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Rani of Jhansi

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"Jhansi Ki Rani" redirects here. For other uses, see Jhansi Ki Rani (disambiguation).
"Manikarnika Tambe" redirects here. For the 2019 Indian Hindi film, see Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.

Lakshmibai Newalkar
Maharani of Jhansi
Lakshmibai dressed as a sowar
Queen consort of Jhansi
Reign1843 – 21 November 1853
BornManikarnika Tambe
(1828-11-19)19 November 1828
Varanasi
Died18 June 1858(1858-06-18) (aged 29)
Gwalior
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1842; died 1853)​
IssueDamodar Rao
Anand Rao (adopted)
DynastyNewalkar (by marriage)

Rani Lakshmibai (pronunciationⓘ; born Manikarnika Tambe; 19 November 1828 — 18 June 1858),[1][2] also known as Jhansi ki Rani, was the Maharani consort of the princely state of Jhansi in the Maratha Empire from 1843 to 1853 by marriage to Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar. She was one of the leading figures in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, who became a national hero and symbol of resistance to the British rule in India for Indian nationalists.[3][4]

Born into a Marathi Karhade Brahmin family in Banares, Lakshmibai married the Maharaja of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao, in 1842. When the Maharaja died in 1853, the British East India Company under Governor-General Lord Dalhousie refused to recognize the claim of his adopted heir and annexed Jhansi under the Doctrine of Lapse. The Rani was unwilling to cede control and joined the rebellion against the British in 1857. She led the successful defense of Jhansi against Company allies, but in early 1858 Jhansi fell to British forces under the command of Hugh Rose. The Rani managed to escape on horseback and joined the rebels in capturing Gwalior, where they proclaimed Nana Saheb as Peshwa of the revived Maratha Empire. She died in June 1858 after being mortally wounded during the British counterattack at Gwalior.

Biography

A miniature portrait of Rani Lakshmibai

Little is known for certain about the Rani's life before 1857, because there was then no need to record details about an as-yet ordinary young girl. As a result, every biography of her life relies on a mixture of factual evidence and legendary tales, especially when concerning her childhood and adolescence.[5]

Early life, marriage and widowhood

Moropant Tambe was a Maharashtrian Karhada Brahmin who served the Maratha noble Chimaji, whose brother Baji Rao II had been deposed as Maratha peshwa in 1817.[6] In the city of Varanasi, he and his wife Bhagirathi had a daughter, who they named Manakarnika, an epithet of the River Ganges; in childhood she was known by the diminutive Manu.[7] Her birth year is disputed: British sources tended towards the year 1827, whereas Indian sources generally preferred the year 1835. According to legend, the astrologers attending her birth foretold that she would combine the qualities of the three principle Hindu goddesses: Lakshmi, deity of wealth; Durga, deity of strength; and Saraswati, deity of knowledge.[8]

Both Manakarnika's mother Bhagirathi and her father's employer Chimaji died when she was a young child. Moropant moved to the court of Baji Rao at Bithur, who gave him a job and who became fond of Manakarnika, whom he nicknamed "Chhabili".[9] According to uncorroborated popular legend, her childhood playmates in Bithur included Nana Sahib and Tatya Tope, who would similarly become prominent in 1857. These stories relate that Manakarnika, deprived of a feminine influence by her mother's death, was allowed to play and learn with her male playmates: she was literate, skilled in horseriding, and—extremely unusually for a girl, if true—was given lessons in fencing, swordplay, and even firearms.[10]

It is presumed that Baji Rao brought Manakarnika to the attention of Gangadhar Rao, the old ruler of Jhansi who had no children and greatly desired an heir. The ambitious Moropant accepted the unexpectedly prestigious marriage offer, and the couple wed, according to Indian sources, in May 1842. If the traditional chronology is correct, Manakarnika would have been seven years old, and the marriage would not have been consummated until she was fourteen.[11] Accorded the name Lakshmi, after the goddess, she was thereafter known as the Rani Lakshmibhai.[12] Both Indian and British sources portray Gangadhar Rao as an apolitical figure uninterested in rulership—thus increasing the scope for depicting the Rani's leadership abilities—but while British sources characterise him as debauched and imbecilic, Indian sources interpret these traits as evidence of his cultured nature.[13] According to popular legend, he turned blind eye to Rani Lakshmibhai's equipping and training of an armed all-female regiment, but if it existed, it was likely formed after Gangadhar Rao's death.[14]

God willing I still hope to recover and regain my health. I am not too old, so I may still father children. In case that happens, I will take the proper measures concerning my adopted son. But if I fail to live, please take my previous loyalty into account and show kindness to my son. Please acknowledge my widow as the mother of this boy during her lifetime. May the government approve of her as the queen and ruler of this kingdom as long as the boy is still under age. Please take care that no injustice is done to her.

Gangadhar Rao, Letter to East India Company officials, 19 November 1853[15]

In 1851, Lakshmibhai gave birth to a son amid much rejoicing, but he died at a few months old to the great grief of his parents.[16] Gangadhar Rao's health deteriorated and he died two years later on 21 November 1853. As was customary, he adopted a young boy on his deathbed—in this case, a five-year-old relative named Anand Rao, who was renamed Damodar Rao.[17] Two days before his death, Gangadhar Rao wrote a letter to East India Company officials, pleading them to recognised Damodar Rao as the new ruler and the Rani Lakshmibhai as his regent.[15]

After the death of the Maharaja in November 1853, because Damodar Rao (born Anand Rao) was an adopted son, the British East India Company, under Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, applied the Doctrine of Lapse, rejecting Damodar Rao's claim to the throne and annexing the state to its territories. When she was informed of this she cried out "Main apni Jhansi nahi doongi" (I shall not surrender my Jhansi). In March 1854, Rani Lakshmibai was given an annual pension of Rs. 60,000 and ordered to leave the palace and the fort.[18][19]

Beginning of the Rebellion

On 10 May 1857, the Indian Rebellion started in Meerut. When news of the rebellion reached Jhansi, the Rani asked the British political officer, Captain Alexander Skene, for permission to raise a body of armed men for her protection; Skene agreed to this.[20] The city was relatively calm amid the regional unrest in the summer of 1857, but the Rani conducted a Haldi Kumkum ceremony with pomp in front of all the women of Jhansi to provide assurance to her subjects, and to convince them that the British were cowards and not to be afraid of them.[21][22]

Until this point, Lakshmi Bai was reluctant to rebel against the British. In June 1857, rebels of the 12th Bengal Native Infantry seized the Star Fort of Jhansi, containing the treasure and magazine,[23] and after persuading the British to lay down their arms by promising them no harm, broke their word and massacred 40 to 60 European officers of the garrison along with their wives and children. The Rani's involvement in this massacre is still a subject of debate.[24][25] An army doctor, Thomas Lowe, wrote after the rebellion characterizing her as the "Jezebel of India ... the young rani upon whose head rested the blood of the slain".[26]

The Rani of Jhansi's seal

Four days after the massacre the sepoys left Jhansi, having obtained a large sum of money from the Rani, and having threatened to blow up the palace where she lived. Following this, as the only source of authority in the city the Rani felt obliged to assume the administration and wrote to Major Erskine, commissioner of the Saugor division explaining the events which had led her to do so.[27] On 2 July, Erskine wrote in reply, requesting her to "manage the District for the British Government" until the arrival of a British Superintendent.[28] The Rani's forces defeated an attempt by the mutineers to assert the claim to the throne of a rival prince Sadashiv Rao (nephew of Maharaja Gangadhar Rao) who was captured and imprisoned.

There was then an invasion of Jhansi by the forces of Company allies Orchha and Datia; their intention however was to divide Jhansi between themselves. The Rani appealed to the British for aid but it was now believed by the governor-general that she was responsible for the massacre and no reply was received. She set up a foundry to cast cannon to be used on the walls of the fort and assembled forces including some from former feudatories of Jhansi and elements of the mutineers which were able to defeat the invaders in August 1857. Her intention at this time was still to hold Jhansi on behalf of the British.[29]

Siege of Jhansi

The storming of Jhansi – Lieutenant Bonus

From August 1857 to January 1858, Jhansi under the Rani's rule was at peace. The British had announced that troops would be sent there to maintain control but the fact that none arrived strengthened the position of a party of her advisers who wanted independence from British rule. When the British forces finally arrived in March they found it well-defended and the fort had heavy guns which could fire over the town and nearby countryside. According to one source[30] Hugh Rose, commanding the British forces, demanded the surrender of the city; if this was refused it would be destroyed. The same source[31] claims that after due deliberation the Rani issued a proclamation: "We fight for independence. In the words of Lord Krishna, we will if we are victorious, enjoy the fruits of victory, if defeated and killed on the field of battle, we shall surely earn eternal glory and salvation." Other sources, for example,[32] have no mention of a demand for surrender. She defended Jhansi against British troops when Sir Hugh Rose besieged Jhansi on 23 March 1858.

The bombardment of Jhansi began on 24 March but was met by heavy return fire and the damaged defences were repaired. The defenders sent appeals for help to Tatya Tope, an important leader of the 1857 Indian Rebellion;[28] an army of more than 20,000, headed by Tatya Tope, was sent to relieve Jhansi but they failed to do so when they fought the British on 31 March. During the battle with Tatya Tope's forces, part of the British forces continued the siege and by 2 April it was decided to launch an assault by a breach in the walls. Four columns assaulted the defences at different points and those attempting to scale the walls came under heavy fire. Two other columns had already entered the city and were approaching the palace together. Determined resistance was encountered in every street and every room of the palace. Street fighting continued into the following day and no quarter was given, even to women and children. "No maudlin clemency was to mark the fall of the city," wrote Thomas Lowe.[33] The Rani withdrew from the palace to the fort and after taking counsel decided that since resistance in the city was useless she must leave and join either Tatya Tope or Rao Sahib (Nana Sahib's nephew).[34]

The place from where Rani Lakshmibai jumped on her horse[35]

According to tradition, with Damodar Rao on her back she jumped on her horse Baadal from the fort; they survived but the horse died.[36] The Rani escaped in the night with her son, surrounded by guards.[37] The escort included the warriors Khuda Bakhsh Basharat Ali (commandant), Ghulam Gaus Khan, Dost Khan, Lala Bhau Bakshi, Moti Bai, Sunder-Mundar, Kashi Bai, Deewan Raghunath Singh and Deewan Jawahar Singh. She decamped to Kalpi with a few guards, where she joined additional rebel forces, including Tatya Tope.[34] They occupied the town of Kalpi and prepared to defend it. On 22 May British forces attacked Kalpi; the forces were commanded by the Rani herself and were again defeated.

Flight to Gwalior

The leaders (the Rani of Jhansi, Tatiya Tope, the Nawab of Banda, and Rao Sahib) fled once more. They came to Gwalior and joined the Indian forces who now held the city (Maharaja Scindia having fled to Agra from the battlefield at Morar). They moved on to Gwalior intending to occupy the strategic Gwalior Fort and the rebel forces occupied the city without opposition. The rebels proclaimed Nana Sahib as Peshwa of a revived Maratha dominion with Rao Sahib as his governor (ਸੂਬੇਦਾਰ) in Gwalior. The Rani was unsuccessful in trying to persuade the other rebel leaders to prepare to defend Gwalior against a British attack which she expected would come soon. General Rose's forces took Morar on 16 June and then made a successful attack on the city.[38]

Death and aftermath

On 17 June in Kotah-ki-Serai near the Phool Bagh of Gwalior, a squadron of the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars, under Captain Heneage, fought the large Indian force commanded by Rani Lakshmibai, who was trying to leave the area. The 8th Hussars charged into the Indian force, slaughtering 5,000 Indian soldiers, including any Indian "over the age of 16".[39] They took two guns and continued the charge right through the Phool Bagh encampment. In this engagement, according to an eyewitness account, Rani Lakshmibai put on a sowar's uniform and attacked one of the hussars; she was unhorsed and also wounded, probably by his sabre. Shortly afterwards, as she sat bleeding by the roadside, she recognized the soldier and fired at him with a pistol, whereupon he "dispatched the young lady with his carbine".[40][41] According to another tradition Rani Lakshmibai, the Queen of Jhansi, dressed as a cavalry leader, was badly wounded; not wishing the British to capture her body, she told a hermit to burn it. After her death, a few local people cremated her body.

The British captured the city of Gwalior after three days. In the British report of this battle, Hugh Rose commented that Rani Lakshmibai is "personable, clever and beautiful" and she is "the most dangerous of all Indian leaders".[42][43]

London, 1878:

Whatever her faults in British eyes may have been, her countrymen will ever remember that she was driven by ill-treatment into rebellion and that she lived and died for her country, we cannot forget her contribution to India.'[44]

— Colonel Malleson

Descendant

According to a memoir purporting to be by 'Damodar Rao', the young prince was among his mother's troops and household at the battle of Gwalior. Together with others who had survived the battle (about 60 retainers with 60 camels and 22 horses), he fled from the camp of Rao Sahib of Bithur and as the village people of Bundelkhand dared not aid them for fear of reprisals from the British, they were forced to live in the forest and suffer many privations. After two years there were about 12 survivors and these, together with another group of 24 they encountered, sought the city of Jhalrapatan where there were yet more refugees from Jhansi. Damodar Rao of Jhansi surrendered himself to a British official and his memoir ends in May 1860. He was then allowed a pension of Rs. 10,000, seven retainers, and was in the guardianship of Munshi Dharmanarayan.

Cultural depictions and statues

  • An equestrian statue of Lakshmibai in Solapur, Maharashtra
    An equestrian statue of Lakshmibai in Solapur, Maharashtra
  • The statue of Rani Lakshmibai, Shimla
    The statue of Rani Lakshmibai, Shimla
  • The cremation spot (samadhi) of Rani Lakshmibai, Gwalior
    The cremation spot (samadhi) of Rani Lakshmibai, Gwalior
  • Birthplace of Rani Lakshmibai, Varanasi
    Birthplace of Rani Lakshmibai, Varanasi
  • Rani Lakshmi Bai Park, Jhansi
    Rani Lakshmi Bai Park, Jhansi
  • 1957 Commemorative postal stamp
    1957 Commemorative postal stamp

Statues of Lakshmibai are seen in many places in India, which show her and her son tied to her back. Lakshmibai National University of Physical Education in Gwalior, Laksmibai National College of Physical Education in Thiruvananthapuram, Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi are named after her. Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University in Jhansi was founded in 2013. The Rani Jhansi Marine National Park is located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Rani of Jhansi Regiment

A women's unit of the Indian National Army was named the Rani of Jhansi Regiment. In 1957 two postage stamps were issued to commemorate the centenary of the rebellion. Indian representations in novels, poetry, and film tend towards an uncomplicated valorization of Rani Lakshmibai as an individual solely devoted to the cause of Indian independence.[45]

The Rani of Jhansi Regiment was a unit of the Indian National Army (INA), which was formed in 1942 by Indian nationalists in Southeast Asia during World War II. The regiment was named in honor of Rani Lakshmibai, the warrior queen of Jhansi who fought against British colonial rule in India in 1857.

The Rani of Jhansi Regiment was the first all-women regiment in the history of the Indian Army. It was composed of Indian women who were recruited from Southeast Asia, mostly from the Indian diaspora in Singapore and Malaya. The women were trained in military tactics, physical fitness, and marksmanship, and were deployed in Burma and other parts of Southeast Asia to fight against the British.

The regiment was led by Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan, who was a doctor and a member of the Indian National Army. Under her leadership, the regiment fought bravely against the British forces and played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.[46]

The Rani of Jhansi Regiment remains an important symbol of women's participation in the struggle for Indian independence, and its legacy has inspired generations of women in India and beyond.

The Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Lakshmi Bai has been named after her.

Songs and poems

Several patriotic songs have been written about the Rani. The most famous composition about Rani Lakshmi Bai is the Hindi poem Jhansi ki Rani written by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan. An emotionally charged description of the life of Rani Lakshmibai, it is often taught in schools in India.[47] A popular stanza from it reads:

बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी।।[48]

Translation: "From the Bundele Harbolas' mouths we heard stories / She fought like a man, she was the Rani of Jhansi."[49]

For Marathi people, there is an equally well-known ballad about the brave queen penned at the spot near Gwalior where she died in battle, by B. R. Tambe, who was a poet laureate of Maharashtra and of her clan. A couple of stanzas run like this:

हिंदबांधवा, थांब या स्थळीं अश्रु दोन ढाळीं /

ती पराक्रमाची ज्योत मावळे इथे झाशिवाली / ... / घोड्यावर खंद्या स्वार, हातात नंगि तर्वार / खणखणा करित ती वार / गोर्‍यांची कोंडी फोडित पाडित वीर इथे आली /

मर्दानी झाशीवाली!

Translation: "You, a denizen of this land, pause here and shed a tear or two / For this is where the flame of the valorous lady of Jhansi was extinguished / … / Astride a stalwart stallion / With a naked sword in hand / She burst open the British siege / And came to rest here, the brave lady of Jhansi!"

See also

References

  1. ^ Meyer, Karl E. & Brysac, Shareen Blair (1999) Tournament of Shadows. Washington, DC: Counterpoint; p. 138 – "Known to history as Lakshmi Bai, she was possibly only twelve in 1842 when she married the aging and infirm Rajah of Jhansi ..."
  2. ^ Though the day of the month is regarded as certain historians disagree about the year: among those suggested are 1827 and 1835.
  3. ^ Ranade, Pratibha (25 January 2019). Rani Laxmibai: Warrior-Queen of Jhansi. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-93-5302-605-9.
  4. ^ Ganguly, Kalpna (4 July 2014). Jhansi Ki Rani Laxmibai: JHANSI KI RANI LAXMIBAI: Unraveling the Courageous Saga of Rani Laxmibai by KALPANA GANGULY. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-5048-885-0.
  5. ^ Lebra 1986, p. 15; Singh 2014, p. 12; Singh 2020, p. 25.
  6. ^ Lebra 1986, p. 15; Singh 2014, p. 12.
  7. ^ Lebra 1986, pp. 15–16.
  8. ^ Lebra 2008, p. 2; Singh 2014, p. 12.
  9. ^ Lebra 1986, p. 16.
  10. ^ Lebra 1986, pp. 16–17; Lebra 2008, p. 2; Singh 2014, p. 12.
  11. ^ Lebra 1986, pp. 17–18; Singh 2020, p. 25.
  12. ^ Lebra 2008, p. 2.
  13. ^ Lebra 1986, pp. 17–19; Singh 2014, pp. 12–13.
  14. ^ Lebra 1986, p. 19.
  15. ^ a b Singh 2014, p. 13.
  16. ^ Lebra 1986, p. 20; Lebra 2008, p. 2.
  17. ^ Lebra 1986, pp. 20, 25.
  18. ^ Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, pp. 113–114
  19. ^ N.B. Rao only means "prince; the Maharaja was Gangadhar Newalkar of the Newalkar clan"
  20. ^ Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, p. 115
  21. ^ Jones, David E. (2000). Women Warriors: A History. Potomac Books Incorporated. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-57488-206-3.
  22. ^ Vishnu Bhat Godse Maja Pravas
  23. ^ Edwardes (1975), pp. 115–116
  24. ^ David, Saul (2002) The Indian Mutiny 1857, London: Penguin, p. 368
  25. ^ "One Indian source [Vishnubhat Godse] alleges that the day before the sepoys mutinied, Skene went to the Rani and asked her to 'take charge of the state'. But there is no supporting evidence. Nor is there any real basis for the assertion that she was involved in a conspiracy with the sepoys before they mutinied." – Edwardes Red Year, p. 115
  26. ^ Lowe, Thomas (1860) Central India during the Rebellion, cited in Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, p. 117
  27. ^ Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, p. 118
  28. ^ a b Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, p. 119
  29. ^ Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books. p. 117
  30. ^ Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, pp. 117–19
  31. ^ Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, p. 119, citing Vishnubhat Godse Majha Pravas, Poona, 1948, in Marathi; p. 67
  32. ^ Lebra-Chapman, Joyce (1986) The Rani of Jhansi. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
  33. ^ Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, pp. 120–21
  34. ^ a b Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, pp. 119 & 121
  35. ^ The English version of the notice reads: "Rani Jhansi jumped from this place on horseback with her adopted son"
  36. ^ "Jhansi". Remarkable India. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  37. ^ Rani of Jhansi, Rebel against will by Rainer Jerosch, published by Aakar Books 2007; chapters 5 and 6
  38. ^ Edwardes, Michael (1975) Red Year. London: Sphere Books, pp. 124–25
  39. ^ Gold, Claudia, (2015) Women Who Ruled: History's 50 Most Remarkable Women ISBN 978-1784290863 p. 253
  40. ^ David (2006), pp. 351–362
  41. ^ Copsey, Allen. "Brigadier M W Smith Jun 25th, 1858 to Gen. Hugh Rose". Copsey-family.org. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  42. ^ David, Saul (2003), The Indian Mutiny: 1857, London: Penguin; p. 367
  43. ^ Ashcroft, Nigel (2009), Queen of Jhansi, Mumbai: Hollywood Publishing;
  44. ^ Edwardes Red Year: one of two quotations to begin pt. 5, ch. 1 (p. 111); History of the Indian Mutiny was begun by John Kaye but Malleson both rewrote parts of it and completed the work.
  45. ^ The Rani of Jhansi: Gender, History, and Fable in India (Harleen Singh, Cambridge University Press, 2014)
  46. ^ Gupta, Ateendriya (7 March 2020). "Women in command: Remembering the Rani of Jhansi Regiment". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  47. ^ "Poems of Bundelkhand". www.bundelkhand.in. Bundelkhand.In. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  48. ^ Chauhan, Subhadra Kumari. "Jhansi ki rani". www.poemhunter.com. Poem hunter. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  49. ^ चौहान, सुभद्रा कुमारी; Chauhan, Subhadra Kumari (2014). मुकुल तथा अन्य कविताएं (Hindi Poetry): Mukul Tatha Anya Kavitayein (Hindi Poetry) (in Hindi). Bhartiya Sahitya Inc. ISBN 978-1-61301-461-5.

Sources

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