Rudrama Devi

(1259−1289) was a prominent queen of the Kakatiya dynasty, a South Indian dynasty that ruled most of the Telugu speaking lands on the Deccan Plateau until the conquest by the Delhi Sultanate. Rudrama was born to Ganapathideva who had no sons and formally designated her as a son, gave her the male name of Rudradeva and declared her Queen. When she was only fourteen years old, Rani Rudrama Devi succeeded her father. An able fighter and ruler Rudrama defended the kingdom from the Cholas and the Yadavs. She was one of the outstanding queens in Indian history and remains as such one of the symbols of female power in South India. She took an active part in governing the country and strove hard to promote the best interests of the state. Marco Polo, the Venetian traveler who paid a visit to the kingdom probably a little later, speaks highly of her administrative qualities, benign rule and greatness.