Kakatiya fete off to a grand start
Kakatiya dynasty descendant Kamal Chandra Banji Deo with Culture and Tourism Minister V Srinivas Goud visits Kakatiya fort on the first day of the Kakatiya Vaibhava Saptaham in Warangal on Thursday. Photo: G Shyam Kumar
Warangal: The week-long extravaganza, Kakatiya Vaibhava Saptaham that reminisces the culture and heritage of the Kakatiya Dynasty, began here on Thursday on a grand note. Gracing the occasion was the 22nd descendant of Kakatiya lineage Kamal Chandra Bhanj Deo.
It may be mentioned here that a year after the demise of Pratapa Rudra, his brother Annama Devudu established the Bastar kingdom in Chhattisgarh region with Dantewada as his capital. The State government invited Deo, who now lives in Jagdalpur, for the Kakatiya fete.
Minister for Culture and Tourism V Srinivas Goud, Minister for Tribal Welfare Satyavathi Rathod, Mayor Gundu Sudharani and Chief Whip D Vinay Bhaskar welcomed Deo at the Bhadrakali entrance arch and took him in a procession on a specially decorated vehicle to the temple.
It's said that Deo's ancestors had always offered prayers at Bhadrakali temple at every special occasion during their regime.
Deo planted a sapling in the park at the Bhadrakali bund. Deo garlanded the statue of Rani Rudrama at Pochamma Maidan on his way to Warangal Qila (Fort), the seat of power from where his ancestors governed.
It was a fitting welcome again for Deo with 700 artistes participating in it at the fort. Leading the event was Warangal East MLA Nannapuneni Narender. Hanumakonda District Collector Rajiv Gandhi Hanumanthu, Warangal Commissioner of Police Tarun Joshi and Kakatiya Urban Development Authority Chairman S Sunder Raj Yadav were among others present.
Overwhelmed, Kamal Chandra Bhanj Deo said, "Our ancestors won the hearts of everyone by dispensing with people's friendly governance. It's awe-inspiring to see the Telangana government taking up Mission Kakatiya. The chain-link lake system of the Kakatiya era is still alive. The number 'seven' is significant for the Kakatiyas. We have seven palaces, forts, towns, etc. Bastar is the biggest district in Chhattisgarh and it was divided into seven districts. Even my mobile number is 7," he said. "After a thorough research, we got to know that my grandfather Pradeep Chandra Bhanj Deo is one of the descendants of the Kakatiyas. Pratapa Rudra's brother Annama Devudu settled in Bastar," he added.