Archive · 2 Dec 2025
Maharaja's 1980 Vision for Tribal University Unfulfilled
A long time ago, in 1980, a kind and wise king named Dr. Raju wanted to help tribal people by giving a lot of his land to build a special university.
He wrote a letter to the prime minister, Mrs. Gandhi, offering more than 3,600 acres of land.
He chose two villages, Peakararajuvvalasa and Kerangi, because they were in a good place for a university that could help many tribal communities.
He wanted this university to teach about farming, arts, and other important things that would help tribal people.
Sadly, the government did not build the university, but Dr. Raju's idea was very good and could have helped many people.
He was a very generous man who believed in education and helping others.
Dr. Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju, the last Maharaja of Vizianagaram, offered 3,600 acres of ancestral land to establish a national-level Tribal University in 1980.
The proposed university was to be located in the villages of Peakararajuvvalasa and Kerangi, near Salur, Andhra Pradesh, at the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh.
Dr. Raju envisioned a multidisciplinary university dedicated to tribal knowledge systems, development, agricultural innovation, arts, and inclusive education.
The land offered was part of the Maharaja's legacy of educational philanthropy through MANSAS, which included several educational institutions in the region.
Despite the clarity and magnitude of the proposal, the government did not establish the university, missing an opportunity to create one of the earliest tribal universities in the world.
- Who
- Dr Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju (P V Gajapathi Raju), the last Maharaja of Vizianagaram
- What
- Offered 3,600 acres of ancestral land to establish a national-level Tribal University
- When
- April 3, 1980
- Where
- Peakararajuvvalasa and Kerangi villages, near Salur, Andhra Pradesh
- Why
- To create a multidisciplinary university dedicated to tribal knowledge systems, development, agricultural innovation, arts, and inclusive education
- Donor
- Dr Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju (P V Gajapathi Raju)
- Recipient
- Indira Gandhi (then Prime Minister of India)
- Land Offered
- 3,600 acres
- Proposed Location
- Peakararajuvvalasa and Kerangi villages, near Salur, Andhra Pradesh
- Year of Proposal
- 1980
- Elevation of Kerangi
- 2,380 feet
- Area of Kerangi
- 2,300 acres
- Area of Peakararajuvvalasa
- 1,338 acres
- Tribal Belts Covered
- Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh
- Legacy Institution
- MANSAS (Maharaja Alak Narayana Society of Arts and Science)