Rani Lakshmibai was the queen of the Maratha-ruled Jhansi state, which is currently Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh. She is considered one of the most prominent leaders during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, becoming a symbol of resistance against the British Raj in India.
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Wiki/Biography
Rani Lakshmibai was born as ‘Manikarnika Tambe’ on Wednesday, 19 November 1828 in Banaras (present-day Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh), Kashi-Banaras Kingdom. His zodiac sign is Scorpio.
He was educated at home and learned to read and write. Unlike other girls in the society, she was given more freedom in her childhood and learned various combat techniques like horse riding, fencing, shooting and Mallakhamb with her childhood friends, Nana Saheb and Tantia Tope. Rani was supported and inspired by her father to learn these tips, which made her an independent and courageous girl.
A statue of Rani Laxmibai
Family, Caste and Husband
Rani Lakshmibai was born in a Marathi Karhade Brahmin family. His father, Moropant Tambe, was an official in the court of Peshwa Bajirao II of Bithoor district. Her mother’s name was Bhagirathi Sapre, who died when Lakshmi was four years old. On 19 May 1842, at the age of 14, Rani was married to Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar of Jhansi.
Raja Gangadhar Rao
Gangadhar’s first wife died before giving birth to an heir to the kingdom. In 1851, Rani Lakshmibai and Raja Gangadhar were blessed with a son named Damodar Rao. However, the child died of chronic illness after 4 months. Later, in the presence of a British political officer, the couple adopted a child named Ananda Rao, the son of the king’s cousin, a day before Gangadhar’s death in November 1853. The child was named Damodar Rao.
Doctrine of Lapse and Jhansi
After the death of Raja Gangadhar Rao, his adopted son, Damodar Rao, was to become his legal heir, and Rani Lakshmibai became the Viceroy of Jhansi for life. However, Lord Dalhousie, Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856, invoked the Doctrine of Lapse in 1859, which rejected Damodar’s claim to the throne.
lord dalhousie
According to this principle, the British East India Company could annex any princely state to the company if the ruler died, and the state had no legal male heir to assume the throne. When Rani Lakshmibai got information about this, she refused to hand over Jhansi to the British.
Letter issued for merger of Jhansi
With the help of an Australian lawyer, John Lang, the Queen filed a petition in London to protest the annexation of Jhansi, but the Queen’s petition was rejected. Reportedly, this was one of the factors responsible for the Indian Rebellion of 1857. At the time of the doctrine of default, the East India Company acted as both judge and defendant, without any proper court. In 1854, the Queen’s appeal against the Doctrine of Lapse was rejected several times, and Lakshmibai was granted a pension of Rs. 60,000/- and ordered to go to Rani Mahal; Leaving Jhansi Fort. However, Lakshmibai remained determined to defend the throne of Jhansi. Reportedly, he initially refused to take the pension and threatened to leave Jhansi. She kept crying in many imaginary stories-
Main apni Jhansi nahin doongi (I will not give my Jhansi)
These are the words that have been expressed throughout the ages in ballads, songs and poems.
Revolt of 1857
On 10 May 1857, the Indian Mutiny, known as the Sepoy Mutiny, emerged as a reaction to the oppressive rule of the British in Meerut. Gradually unrest started spreading in various regions of India, which culminated in the first Indian independence struggle. When news of the rebellion reached Jhansi, Lakshmibai asked Captain Alexander Skene for permission to raise an army and Skene agreed. The city was in the midst of regional unrest and to reassure her subjects, the queen organized a haldi-kumkum ceremony with all the women of Jhansi. In June 1857, rebels from the 12th Bengal Native Infantry captured the Star Fort at Jhansi and massacred 40 to 60 European officers of the garrison and their wives and children. It is still a matter of debate whether the queen was involved in this massacre or not. After the rebellion broke out, Thomas Lowe, an army doctor, described the queen as follows:
Jezebel of India…the young queen whose head was smeared with the blood of those killed.”
Subsequently, he wrote a letter to Major Erskine, Commissioner of the Saugor Division, giving him details of the events, condemning the massacre and asking for his help. In response, Erskine requested the Queen to manage “the district for the British Government” until the arrival of a British Superintendent. Meanwhile, the queen’s forces foiled the rebels’ attempt to claim the throne of a rival prince, Sadashiva Rao (nephew of Maharaja Gangadhar Rao), who was subsequently captured and imprisoned. Subsequently, he defended Jhansi from attacks by the neighboring armies of Orchha and Datia; Whose intention was to divide Jhansi among themselves. He intensified the security of Jhasi; Gathered a ‘volunteer army’ of 14000 rebels, which included many brave warriors like Tantia Tope, Nana Rao Peshwa, Ghulam Ghaus Khan, Dost Khan, Khuda Baksh, Diwan Raghunath Singh, Diwan Jawahar Singh, and also women warriors like Jalkari Bai. . , Sunder-Mundar, and many more. Women were given military training, which gave them the strength to fight against the British army.
Jhansi Fort
In 1858, General Hugh Rose, a commander of the British Army, arrived and found the palace heavily guarded. Rose demanded the surrender of the city and told the queen that if refused the city would be destroyed. In response to Rose, the Queen declared,
We fight for freedom. In the words of Lord Krishna, if we are victorious, we will enjoy the fruits of victory, if defeated and killed in the battlefield, we will definitely earn eternal glory and salvation.
The bombardment began on 24 March and the British army succeeded in capturing the Jhansi fort with four divisions; Attacking the defenses at various points and killing those trying to advance past the walls. But Rani was reluctant to surrender and fought against the British for more than 10 days.
A painting of Rani Lakshmibai on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, an army led by Tantia Tope, which attempted to liberate Jhansi, was also defeated by British troops. Lakshmibai’s army could no longer stand against the British army and within a few days the British broke the city walls and captured the city.
An illustration of the army of Jhansi
However, with the help of a small army of palace guards, Lakshmibai managed to escape the fort by jumping over the palace wall on her horse Badal with her son (Damodar) tied on her back. The queen and her son were safe, but the horse died. Reportedly, after the defeat of Jhansi, the queen’s father Moropant Tambe was killed by the British.
A board at Jhansi Fort showing the spot from where the queen jumped
The Rani, accompanied by her son Damodar Rao, left for Kalpi with her small army and joined other rebel forces (who were fighting against the British), including that of Tantia Tope. While defending Kalpi with her army, Lakshmibai was once again defeated by the powerful British troops. Left with no option, the Rani, along with Tantia Tope, the Nawab of Banda and Rao Saheb, moved to Gwalior and joined the other Indian forces. They moved to Gwalior with the intention of capturing the strategically important Gwalior Fort. The rebel forces captured the city without any opposition. The rebels declared Nana Saheb the Peshwa of the revived Maratha dominion and appointed Rao Saheb as their governor (Subedar) in Gwalior. General Rose’s forces captured Morar on 16 June and then launched a successful attack on Gwalior city.
Death
While fighting against the British in the city of Gwalior, Lakshmibai was deployed towards the eastern side, which was considered one of the toughest battlefields at that time. On 18 June 1858, the Rani advanced into battle at Gwalior. While fighting against the 8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars at Kota-ki-Sarai, the Queen died. She continued to fight with unwavering patriotism till her last breath and attained martyrdom.
A picture of Rani Lakshmibai in the battlefield
The queen did not want her body to be captured by British soldiers, so she asked a monk to burn her body. After his death, some local people cremated his body. After three days the British captured Gwalior. His grave is in the Phool Bagh area of Gwalior and has now become one of the most popular tourist attractions of Gwalior city; This place is known as ‘the tomb of Rani Lakshmibai’.
Samadhi place of Rani Laxmibai
Facts/General Knowledge
- According to Vishnubhat Godse, an Indian author, the queen used to practice weightlifting, steeplechasing and wrestling before breakfast. She was an intelligent, plain-dressed woman who ruled in a business-like manner.
- His father gave him the nickname ‘Manu’. Peshwa Bajirao II of Bithoor district had a close relationship with him and fondly called him ‘Chhabili’.
- According to Damodar Rao’s memoirs, Damodar was among his mother’s soldiers and family at the Battle of Gwalior, who survived the battle. Damodar fled to the camp of Rao Saheb of Bithoor and was living with refugees from Jhansi in the town of Jhalrapatan. He later surrendered himself to a British officer. He was allowed a pension of Rs. 10,000 more were under the protection of Munshi Dharmanarayan. He died on 28 May 1906 at the age of 56.
- Rani Lakshmibai’s palace, Rani Mahal, has now been converted into a museum, displaying a collection of archaeological remains dating from the period between the 9th and 12th centuries AD.
Rani Mahal Jhansi
- When the Indian National Army was created by Subhash Chandra Bose, the first women’s unit of the army was named after Rani Lakshmibai as a symbol of female bravery in India.
- A letter written in Persian language by Rani Lakshmibai in 2009; Citing the hypocritical moves of Lord Dalhousie to take over the Jhansi kingdom, it was found in the British Library in England.
Laxmibai’s letter found in British Library
- In the British report of the 1957 war, General Hugh Rose commented:
Rani Lakshmibai is charming, clever and beautiful and she is the most dangerous of all Indian leaders. With great ceremony under a tamarind tree beneath the rock of Gwalior, where I saw his bones and ashes.
- Indian poet Subhadra Kumari Chauhan wrote the poem ‘Jhansi Ki Rani’, which is considered to be her most popular literary work of bravery. This poem is still read by school children in India.
- Renowned Indian singer Shubha Mudgal sang an impressive song Khoob Ladi Mardaani in the Indian Parliament on the occasion of 150 years of the first independence movement.
- Various films, as well as TV shows, have been made based on Rani Lakshmibai and her heroism, including Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai (2012), Jhansi Ki Rani (1953), and the 2019 film Manikarnika, in which Kangana Ranaut played the Rani. Has played the role of Lakshmibai.
Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn