Rani Rudrama Devi
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Rudrama Devi, also Maharani Rudramma Devi, was a queen of the Kakatiya dynasty in the
Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by th ...
from 1263 to 1289 (or 1295) until her death. She was among the women to rule as monarchs in India and promoted a male image in order to do so. This was a significant change and one that was followed by her successor and also by the later
Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...
.


Reign and family

Rudrama Devi married Vengi Chalukya prince Virabhadra around the year 1240. This was almost certainly a political marriage designed by her father to forge alliances. Virabhadra is virtually undocumented and played no part in her administration. The couple had two daughters (both are adopted). Rudrama Devi probably began her rule of the Kakatiya kingdom jointly with her father, Ganapatideva, as his co-regent, from 1261 to 1262. She assumed full sovereignty in 1263. Unlike her Kakatiya predecessors, she chose to recruit as warriors many people who were not aristocratic, granting them rights over land tax revenue in return for their support. Marco Polo, who visited India probably some time around 1289–1293, made note of Rudrama Devi's rule and nature in flattering terms. She continued the planned fortification of the capital, raising the height of Ganapati's wall as well as adding a second earthen curtain wall in diameter and with an additional -wide moat. Rudrama Devi faced challenges from the
Eastern Ganga dynasty The Eastern Ganga dynasty also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas were a large medieval era Indian royal dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas ruled much of ...
and the
Yadavas The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and S ...
soon after beginning her rule. She was able to repel the former, who retreated beyond the Godavari River in the late 1270s, and she also defeated the Yadavas, who were forced to cede territory in western Andhra. She was, however, unsuccessful in dealing with the internal dissent posed by the Kayastha chieftain Ambadeva after he became head of his line in 1273. Ambadeva objected to being subordinate to the Kakatiyas and he gained control of much of northeastern Andhra and what is now Guntur District. Rudrama Devi may have died in 1289 while fighting Ambadeva, although some sources say she did not die until 1295. She was succeeded by
Prataparudra Pratāparudra (r. c. 1289–1323), also known as Rudradeva II, was the last ruler of the Kakatiya dynasty of India. He ruled the eastern part of Deccan, with his capital at Warangal. Prataparudra succeeded his grandmother Rudramadevi as the Kak ...
, the son of her elder daughter Mummadamma, who inherited a kingdom that was smaller than it had been when Rudrama Devi had ascended her throne.


In popular culture

In 2015, filmmaker Gunasekhar made a
Telugu film Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
'' Rudhramadevi'' on the life of Rudrama Devi with Anushka Shetty playing the titular role.
Peninsula Pictures Peninsula Pictures is an Indian company that produces television series and entertainment content. The company was founded in the year 2015 by Alind Srivastava and Nissar Parvej and the head office is located in Andheri West, Mumbai. The compan ...
produced a serial on Star Maa titled ''Rudramadevi'' which pictured the childhood of Rudramadevi to the TV viewers for 100 episodes.


See also

*
History of women in early modern warfare History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...


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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Rani Rudrama Indian queens Women in 13th-century warfare Kakatiya dynasty Indian women in war 13th-century women rulers 13th-century Indian monarchs Indian female royalty 1289 deaths Date of birth unknown 1295 deaths 13th-century Indian women People from Nellore district