Cumbum

Cumbum, locally Kambham, lies at the edge of the Nallamala hills in the Andhra country. Its settlement pattern is closely tied to Cumbum Lake, an old irrigation tank on the Gundlakamma rivulet.

The anicut is attributed to Varadharajamma, also called Ruchidevi, a Vijayanagara princess and wife of Krishna Devaraya. Later inscriptions describe another layer of authority: a record of 1706 names Khaja Muhammad as qiladar of Cumbum fort under Aurangzeb, while one of 1729 names Muhammad Sahib, governor under Muhammad Shah, and the mosque he had built.

These references preserve the outlines of a fortified administrative place within the Mughal province of Golkonda.