one massacre · many truths · Gond Adivasis · land rights · state repression · 1981 🕊️ Another Turning Point in Telangana's Tribal History The Indravelli Police Firing Incident , also known as the Indravelli Massacre , occurred on April 20, 1981 , in Indravelli village of Adilabad district (now part of Telangana state). During this event, police opened fire on thousands of Gond Adivasis who had gathered for a peaceful rally organized to demand land rights and protection from exploitation. The tragedy marked one of the most significant and controversial episodes in post-independence Telangana, symbolizing both the assertion of tribal identity and the state's repressive response to people&…

one water system · many inscriptions · Sapta-santana · Dasabandham · Kakatiya · 10th–17th century CE 💧 The Seven Virtuous Acts that ensured immortality The inscriptions of medieval Telangana across the four volumes of Epigraphia Telanganica document a sophisticated history of hydraulic engineering, where the construction of irrigation tanks ( tatakas , cheruvus , or samudras ) was considered one of the "Seven Virtuous Acts" ( Sapta-santana ) that ensured a donor's immortality [554, Vol-II; 1312, Vol-IV]. From the Rashtrakuta-period tank on Velpugonda hill to the massive Dharmakirti-Maila Samudra built by Princess Mailamba, from the Kesari-tataka that inspired the Kakatiya boar seal t…

one sacred landscape · many transitions · Buddhist · Jaina · Shaiva · Vaishnava · Islamic · 5th–16th century CE 🕉️ Shifts in royal patronage and religious identity The inscriptions of medieval Telangana document significant religious transitions , reflecting the shifts in royal patronage, the decline of Buddhism and Jainism, and the rise of Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions, alongside the later impact of Islamic incursions and subsequent restorations. From the Vishnukundi era (5th-7th century) where Buddhist and Vedic traditions overlapped, to the Chalukya transition from Vaishnavism to Shaivism, to the Kakatiya period where Jainism declined and various Hindu sects flourished, and finally to th…

one economic system · many inscriptions · Kakatiya · 12th–14th century CE 💰 A sophisticated and highly organized economic system The inscriptions of medieval Telangana reveal a sophisticated and highly organized economic system, characterized by a detailed fiscal structure, extensive domestic and maritime trade, and a complex hierarchy of merchant guilds. From the 25 distinct taxes cataloged in the Kandukuru Inscription (A.D. 1316) to the Motupalli Edict (A.D. 1244) abolishing shipwreck forfeiture and establishing uniform customs rates, the records of the Kakatiya period provide unprecedented detail into the economic life of the Deccan. The presence of powerful merchant guilds like the Ayyav…