Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapati Raju

Who was Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapati Raju?

Pusapati Vijaya Rama Gajapati Raju, "The Raja Saheb of Vizianagaram" D.Litt. was an Indian parliamentarian and philanthropist. He was the eldest son of Maharaja Alak Narayana Gajapathi and Maharani Vidyavathi Devi of the princely state of Vizianagram in Andhra Pradesh.

Pusapati Vijayarama Gajapati Raju was born at the Phool Baugh Palace in Vizianagaram. He studied at St. Aloysius Convent School in Visakhapatnam in 1933, the Central College, Bangalore, 1940/1942 and in 1942, he joined the Presidency College, Madras.

Raju was the hereditary trustee of the Simhachalam temple and over 100 other temples in his former estate. He purchased the Korukonda Palace and the 1,000 acres of land surrounding it and donated it to the Government of India for the establishment of the Sainik School in 1961-1962. It is one of the 20 Sainik Schools established in India and the only one in Andhra Pradesh. He founded the "Maharaja Alak Narayan Society of Arts and Science" in 1958, in memory of his father, for the promotion of education.

He was elected as a member of the Madras and Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assemblies during 1952-1956 and 1956-1957 respectively. He again became a member of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly between 1960 and 1971 and served as a Minister in the State Council of Ministers and held various important portfolios. He was elected to the second and fifth Lok Sabha from Visakhapatnam parliamentary constituency in 1957-1960 and 1971-1977 respectively. He was also elected to the sixth and seventh Lok Sabha from Bobbili parliamentary constituency in 1977-1980 and 1980-1984 respectively.