In the early part of the Christian Era, when the Vakatakas, Nagas and Bharasivas held their sway, a Vakataka queen, wife of Rudrasena II ruled independently for 20 years. Regent queen Prabhavati Gupta’s Poona plate mentions her as the daughter of Chandra gupta II and Kubera Naga, who ruled independently and issued charters without the sanction of any extraneous higher atithority.24

To the next category belong Sita Mahadevi and Vijaya, Mahadevi about whom we have mentioned elsewhere. In the early part of the Christian Era when Bharasivas were suzerains, we have the seal of Mahadevi Rudramati - Seal No. 30, the last royal document of the Vakatakas. We do not know whose queen she was; she ruled independently and coins were struck in her name.

Mediaeval India has furnished us with examples like Rezia, Nurzahan - and later still, like Chand-bibi of Ahmadnagar, Lakshmi Bai Rani of Jhansi, and Ahalyabai Holkar of Indore. They made a mark not only in this country but also in the European world. John Stuart Mill was so highly impressed by them that he quoted their examples with admiration in his celebrated book Subjection of ‘Women.