Ramachandra of Devagiri
| Ramachandra | |
|---|---|
| Raja-i-Rajan (as a feudatory of Alauddin Khilji) | |
| King of Devagiri | |
| Reign | c. 1271-1311 CE |
| Predecessor | Ammana |
| Successor | Simhana III |
| Dynasty | Seuna (Yadava) |
| Father | Krishna |
Ramachandra (IAST: Rāmacandra, r. c. 1271-1311 CE), also known as Ramadeva, was a ruler of the Seuna (Yadava) dynasty of Deccan region in India. He seized the throne from his cousin Ammana, and expanded his kingdom by fighting his Hindu neighbours such as the Paramaras, the Vaghelas, the Hoysalas, and the Kakatiyas. In 1296 CE, he suffered an Muslim invasion from the Delhi Sultanate, and established peace by agreeing to pay Alauddin Khilji an annual tribute. When he discontinued the tribute payments in 1303-1304 CE, Alauddin sent a force led by Malik Kafur to subjugate him, and forced him to become a vassal of the Delhi Sultanate. Subsequently, Ramachandra served Alauddin as a loyal feudatory, and helped his forces defeat the Kakatiyas and the Hoysalas.
Ramachandra was a son of the Yadava king Krishna. At the time of Krishna's death around 1260 CE, Ramachandra was probably very young, because of which his uncle (Krishna's younger brother) Mahadeva ascended the throne. When Mahadeva's son Ammana became the next king around 1270 CE, Ramachandra also made a claim to the throne. Most of the important officers and generals probably saw Ramachandra as the rightful heir. This is evident from the fact that the courtiers Hemadri and Tikkama, who had been loyal to Mahadeva, deserted Ammana and started supporting Ramachandra.
Sometime in the second half of 1271 CE, Ramachandra seized the throne from his cousin Ammana. An inscription of Ramachandra gives the following account of this coup: Ramachandra and his followers entered the Devagiri fort, disguising themselves as actors. During a performance before the entertainment-loving Ammana, they suddenly seized the king and his supporters.
This account is also supported by literary texts such as Bhanuvilasa (a Mahanubhava work) and Nagadeva-Charita of Parashurama-Vyasa. According to the Mahanubhava texts, Ramachandra blinded Ammana. Nagadeva-Charita states that Ramachandra killed Ammana, and that Ramachandra's ultimate defeat against the Muslims was a result of the sin he committed by killing his own cousin. The veracity of this claim is not certain, since the other texts only mention the blinding, not the killing.
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