Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu

Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu was an army commander of a Vijayanagara military unit. An inscription dated to 1544 CE, which was found in Tallaproddatu, states that Pemmasani Ramalinga enjoyed the nayankara (feudal control) of the village. Phillip B. Wagoner who analysed 17th century Telugu text Rayavachakamu noted that it is not known whether Ramalinga Nayudu served Krishnadeva Raya or some later ruler.

Ramalinga was named as a commander and 'chief general' of the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya ((r. 1509 – 1529)) in Rayavachakamu, and a later poetic rendition Krishnarajavijayam. According to Rayavachakamu, he was an army commander of a Vijayanagara military unit comprising nearly 80,000 soldiers. He was mentioned as a commander for the Vijayanagara king Krishnadevaraya at a certain 'Battle with the Turks'. Historian Venkataramanayya identified the battle as the one fought at Devni or Dewani (unidentified) in 1509–1510, within a year of Krishnadevaraya's accession. But some elements of the narrative are also reminiscent of the Battle of Raichur in 1520. Ramalinga is said to have played a crucial role in winning the battle against combined armies of Kalburgie, Golconda and Ahmednagar for Krishnadevaraya. Krishnadevaraya honoured him with gold threaded clothes and jewels following this victory.

He was the son of Pemmasani Timmanayudu II and Machamma. The Pemmasani Nayaks were a martial clan. During the Aravidu Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Pemmasanis were in prominence as the chieftains of Gandikota sima and ministers at the Vijayanagara court. Burton Stein relays that the Pemmasanis controlled numerous small villages and many large towns and had large mercenary armies that were the vanguard of the Vijayanagara Empire in the sixteenth century.

Ramalinga and his brother, Erra Timmanayudu, fought and won various battles for Rama Raya, including the Battle of Juturu, Battle of Betamcherla, Battle of Bedakallu, and Battle of Adoni. It was mainly with their cooperation that Rama Raya won the succession conflict following the death of Achyuta Devaraya against Salakaraju Tirumala.