From Puppet Strings to People’s Voice: How Queen Sugandha Became History’s First Elected Female Ruler
When King Shankaravarman fell to a stray arrow in 914 AD, Queen Sugandha faced the ultimate test of Shakti—transforming catastrophe into triumph. Like Katyayani, the warrior goddess who destroys ignorance through divine strategy, Sugandha devised an extraordinary solution that would echo through history’s corridors.
With rebellion brewing and Srinagar still distant, she embodied Kalaratri’s fearless innovation, tying strings to her dead husband’s body, creating the illusion of life itself. For three harrowing days, she puppeteered the deceased king through conquered territories, his subjects believing he waved in acknowledgment. This macabre theatre of governance revealed Shakti’s most profound truth: sometimes divine feminine power must dance with death to preserve life.
Like Mahagauri purifying through trial, Sugandha transformed crisis into opportunity. Instead of bloodshed, she orchestrated Kashmir’s first democratic election, a plebiscite that crowned her as history’s inaugural elected female ruler. Her welfare policies and governance wisdom outlived her reign, proving that true Shakti creates legacies beyond personal glory.
Though patriarchal forces eventually imprisoned this visionary queen, her revolutionary spirit, like Siddhidatri’s eternal influence, continued blessing Kashmir through successive rulers who adopted her methods. In Navratra’s celebration of divine feminine triumph over darkness, Queen Sugandha stands as testament that sometimes the greatest victories require dancing with shadows.
The research, image and the story is copyright material from Streedesh – the legendary women of Kashmir
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