Rudrama Devi
Rudrama Devi, also known by her regnal name Rudra-deva Maharaja, was a Kakatiya Queen regnant who ruled substantial parts of present-day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in southern India.
Rudrama's father and predecessor Ganapati, who had no son, appointed her as his co-regent around 1260. By 1263, Rudrama became the sole ruler, although she was not formally anointed as a sovereign at least until 1269. Early during her reign, Rudrama appears to have faced a revolt, which she was able to suppress with the support of her loyalists. She recovered some of the territories that the Kakatiyas had lost during the late 1250s and the early 1260s to their southern neighbours - the Pandyas. She also repulsed invasions by the Seunas from the north-west, and the Gajapatis from the north-east. In the 1270s and the 1280s, Rudrama lost much of her southern territory to a revolt by the Kayastha chief Amba-deva, and likely lost her life in a conflict against him in 1289. Her grandson Prataparudra succeeded her on the Kakatiya throne.
The reign of Rudrama was remarkable for the rise of several non-aristocratic warriors in the Kakatiya service. She strengthened the Warangal Fort by raising its inner wall and constructing an outer wall surrounded by a moat.
Early life
Rudrama-devi, also known as Rudramba, was a daughter of her predecessor King Ganapati-deva. Kumara-svami Somapithi, in his commentary on Vidyanatha's Prataparudra-yashobhushanam, states that Rudrama was a daughter of Ganapati by queen Somamba. However, at another place in the same text, he incorrectly names Rudrama as the chief queen of Ganapati. Some other sources also incorrectly describe Rudrama as a wife of Ganapati, including the Venetian traveler Marco Polo, and the 17th-century text Pratapa-charitra. However, contemporary epigraphic evidence makes it clear that Rudrama was a daughter of Ganapati, not his wife.Rudrama married Vira-bhadra, a son of Indu-shekhara, the Chalukya samanta of Nidadavolu. There are several instances of Kakatiya monarchs reinstating defeated families to power and establishing marital relations with them: it is possible that Ganapati had subjugated this Chalukya branch during his conquest of Vengi in 1240. He probably arranged Rudrama's marriage shortly after, in order to secure the political allegiance of the Chalukyas of Nidadavolu.
Ascension
Ganapati apparently retired after suffering defeats at his southern frontier, against the Pandyas, in the late 1250s. He had no male heir, and nominated Rudrama as his successor. She began to rule as a co-regent from c. 1260 under the regnal name Rudra-deva Maharaja. Ganapati probably became too old and weak to govern, and assigned Rudrama to run the government. She appears to have become the sole ruler in 1263.The 1266 CE Tripuranthakam inscription of the Kakatiya maha-pradhana Pedda Mallaya Preggada mentions Maharaja Ganapati-deva as the ruling sovereign, not Rudrama. The 1269 CE Duggi inscription of the Kakatiya subordinate Janniga-deva describes Rudrama as pattoddhati. This suggests that in 1269, Ganapati was alive and Rudrama had not formally been anointed as a sovereign: officially, she was still a queen designate.
Epigraphic evidence suggests that in the 1260s, the Kakatiyas lost control of several territories that were part of Ganapati's kingdom at its greatest extent. The southernmost territories were lost to the Pandyas, parts of coastal Andhra in the east were lost to the Gajapatis, and parts of Telangana in the north-west were lost to the Seunas. In the Vengi region, no Kakatiya records have been found for the period 1262–1278, which suggests that their former vassals - the Kona Haihaya and the Chalukya chiefs - no longer acknowledged the Kakatiya suzerainty. It is possible that the Kakatiya monarch granted autonomy to the Chalukyas of Nidadavolu, because Vira-bhadra of this family was Rudrama's husband; however, this is not certain.
Revolts
It appears that some nobles and Rudrama's own relatives did not approve of a woman being nominated to the throne. The 17th-century text Pratapa-charitra states that two men named Hari-hara and Murari-deva revolted against Rudrama. The text describes them as Ganapati's sons from his junior queens. It states that they captured the Kakatiya capital Warangal, and ousted Rudrama from there. Rudrama then rallied her supporters, recaptured the fort, and had her half-brothers killed. This account is not supported by any other evidence, and no other source mentions these purported sons of Ganapati, or Ganapati having any sons. According to the Tripurantakam inscription of Ganapati's sister Mailama, Hari-hara was actually a paternal uncle of Ganapati. Though the historicity of the Pratapa-charitra account is doubtful, it probably preserves the memory of a rebellion against Rudrama.Pratapa-charitra states that Prasaditya assumed the titles Kakatiya-rajya-sthapan-acharya and Raya-pitamahanka, highlighting his role in the re-establishment of the Kakatiya power. It is Prasaditya's family chronicle, so it exaggerates his role in suppressing the rebellion against Rudrama. Several other chiefs assumed similar titles, which suggests that they may have also helped Rudrama suppress the rebellion. For example:
- The following Kakatiya subordinates assumed the title Raya-sthapan-acharya in their inscriptions dating from 1275 to 1290 CE:
- * Maha-pradhana Kannara-nayaka
- * Maha-pradhana Ganapati-deva Maharajulu
- * Nisshanka Mallikarjuna Nayaka
- * Amba-deva of Kayastha family
- The Malayala chief Gundaya-nayaka and Madaya-nayaka assumed the epithets svami-drohara-ganda
- Machaya Nayaka bore the epithet svami-drohara-ganda and svami-vamchakara-ganda
Reign
Conflict with the Gajapatis in coastal Andhra
Epigraphic evidence suggests that during much of the 1260s and 1270s, the Gajapatis from the north-east maintained a presence in the coastal Andhra region, which was a part of Ganapati's kingdom at its greatest extent. For example, a 1262 CE Draksharamam inscription mentions Nara-simha-naradhipa, who was most probably the Gajapati king Narasimha I. Bhanudeva I, the son of Narasimha, invaded Vengi around 1274 CE, as attested by his two inscriptions at Draksharamam. Arjuna-deva, the Matsya chief of Oddadi, as well as other chiefs, accompanied him.Rudrama sent an army led by the brothers Poti Nayaka and Proli Nayaka against the Gajapati forces. The two brothers assumed the titles Gajapati-matta-matanga-simha and Oddiyaraya-manamardana. This suggest that they repulsed the Gajapati invasion. Their army appears to have re-established the Kakatiya authority in much of the coastal Andhra region, with the Gajapati power restricted to the north of the Godavari River.
The Kakatiya rule in the region is attested by a 1278-1279 CE inscription of Karaparti Suraya Reddi, who describes himself as a servant of Kakatiya Rudradeva Maharaja, that is, Rudrama. His inscription records a gift to the temple of the god Bhimeshvara at Draksharamam. Epigraphic evidence suggests that the Kakatiya control of the coastal Andhra region remained unchallenged during the rest of Rudrama's reign.
Conflicts with the Pandyas and their vassals
Towards the end of the Ganapati's reign the Pandyas had conquered the southernmost part of the Kakatiya territory, including Nellore, and their vassals ruled this area in the subsequent years. The 1264 CE and 1269 CE inscriptions of Rudrama's Kayastha subordinate Janniga-deva claim that he ruled the area extending from Panugal in the north to Kaivaram-kota in the south; Ganapati had conferred this area as a fief upon him. However, epigraphic evidence suggests that much of this area was controlled by Pandya allies: the Kalukada chiefs Keshava-deva and his brother Raya-murari Soma-deva.An undated Chidambaram inscription of the Pandya prince Vikrama states that he did not march further north because he did not want to fight a woman who had assumed the name of a king. According to historians N. Venkataramanayya and M. Somasekhara Sarma, this may be euphemistic cover for his failed expedition against Rudrama.
Inscriptions of Rudrama and her subordinates, discovered in the Kadapa and Nellore areas, suggest that Kakatiyas regained control over some of the territory that they had earlier lost to the Pandyas:
- The 1264 CE Nandalur inscription of Nagaraja, the pradhani of Rudrama's subordinate Janniga-deva, records a gift to the temple of Samuya-natha-svami.
- The 1268 CE Atluru inscription near Siddavatam also attests to Janniga-deva's control over the area. Although the inscription is damaged, and the name of the issuer is lost, his titles and date indicate that he was Janniga-deva.
- Epigraphic evidence suggests that the Kakatiyas also ousted the Pandya vassal Vira Rajendra Chola from Nellore. Mahamandaleshvara Naga-deva Maharaja, a vassal of Rudrama, ruled at Nellore during 1271–1275.
Conflict with the Seunas
The Seuna king Mahadeva invaded the Kakatiya kingdom during Rudrama's reign. The Seuna records, including Mahadeva's inscriptions and Hemadri's Vrata-khanda, suggest that he achieved military successes against the ruler of Tilinga, that is, the Kakatiya monarch. For example, they claim that Mahadeva was "the uprooter of the stalk of the lotus of the head" of the ruler of Tilinga, that he blew away this ruler like a strong wind blows away cotton, and that he "captured in battle the elephants and the five musical instruments" of this ruler. The Vrata-khanda claims that Mahadeva left Rudrama free because he was reluctant to kill a woman. The epithet "the uprooter of the stalk of the lotus of the head" appears to be a hereditary title inherited from his great-grandfather Jaitugi, who is known to have killed a Kakatiya king. Other claims made in the Seuna inscriptions are clear exaggerations.The records from Telangana suggest that Rudrama not only repulsed the Seuna invasion, but also annexed a part of their territory. The 17th-century text Pratapa-charitra describes the episode as follows: Mahadeva besieged the Kakatiya capital Warangal for 15 days, but Rudrama led the Kakatiya forces to destroy his 300,000 infantry and 100,000 cavalry. Rudrama then chased Mahadeva to the Seuna capital Devagiri; there, Mahadeva sued for peace, agreed to pay her 10 million gold coins as war indemnity, and concluded a peace treaty. Rudrama distributed the money among her commanders, set up a victory pillar in the Seuna territory, and returned to her own kingdom.
The Pratapa-charitra claims, such as Rudrama's purported destruction of the 300,000 infantry and 100,000 cavalry, are obvious exaggerations. However, epigraphic and numismatic evidence suggests that Rudrama indeed repulsed a Seuna invasion:
- A fragmentary Bidar Fort inscription mentions Rudrama's subordinate Bhairava of Sinda family, and states that he accompanied Rudrama as a commander of her army in all her expeditions. Bidar is located in the southern part of the traditional Seuna territory, and this inscription may have been issued during Rudrama's offensive against the Seunas, in the Bedadakota area. The inscription mentions her title as Raya-gaja-kesari, which she inherited from her father.
- A 1267 CE Panugal inscription of the Seuna prince Sharnga-pani-deva records a gift to the temple of Chhaya-Somanatha. The inscription describes him as a son of the Seuna king Simhana and a subordinate of the Kakatiya Manuma-Rudradeva, that is, Rudrama. According to historian M. Somasekhara Sarma, this Sharnga-pani-deva is same as the Sharnga-pani-deva described in the 1268 CE Hire-Kogilur inscription as the father of Mahadeva. He theorizes that Mahadeva's father Sharnga-pani-deva seized Panagal during the Seuna invasion of the Kakatiya territory, and acknowledged her suzerainty after the Seuna defeat. However, historian P.V.P. Sastry theorizes that Sharnga-pani-deva of the Panugal inscription was another Seuna prince who sought asylum with the Kakatiyas because of his differences with Mahadeva.
- In 1922, a set of 43 gold coins issued by Seuna kings was unearthed at Rachapatnam near Kaikaluru. M. Somasekhara Sarma notes that the treasure cannot be considered to be a proof of Seuna presence in the Kakatiya country, as coins travel extensive distances; for example, Roman coins have been found in southern India because of trade. According to him, the coins may have been part of the war indemnity that the Seunas paid to Rudrama according to the Pratapa-charitra.