Moslems of the Deccan under Rafat Khan. For the next century and a half it was the scene of perpetual fighting, and at last fell to Golconda, and became one of the four nawabships of that government. Rajamahendri passed into the possession of the French in 1753, but they were driven out by the British under Colonel Forde in 1758. The French, however, recaptured it, but, finding that the treasure had been removed, they evacuated it almost immediately.