Kakatiya Kala Thoranam, Warangal Fort - History of Kakatiya Dynasty


Kakatiya Kala Thoranam, Warangal Fort (Kakatiya Dynasty)




Kakatiya Kala Thoranam, Warangal Fort, Warangal.

The design of the gateways is redolent like the ‘thoranas’ of the Great Stupa at Sanchi. The architecture and sculpture of these temples are magnificent as no one can fail to see the rich imagination, patient industry and skilful workmanship of the builders of the temples of the Kakatiya period.

History of Kakatiya Dynasty

The 12th and the 13th centuries saw the emergence of the Kakatiyas. They were at first the feudatories of the Western Chalukyas of Kalyana, ruling over a small territory near Warangal. A ruler of this dynasty, Prola II, who ruled from 1110 AD to 1158 AD, extended his sway to the south and declared his independence. His successor Rudra (1158 - 1195 AD) pushed the kingdom to the north up to the Godavari delta. He built a fort at Warangal to serve as a second capital and faced the invasions of the Yadavas of Devagiri. The next ruler Mahadeva extended the kingdom to the coastal area. In 1199 AD, Ganapati succeeded him. He was the greatest of the Kakatiyas and the first after the Satavahanas to bring the entire Telugu area under one rule. He put an end to the rule of the Velanati Cholas in 1210 AD. He forced the Telugu Cholas of Vikramasimhapura to accept his suzerainty. He established order in his vast dominion and encouraged trade.


As Ganapati Deva had no sons, his daughter Rudramba succeeded him in 1262 AD and carried on the administration. Some generals, who did not like to be ruled by her, rebelled. She could, however, suppress the internal rebellions and external invasions with the help of loyal subordinates. The Cholas and the Yadavas suffered such set backs at her hands that they did not think of troubling her for the rest of her rule.

Prataparudra succeeded his grandmother Rudramba in 1295 AD and ruled till 1323 AD. He pushed the western border of his kingdom up to Raichur. He introduced many administrative reforms. He divided the kingdom into 75 Nayakships, which was later adopted and developed by the Rayas of Vijayanagara. In his time the territory constituting Andhra Pradesh had the first experience of a Muslim invasion. In 1303 AD, the Delhi Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji sent an army to plunder the kingdom, but Prataparudra defeated them at Upparapalli in Karimnagar district. In 1310 AD, when another army under Malik Kafur invaded Warangal, Prataparudra yielded and agreed to pay a large tribute. In 1318 AD when Ala-ud-din Khilji died, Prataparudra withheld the tribute. It provoked another invasion of the Muslims. In 1321 AD Ghiaz-ud-din Tughlaq sent a large army under Ulugh Khan to conquer the Telugu country then called Tilling. He laid siege to Warangal, but owing to internal dissensions he called off the siege and returned to Delhi. Within a short period, he came back with a much bigger army. In spite of unpreparedness, Prataparudra fought bravely. For want of supplies, he surrendered to the enemy who sent him to Delhi as a prisoner, and he died on the way. Thus ended the Kakatiya rule, opening the gates of the Telugu land to anarchy and confusion yielding place to an alien ruler.

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