Hyderabad :
The Kakatiya dynasty, which ruled from Warangal from AD 1083-1323, seems to be in the spotlight post bifurcation.
The Golconda fort, where chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will celebrate the Independence Day for the first time in Telangana state, was constructed by the Kakatiya rulers. Built between AD 945-970, the fort has carvings and relief work in stucco, consisting of lions, peacocks, griffins and lotus, at the entrance of Balahisar. This is often cited as evidence of the fort’s original ownership by the Archaelogical Survey of India.
Previously a mud fort, it was Prataparudra, the last Kakatiya king, who fortified it. It was during his tenure itself that the fort was ceded to the Bahmanis in AD 1363 following a defeat. Almost two centuries later, the Golconda fort became the capital of the Qutb Shahi kings, who ruled from AD 1518-1687.
Prataparudra’s grandmother Rani Rudramadevi too has emerged from history into prominence for the new state. The valour of the queen, who ruled from AD 1259-1289 has fascinated poets, writers and historians across generations. No wonder then that her name also figures in the proposed Telangana state song. Her statue is among the several that dot Tank Bund beside Hussainsagar.
Rani Rudramadevi was the daughter of King Ganapathideva, who, incidentally, strengthened the Warangal fort which features in the emblem of the new state. As the king did not have a son, he rechristened Rudramba as Rudradeva through a Putrika ceremony, thus designating her as a ?son’ so that she could be the heir.
The queen’s story is set to be re-told as a Rs 60 crore budget 3D stereoscopic film directed by filmmaker Gunasekhar. Titled ?Rudramadevi – the warrior queen’, the film is being made in Telugu and Tamil and is expected to be released in October. Its shooting began at the Thousand Pillar Temple in Warangal in February 2013.
“I have been working on the script for 10 years to show the glory of the Kakatiya kings. We also consulted historians,” Gunasekhar said, adding that actor Anushka Shetty, who plays the main protagonist, learnt horse-riding and sword-fighting to do justice to the role. “I never knew that Rani Rudramadevi was such a great queen until the story was narrated to me by the director. We are working to show the queen the way she was,” Anushka said.
Incidentally, during the shooting for the film at Rama Naidu Studios in June this year, 1.5 kg of gold ornaments meant for the main actor were reported stolen. However, the case was solved later and the ornaments recovered from an ‘insider’.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / August 14th, 2014