As we grow older, we perhaps feel that we have not studied history of India enough or what was portrayed in school text books were a bit skewed ! – yes a history as presented by commies and the British school of thought !! We read about Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, no doubt a valiant warrior .. .. however, the deeds of Queen Velu Nachiyar perhaps was notdocumented with the same vigour, as history too lies in the eyes of the beholder.Rani Velu Nachiyar (1730 – 1796), known as Veera mangai, was the queen of Sivaganga and was perhaps the first queen to fight against the British colonial power in India.
It is unlikely that one may recognize the Queen depictedriding
a horse with a sword installed at Chandupatla village of Nakrekal mandal.
History records thatSpartanPrincess Chilonis, daughter of Leotychidas, wife of Cleonymus and
mother of Areus II rose to prominence. Her much older husband Cleonymus was not
allowed to succeed to his father's
throne because of his violent and tyrannical behaviour, and had spent many
years away from Sparta as a soldier of fortune. Chilonis preferred death to a return to her
husband; in Plutarch's account of the battle, she kept a rope tied around her
neck ready to commit suicide in the case of defeat.Cleopatra II (185 BC – 116 BC) was a queen of
Ptolemaic Egypt who ruled from 175 to 116 BC with two successive
brother-husbands and her daughter—often in rivalry with her brother Ptolemy
VIII. She was sole ruler of Egypt from
131 BC to 127 BC. Her final reign from 124 BC to 116 BC was also spent in
coregency with Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III.
.. .. but you are unlikely to have read in history books this
valiant woman ruler of Kakatiya dynasty !..One ancient inscription discovered in 1994 suggests that Rudrama
Devi died in battle at Chandupatla village on 27 November 1289 though some dispute this .. .. Kakatiya dynasty was a South Indian dynasty with
capital at Orugallu, now known as
Warangal. The demise of Kakatiya
dynasty resulted in confusion and anarchy under alien rulers for sometime,
before the Musunuri Nayaksbrought stability to the region.
Rudhramadevi (రుద్రమదేవి)
released in 2015 was Telugu 3D epic
historical fiction film based on the life of Rudrama Devi, prominent ruler of
the Kakatiya dynasty in the Deccan, and one of the few ruling queens in Indian
history.Anushka Shetty portrayed the
title role of Rudrama devi in the film directed by Gunasekhar.Allu
Arjun, Rana Daggubati, Vikramjeet Virk, Krishnam Raju, Suman were also featured
in this film. The film's soundtrack and
background score were composed by Isaignani Ilayaraja.The Tamil version was released by Sri
Thenandal films and grossed many a crores .. .. who is this Rudramadevi ?
Rani
Rudrama Devi was a queen ruler of the
Kakatiya dynasty in the Deccan Plateau from 1263 until her death. She was one
of the women to rule as monarchs in India .. .. Rudrama Devi probably began her
rule of the Kakatiya kingdom jointly with her father, Ganapatideva, as his
co-regent, from 1261-62. 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. This was a
significant change and one that was followed by her successor and also by the later
Vijayanagara Empire.
Rudrama
Devi faced challenges from the Eastern Ganga dynasty and the Yadavas 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.However, she was bogged down byinternal 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
southwestern Andhra and what is now Guntur District.
Rudrama
Devi married Virabhadra, a member of the Chalukya dynasty, probably in 1240. Rudrama Devi is believed to have died in 1289 while fighting Ambadeva.She was succeeded by Prataparudra, a son of
one of her daughters, who inherited a kingdom that was smaller than it had been
when Rudrama Devi had ascended her throne.
In
the movie version Rudramadevi, Ganapatideva was the emperor of the Kakatiya
dynasty who rules Kakatiya Empire from Orugallu(present day Warangal,
Telangana) as its Capital. With Kakatiya Dynasty at a problem, Ganapatideva's
wife gives birth to a baby girl, but as the Dynasty is in big trouble and the
people want a prince, not a princess, the minister advises king to announce the baby
girl as a boy. Rudramadevi was formally designated as a son and given the male
name Rudradeva.
If
only history had been recorded properly, in all probability, we would have been
commemorating the mourning the death of the Queen this day, way back in 1289.
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
27th
Nov. 2018.
