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. During this period of joint rule, the kingdom was thrown into confusion and disorder due to Sadayavarman Sundara Pandyan I's invasion and the disastrous defeat of the Kakatiyas and their allies on the battlefield of Muttukur, near Nellore. Though Ganapatideva was ultimately successful in turning back the tide of invasion, he suffered loss of territory and prestige and his hold over his feudatories and nobles was shaken. Under these circumstances, he retired from active politics.

Though Rudrama Devi assumed full sovereignty in 1263, she was not the crowned queen until her father died in 1269. Her nomination and ascension to the throne was not entirely accepted; indeed, some people had turned against Ganapatideva even during his lifetime because of his decision to appoint a woman as his heir. On her accession, some nobles who were unwilling to submit to a woman's authority, took up arms against her.

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.

The important people in the life of Rudrama Devi were Shivadesikulu, a minister who served the dynasty, and Annamambikadevi, the wife of Gona Ganna Reddy. 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.