History Of India IV

ASSIGNMENT

Question: How do Inscriptions unfold the narrative

of the Kakatya Dynasty?

Submitted by Submitted to
Akanksha Konwar Dr. Meenakshi Khanna
22/HIS/03
Semester 4
BA(H) History
Inscriptions are important historical texts that give detailed narratives about ancient

civilizations, notably those in South India. However, in comparison to archaeological

procedures, our methods of examining Indian inscriptions for historical research remain

unsystematic and immature. Inscriptions are the most plentiful primary source material for

reconstructing Kakatiya Andhra, offering details on the dynasty's lineage, military triumphs,

administrative structure, religious patronage, social norms, and economic activity.

Andhra's locales are differentiated by height and rainfall. The Godavari and Krishna rivers

forming a delta around the Western Ghats and the Eastern Hills. Rainfall in the area runs

north-south, with the biggest quantities falling in the northeastern regions. Because of the

little rainfall in Andhra, access to water sources is critical for agricultural output. Besides

benefiting from the accessibility of perennial water, the coastal lowlands were blessed with

the most fertile soils in the state.

Hence, due to all these factors, the region became increasingly fertile and hence patronage

also increased which in turn resulted in the increase in insciptions.

The Inscriptions have helped us find out about the society that existed during Kakatya Period.

Stone inscriptions are often overlooked in understanding precolonial India's social structure,

despite their religious foundations. Instead, reconstructions rely on Brahmanical literature and

modern ethnographic studies, which provide normative views of one segment of society and

insights into actual social interaction.

Caste is a crucial factor in precolonial India, often portrayed as the foundation of society in

secondary literature. In inscriptions, the Kakatiyas are typically classified as belonging to the

fourth class, descended from Brahma's feet. Only a few records, mostly on copper plates,

attempt to trace the reigning family's famous ancestors, tracing back to the old ksatriya solar

dynasty, similar to the Chola monarchs' lineage.

In the thirteenth century Andhra area, clans and lineages were the most regularly cited

kinship groupings, with contributors mostly from strong political and military families. This

is consistent with current ethnography's dominant castes, which are noted for tight clan and

lineage organisation.

There were no distinct social categories in thirteenth-century inscriptions other than family or

clan, which might be attributed to the period's instability. Individuals with religious

endowments in mediaeval Andhra lacked a clear public identity based on their varna or jati.

Names were the most widely used form of social identity, reflecting public personalities and

activities. In thirteenth-century inscriptions, varna and jati were less important since acquired

rank surpassed hereditary status.

However, stone temple inscriptions acted as a public arena for enhancing personal

reputations, with individual accomplishments playing a bigger role in defining communal

identities.

The Kakatiya inscriptional corpus does not show the social structure of common peasants, but

it emphasises the importance of military activities and skills. Warriors, known as nayakas,

constituted the greatest donor base in Kakatiya Andhra. Nayakas welcomed individuals of all

backgrounds and held different status titles showing martial talent and experience. Lenka is

the most common military title, followed by Rautu and Camupati.

The 13th century Andhra culture was distinguished by the prominence of warriors and

martial heroes, as well as the expansion of merchant inscriptions and commercial levies. The

rulers of Kakatiya Andhra recognised the importance of long-distance commerce, as

evidenced by King Ganapati's renowned Motupalli inscription, which promoted maritime

trade. The inscriptions reference include luxury items like scents, camphor, and ivory, as well

as everyday items like rice, wheat, and vegetables. Food, bulky commodities, and agricultural

products were among the items traded inland. The inscription also provided tithe rates for

Enamadala temples, which were based on the quantity of items brought in for sale. Religious

donations from merchant organisations were not commonly calculated using a percentage of

total sales or a sales tax.

Occasionally, kings would resolve conflicts over property rights or village boundaries and

mark them on stone. In 1533, an inscription in Anantapur District promised to eliminate taxes

that had led artisans in 32 villages to relocate.

Religious endowment patterns in Kakatiya Andhra do not reflect the group-oriented nature of

traditional Indian culture. However, many religious endowments were established by groups

of individuals, with siblings, brothers, or mothers frequently acting as joint contributors.

Shared military service relationships, sectarian allegiances, and commerce and artisan

affiliations are widespread.

Women made about 11% of individual contributions to temples, donating land and assets

such as animals, constructions, metal objects, irrigation infrastructure, and money.

Inscriptions indicate that marriage had a lesser impact on women's social identity than

lawbooks. Women may also hold honorary positions in temple organisations.

The inscriptions also help us get an insight into the Kakatya Political network. Between 1175

and 1325, the Kakatiya rulers gained prominence in religious endowment records in the

Telugu region. Andhra inscriptions from this period often mention the names and exploits of

these rulers and their lords, as well as political relations that connected donors to the Kakatiya

network of power. Any reference to the Kakatiyas in Andhra inscriptions signifies their
involvement in the political network, their social identity, and their role as recipients of

religious gifts. Political relations are integral to other aspects of social life, as donors often

expressed their public identities and political objectives for donating religious gifts.

Kakatiya documents are inscriptions that affirm the Kakatiyas' sovereignty, including their

name, merit transfer, and political status. They initially debuted in the middle of the eleventh

century as a small chieftain family in Hanumakonda, Warangal District. Inscriptional

genealogy indicate that they may have been active in Telangana as early as the ninth century,

although their early activities are unknown.

Rudradeva, the Kakatiya emperor, constructed the Thousand Pillared Temple at

Hanumakonda, the Kakatiya capital, in 1163 C.E. This signified the beginning of Kakatiya's

independence. Rudradeva's fort at Warangal, which became the Kakatiya capital, helped to

elevate their prominence.

Inscriptions from 1172 mention the Kakatiyas as worshippers of the Shaiva divinity

Kulapatideva. Early Kakatiya inscriptions limited their authority to Telangana, but records

began to emerge outside under the reign of Ganapatideva. Ganapati, the third autonomous

sovereign, established the Kakatiyas as a statewide authority and was the most significant

patron of religion among Kakatiya monarchs.

Ganapati, a Kakatiya ruler, bestowed more endowments and distributed them to a broader

range of beneficiaries than any previous monarch. He supported temples, established his own

institution, and presented presents to sectarian leaders. Ganapati was the only Kakatiya prince

who granted agrahara villages to brahmans and documented his support on copper plates. He

aspired to imperial reign, identifying the Kakatiya varna rank with the Puranic ancestry of

ancient Indian monarchs. This new form of monarchy resembled the Chola and Chalukya

imperial grandeur.
The survey of the geographic expansion of Kakatiya power demonstrates how quickly the

dynasty grew from the late twelfth century onward.

Despite the limited number of Kakatiya religious patronage, we can see a general pattern in

the time and location of their offerings.

Rudradeva's liberation from Chalukya rule was celebrated by the erection of the Thousand

Pillared Temple in Hanumakonda. His military dominance in Telangana was demonstrated by

the erection of Warangal, a new capital with a shrine to the Kakatiya tutelary god

Svayambhudeva. Ganapati's temple at Motupalli was built when he penetrated deep into

Tamil land. However, Kakatiya monarchs made little attempt to support organisations or

persons in their domains, with just three subsequent presents given in Nalgonda District.

Ganapati paid the majority of his offerings to brahmans and temples in Prakasam and Guntur

Districts, becoming the first Kakatiya monarch to permanently capture land in this central

coastal region.

Religious patronage in mediaeval polities was associated with increased inscriptional output

rates in Andhra throughout the Kakatiya and late imperial Vijayanagara periods, implying a

strong relationship between religious patronage and political unity.

The fact that temple endowments provided an effective entrance point into local communities

of worship may have appealed to Kakatiya allies who were expanding into new territory.

The Kakatiya monarchs' epithets (birudas) were not just bardic pleasures, but also actual

items, medals, and titles. Sanskrit inscriptions written by Brahman poets frequently extol a

ruler's moral excellence and kindness. The monarch was supreme, towering over all those

who prostrated at his feet. Records commissioned by soldiers subservient to the Kakatiyas

often prioritised the Kakatiya lineage or titles above those of the donor's family, indicating

Kakatiya dominance. However, Kakatiya subordinates, who were frequently warriors

themselves, were lauded in manners similar to the king. Birudas were among the most prized
emblems of high status bestowed by a monarch on a subordinate, emphasising the

hierarchical connection between the overlord and subordinates.

Whether naming gods after their overlords or generously surrendering the fruits of their

religious gifts, Kakatiya "servants" actively engaged in strategies that would elevate their

superiors. Inscriptions represent the lord-subordinate relationship in very hierarchical terms,

in which the The aristocratic class in the Kakatiya political network represents their social

identities differently, as do officers. Inscriptions frequently focus on lineages, inherited

names, and titles, with mahdrdja being the most prevalent, followed by raju and the imperial

title cakravarti. Most princely families were found in coastal Andhra, but other aristocratic

lines, primarily in Telangana, did not claim ksatriya status or identify with previous royal

dynasties. Chiefs sometimes used status titles. As the Kakatiya political network grew,

officers became increasingly influential, and the lack of extended lists of biritdas in their

inscriptions implies that they had to earn their positions rather than inherit them.

The Kakatiya political network included subordinates of diverse origins, ranks, and

autonomy. Some were lords or kings with their own networks of influence, while others were

persons with little connection to the Kakatiyas. During the reigns of Rudramadevi and

Prataparudra, more officers of lowly background joined the network, resulting in the

formation of a new class of warrior lords. The increased dependence on officers changed the

character of late Kakatiya authority, resulting in a more densely connected web. Kings and

lords earned money through commercial pursuits as well. The Motupalli inscription of

Kakatiya Ganapati, which ensured sea traders of extortionary charges and itemised specific

rates on numerous products, demonstrates the king's role in setting tariffs and customs taxes.

Officer-level subordinates had distinct rights to land than aristocrats, and the term vritti was

never used in conjunction with land grants. Officers had more limited economic powers than
noble lords, as they could only exempt or give away particular taxes and could not transfer

proprietary rights to property, including income. Because of this lack of autonomy, they were

more likely to swear their devotion to the Kakatiyas when making religious endowments, so

enhancing the Kakatiya network's prominence in public.

The advent of a new sort of tenurial authority over land, known as nayankaramu, lends

credence to the notion that late Kakatiya politics gradually intruded into tiny centres of

military power, religious power, and economic power that serviced many locales. The

chronological arrangement of inscriptions published by village groupings lends credence to

the theory that locations became more closely incorporated into the late Kakatiya

government.

The Kakatiya "state" is better understood as a changing political network made up of personal

connections between rulers and subordinates. The "samanta system" or "a hierarchy of kings"

paradigm is especially well suited to early Kakatiya rule, in which overlords ruled through a

loose coalition of several hereditary chiefs and princes. However, many elements of the late

Kakatiya period are more closely related to a patrimonial state model, which is characterised

by a king wielding personalised authority through a class of dependent bureaucrats.

In conclusion, inscriptions serve as invaluable windows into the rich and multifaceted history

of the Kakatiya dynasty. Through these inscriptions, we gain a deeper understanding of their

genealogy, military exploits, administrative practices, religious patronage, social customs,

and economic activities. Inscriptions not only provide factual information but also help in

reconstructing the cultural, political, and social milieu of the Kakatiya period. They are

essential sources for historians and scholars seeking to unravel the complexities of Kakatiya

history and its enduring impact on the region.

 Bibliography

1. Talbot, Cynthia. Precolonial India in practice: Society,

region, and identity in medieval Andhra. Oxford:

University Press, 2001.

2. Shulman, David Dean, and Narayana Velcheru Rao.

Syllables of sky: Studies in South Indian Civilization: In

honour of Velcheru Narayana Rao. Delhi:

3. Oxford University Press, 1995.

4. Rao, M. Rama. Select kakatiya temples. Tirupati: Sri

Venkatesvara University, 1966.

5. Rao, M. Rama. The Kakatiyas of Warangal. Hyderabad,

1952.