Queen Mallamma of Belawadi

In the seventeenth century Deccan, power was not fixed. It shifted between kings, nobles, and local rulers.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had begun expanding his authority beyond the western Deccan. At the same time, the Adilshahi state was weakening, and control was breaking into smaller centres.

In this fractured landscape, local rulers were not passive. They controlled land, resources, and decisions within their territories.

One such ruler was Queen Mallamma of Belawadi.