Rani Rudrama Devi

Rudrama Devi
Statue of Rudrama Devi
Predecessor	Ganapatideva
Successor	Prataparudra
Died	1289 or 1295 Possibly at Chandupatla (now in Telangana, India)
Spouse	Virabhadra
Dynasty	Kakatiya
Father	Ganapatideva

Rani Rudrama Devi (died 1289 or 1295), or Rudradeva Maharaja, sometimes spelled Rudramadevi or Rudrama-devi, was a monarch of the Kakatiya dynasty in the Deccan Plateau from 1263 until her death. She was one of the very few women to rule as monarchs in India and promoted a male image in order to do so.

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.

Ekamranatha's Pratapachantra refers to Rudram Devi's step-brothers, Hariharadeva and Murarideva, ousting her and capturing Orugallu, and depicts her effectively tackling them with the help of the citizens and some powerful supporters. However, no other evidence is available to prove the existence of her step-brothers, even if it is believed that some intransigent nobles and close relations rebelled against her authority, the Kayastha chief Jannigedeva and his younger brothers, Tripurari and Ambadeva, Recherla Prasaditya and Reddy chiefs such as Gona Ganna Reddy were firmly loyal to the queen, espoused her cause and helped her defeat the rebels.

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. 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 southwestern Andhra and what is now Guntur District.

Rudrama Devi married Virabhadra, a member of a minor branch of the Chalukya dynasty, probably in 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.