The historians, writers and people of Chandupatla village, where an inscription that confirmed the exact death date of great Kakatiya ruler Rani Rudrama Devi was found few years ago, have appealed to the Telangana government to organise the 725th death anniversary of Rani Rudrama Devi on November 27 at this village.
Until the inscription was found in 1994 at Chandupatla that confirmed the death date of Rudrama Devi as 1289 AD, November 27, there was no proof available on the death of the first Hindu woman emperor of India. According to historians, only Razia Sultana ruled parts of India from Delhi before Rudrama Devi.
Speaking to The Hindu , historian D. Suraya Kumar said that Rudrama Devi had initiated several welfare programmes like digging tanks for bringing many acres under cultivation, which was an inspiration for the Telangana government in restoring all the minor irrigation tanks.
Besides, the historian said that Rudrama Devi had also introduced several welfare programmes for the betterment of the life of her people while effectively confronting invading male warriors during her 30 years from 1259 to 1289.
He urged the Telangana government to make Rudrama Devi the symbol of women’s empowerment in Telangana.
He appealed to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to organise the 725th death anniversary ceremony at Chandupatla.
Besides an inscription, there are historical statues of Lord Ganesha and a warrior riding on the back of a horse in the village.
The village tank, Rasamudram, built during the Kakatiya Samudram, also finds a mention in the inscription because the inscription was installed very close to the village tank by a soldier of Rudrama Devi’s army Puvvula Mummadi, who is believed to be a native of Chandupatla.
The inscription also says the Chief of Army of Rudrama Devi, Mallikarjuna Nayakudu, was killed on the same day, but there was no mention of the reason and the place of her death.
Noted poet, Venu Sankoju, urged the Chief Minister to observe the death anniversary, because her achievements were belittled by previous governments.
