Kota Rani (d. 1344) was the last ruler of the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Lohara dynasty
The Lohara dynasty were Hindu rulers of Kashmir in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, between 1003 and approximately 1320 CE. The early history of the dynasty was described in the ''Rajatarangini'' (''Chronicle of Kings''), a work wri ...
in
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
.She was also the last female ruler of Kashmir. She was regent during the minority of her son in 1323−1338, and ruled as monarch in 1338−1339. She was deposed by
Shah Mir
Shams-ud-Din Shah Mir () was a ruler of Kashmir and founder of the Shah Mir dynasty. Shah Mir is believed to have come to Kashmir during the rule of Suhadeva (), where he rose to prominence. After the death of Suhadeva and his brother Udayanade ...
, who became the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir.
Life
Kota Rani was the daughter of Ramachandra, the commander-in-chief of
Suhadeva, the king of
Lohara dynasty
The Lohara dynasty were Hindu rulers of Kashmir in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, between 1003 and approximately 1320 CE. The early history of the dynasty was described in the ''Rajatarangini'' (''Chronicle of Kings''), a work wri ...
in
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
. Ramachandra had appointed an administrator,
Rinchan
Sadruddin Shah, also known as Rinchan, was the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir. He ruled Kashmir from 1320 to 1323.
Background
Around 1313, an invader named "Du'l-Qadr"—mentioned by Jonaraja to be the commander of a ''Karmasena''—invaded Kas ...
, a
Ladakh
Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...
i. Rinchan became ambitious. He sent a force in the fort, in the guise of merchants, who took Ramachandra's men by surprise. Ramachandra was killed and his family was taken prisoner.
To earn local support, Rinchan appointed Rawanchandra, the son of Ramachandra, as administrator of Lar and Ladakh, and married his sister Kota Rani. He employed
Shah Mir
Shams-ud-Din Shah Mir () was a ruler of Kashmir and founder of the Shah Mir dynasty. Shah Mir is believed to have come to Kashmir during the rule of Suhadeva (), where he rose to prominence. After the death of Suhadeva and his brother Udayanade ...
as a trusted courtier, who had entered Kashmir earlier and had been given an appointment in the government.
Rinchan converted to
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
and adopted the name of Sultan Sadruddin. He died as a result of an assassination after ruling for three years.
Reign
Kota Rani was first appointed as a regent for Rinchan's young son. Later she was persuaded to marry Udayanadeva by the elders. Udayanadeva died in 1338.
Kota Rani had two sons. Rinchan's son was under the charge of Shah Mir and Udayanadeva's son was taught by Bhatta Bhikshana. Kota Rani became the ruler in her own right, and appointed Bhatta Bhikshana as her prime minister.
Shah Mir pretended to be sick, and when Bhatta Bhikshana visited him, Shah Mir jumped out of his bed and killed him. According to the historian Jonaraja, she committed suicide and offered her intestines to him as a wedding gift. According to the Kashmiri historian
Jonaraja
Jonaraja (died A.D. 1459) was a Kashmiri historian and Sanskrit poet. His ' is a continuation of Kalhana's ' and brings the chronicle of the kings of Kashmir down to the time of the author's patron Zain-ul-Abidin (r. 1418–1419 and 1420–1470 ...
, Shah Mir killed both of her sons.
Legacy
She was very intelligent and a great thinker. She saved the city of Srinagar from frequent floods by getting a canal constructed, named after her and called "
Kute Kol". This canal gets water from
Jhelum River
The Jhelum River (/dʒʰeːləm/) is a river in the northern Indian subcontinent. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to the Pakistani-administered territory of Kashmir, and then ...
at the entry point of city and again merges with Jhelum river beyond the city limits.
In popular culture
* Rakesh Kaul's historical novel ''The Last Queen of Kashmir'' is based on Kota Rani's life and legend.
* In August 2019, Reliance Entertainment and Phantom Films announced that they would be making a movie on Kota Rani.
See also
*
Rajatarangini
''Rajatarangini'' ("The River of Kings") is a metrical legendary and historical chronicle of the north-western part of India, particularly the kings of Kashmir. It was written in Sanskrit by Kashmiri historian Kalhana in the 12th century CE. The ...
*
Sayyid Dynasty
The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, with four rulers ruling from 1414 to 1451. Founded by Khizr Khan, a former governor of Multan, they succeeded the Tughlaq dynasty and ruled the sultanate as a vassal of the Timu ...
*
Razia Sultana
Raziyyat-Ud-Dunya Wa Ud-Din ( fa, ) (died 15 October 1240, ), popularly known as Razia Sultana, was a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. She was the first female Muslim ruler of the subcontinent, an ...
*
Queen Didda
Didda (1003 CE), also known as ''The Catherine of Kashmir'' was the ruler of Kashmir from 980 CE to 1003 CE. She first acted as regent for her son and various grandsons from 958 CE to 980 CE, and from 980 CE as sole ruler and monarch. Most knowled ...
*
Rinchan
Sadruddin Shah, also known as Rinchan, was the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir. He ruled Kashmir from 1320 to 1323.
Background
Around 1313, an invader named "Du'l-Qadr"—mentioned by Jonaraja to be the commander of a ''Karmasena''—invaded Kas ...
References
Bibliography
*
Indian female royalty
Rulers of Kashmir
14th-century Indian women
14th-century Indian people
14th-century women rulers
Queens regnant
1344 deaths
{{India-royal-stub