Wanaparthy Samsthanam or Raja of Wanaparthy was a vassal of the Nizam of Hyderabad. He controlled the feudatory of Wanaparthy. It was one of the three important samsthanams, the other two being GadwalSamsthanam and JatproleSamsthanam.
Raja Rameshwar Rao reigned from 17 March 1843, the title of “Balwant” was conferred on the Raja as a mark of honour by 3rd Nizam Sikander Jah. To build an armed force, Raja imported Siddis from Somalia and Abyssinia and organized them into 2 regiments African Bodyguard and Wanaparthy Lancers.