Rani Lakshmibai, the Valiant Queen of Jhansi

Deepa Agarwal

Bundela folk song

How valiantly, like a man fought sheShe…the Rani of Jhansi!On every parapet a gun she set,Rained fires of hell,How well, like a man fought she,She… the Rani of Jhansi,How valiantly and well! 

Mention the name Rani Lakshmibai, and an image

of a woman on horseback, waving a sword comes to mind.

Lakshmibai’s spirited resistance to the British in the 1857 War of Independence makes her one of the most memorable personalities in Indian history.

The Rani has become a metaphor for bravery and an inspirational figure for young women.

She fought not one but several battles and ultimately died a warrior’s death.

An iconic figure in Indian history

Lakshmibai was born in Varanasi, to a Maharashtrian

Brahmin named Moropant Tambe and his wife Bhagirathi Bai.

There is some confusion as to the actual date of her birth. But most credible sources place it at around 1827-28.

Her original name was Manikarnika and it is said, she was usually addressed as Manu.

Moropant was an adviser to the Peshwa Bajirao II’s brother Chimnaji Appa who lived in Varanasi.

Manu’s mother died when she was just two years old. In 1832, Chimnaji passed away and Moropant moved to

Bithur near Kanpur where the Peshwa was living in exile.

Her early life

The Peshwa was fond of Manu and nicknamed her Chhabeeli, or

mynah bird. Legends are told about Manu’s friendship with the Peshwa’s

chosen successor, Dhondu Pant or Nana Sahib, and Tantya Tope. It is said that they rode together and practised sword fencing and

mallkhamb, a kind of gymnastics performed on an upright pole. Manu did become an accomplished horsewoman and learned to

wield arms skilfully. But Nana must have been much older than her at the time. Tantya was in the service of the Peshwa, a young man with a great

interest in wrestling. Whatever it was, she did have a relationship with the two, which

was to have a deep influence on the course of events later.

In Bithur

Nana Sahib and Tatya Tope

Unlike many girls of her time Manu got an

education—she learned to read and write, studied Sanskrit and picked up some Persian, the court language.

Supposedly an outspoken and independent girl, she did not have a conventional upbringing. Being motherless, no one tutored her on what

behaviour was considered suitable for a girl at that time, and perhaps her father indulged her too.

An unconventional upbringing

The custom was to marry girls early and Moropant

was getting worried about his daughter, when an extraordinary match fell into his lap.

Manu was chosen to marry no one less than Gangadhar Rao, the Raja of Jhansi. She was fourteen at the time.

Gangadhar was a descendent of Raghunath Hari Newalkar who had been appointed administrator of Jhansi by Bajirao I in 1770.

The wedding took place in 1842 and the bridegroom was very much older than the bride.

Marriage

The wedding took place in Jhansi because Moropant

could not afford a lavish celebration. Gangadhar Rao was a patron of the arts and enjoyed

classical music and theatre. His first wife had died childless and he needed an heir

for the throne of Jhansi. Manu’s name was changed to Lakshmibai during the

wedding. It is said she shocked everyone by remarking: ‘Panditji,

make sure that the knot is tied tightly!’ when the ritual of tying her sari to her groom’s shoulder cloth took place.

Jhansi

Portraits of Rani Lakshmibai

Probably at the time f her wedding

Stylized portrait made around 1890 at the V&A Museum

As a queen Manu had to remain in purdah and was thus

forced to grow up overnight. She had to learn about religious rituals, the culinary arts

and the various duties of a queen. However, she was able to convince her husband to let her

continue her horse riding and practice of the martial arts. Jhansi had been in dire financial straits when Gangadhar

ascended the throne. He had had to borrow huge sums of money from the

British. For this reason, the British Superintendent Ross actually

governed the city and a battalion was stationed there.

Queen of Jhansi

Mahalakshmi Temple

Sometime after his marriage, in 1843 the British

handed back the reins of government to Gangadhar. His finances improved too and he built a magnificent

new palace, but the couple remained childless. In January 1851 the queen finally gave birth to a

boy, Damodar Rao. Sadly, he only survived for three months.

The Maharaja’s health deteriorated after that. They adopted a boy, but before the British

authorities acknowledged him as heir, Gangadhar Rao passed away.

A short lived marriage

This gave the Governor-General Lord Dalhousie an

opportunity to apply his “Doctrine of Lapse”. Jhansi came under company rule and the queen was

awarded a pension of Rs. 5000 a month. It is said that when Major Ellis, the political agent announced

the news, Lakshmibai said in a loud clear voice: ‘Main apni Jhansi nahi doongi!’

However, she eventually left the fort and moved to the Rani Mahal in the city.

Worse followed. Dalhousie confiscated Gangadhar’s personal property and Lt. Governor Colvin insisted on deducting the raja’s remaining debt from Lakshmibai’s pension.

Annexation of Jhansi

Entrance to Rani Mahal and view of fort

Lakshmibai continued to fight for her rights and

presented her case to higher authorities in England. In the meantime, she maintained a disciplined routine

of worship and physical exercise. She trained a Durga Dal of women warriors which

included her close companions Mandar, Sundar, Jhalkaribai and Kashibai along with many other women.

The British officials had already alienated the people of Jhansi with their high handed behaviour when news arrived of the uprising at Meerut on 10 May 1857.

The crisis approaches

On 4 June the sepoys in Jhansi attacked the British. Some officers were killed and the rest took shelter in the

Jhansi Fort along with the women and children. Lakshmibai supplied them with food for two days

according to a Captain Martin, who escaped later Political Officer Skene finally surrendered on the condition

that they be allowed to proceed to Sagar unharmed. However, when the group reached Jokan Bagh, the place

selected, they were slaughtered. A few managed to escape through a tunnel in the fort.

The sepoys then threatened to loot the city. Lakshmibai gave them her diamond necklace and they left for Delhi.

A testing time

Jokan Bagh

Lakshmibai then took over the reins of government

and restored law and order. She had abandoned purdah after her husband’s death

and now donned male garments when she held court. She had to fend off a pretender, Sadashiv Rao

Narayana as well as attacks by the neighbouring states of Datia and Orccha—her first experiences of actual warfare.

Sensing more trouble, Lakshmibai kept her forces battle ready and well-armed. She stayed in touch with Tantya Tope and Nana Sahib and her allies Raja Mardan Singh of Banpur and Bakhtab Ali of Shahgarh.

Lakshmibai rules

By the end of 1857 the British had retaken Delhi and

Lucknow. Nana Sahib was defeated in Kanpur and fled, but Tantya kept the campaign going along with Nana’s nephew Rao Sahib.

The Rani had kept the British authorities informed about developments in Jhansi, but they blamed her for the massacre and labeled her the “Jezebel of India.”

Lord Canning, the new Governor-General, sent for Sir Hugh Rose to lead the campaign in Central India.

Lakshmibai’s allies attacked the British army on the way but could not drive them away.

Sir Hugh Rose arrives

Tantya’s troops

Lakshmibai prepared for the siege by

strengthening fortifications and laying up stocks of arms and food.

The siege began on 21 March, 1858. The British were surprised by the spirited

defence, particularly the women’s contribution. They manned guns and helped to repair the walls when breached

The Rani was everywhere, directing the defence and keeping up morale.

The siege of Jhansi

The Battle of Betwa

On March 31, Tantya Tope arrived with his army, arousing hope.

Unfortunately, he was defeated by Hugh Rose at Betwa and retreated to Kalpi.

Jhansi Fort was almost impregnable, but the constant battering took its toll. One by one the Rani’s loyal soldiers began to fall.

Jhansi Fort & Bhawani Shankar

At 3 am on 3rd April, British troops stormed into Jhansi. The fighting is said to have been intense, with the Rani

in the thick of it. When defeat became obvious, she left Jhansi on the

night of 4th April with a small party. Legend has it that she rode out on Sarangi with Damodar tied to her back.

It is said that Jhalkari Bai covered up the escape by impersonating the Rani.

Vishnubhat Godse has given a vivid account of the sack of Jhansi in his memoir Mazha Pravas. The British looted and massacred mercilessly, killing thousands.

The fall of Jhansi

The Bhanderi gate

The Rani escaped from Jhansi on the night of 4th April through the Bhanderi gate.

Lakshmibai’s headlong flight ended when she reached Kalpi

at 2 am. Rao Sahib was here, as well as Tantya and other allies were

on their way. The queen advised that they engage the enemy at Krunch,

a town 70 kilometres away. Its topography had better scope for an effective resistance.

The battle took place on 5 May and was a short one. The Peshwa’s army was routed. Tantya ignored the Rani’s advice to cover his flanks instead of concentrating his forces in the centre.

The allies retreated to Kalpi and prepared for another encounter. But Tantya fled to a village called Chirkhi.

Lakshmibai battles on

The next battle at Kalpi, began on 22 May and with the

Rani’s bold planning the Indian forces almost succeeded.

But Hugh Rose had received reinforcements and finally took the day.

The defeated army retreated to Gopalpur, 46 miles from Gwalior.

Tantya rejoined them there. When Lakshmibai hatched an audacious plan—to attack Gwalior, he backed her.

When the two armies faced each other, the Gwalior troops abandoned their ruler Jayajirao Scindia and joined the other side.

Kalpi & Gwalior

Gwalior Fort

Gwalior’s riches fell into Rao Sahib’s hands and he spent

them in celebrating the victory. Lakshmibai stayed away. She felt that planning for the next

encounter was more important than feeding Brahmins. Hugh Rose abandoned his plans for retirement and headed

for Gwalior with a large force. Lakshmibai had to ride out to battle again on 17 June. Despite her army’s best efforts, the superior British forces

soon began to prevail. A group of Hussars were pursuing Mandar and the queen

when Mandar was hit by a bullet. The Rani’s horse baulked at crossing a stream and as she

slashed at Mandar’s assailant, she was hit too.

The last battle

The Sonarekha stream and the supposed cremation site

The stream where the horse baulked

The supposed cremation site

Though mortally wounded, somehow the Rani managed to

cross the stream. Gul Muhammad, Raghunath Singh and a couple more of her

followers carried her away. They sent for Damodar immediately.

She breathed her last very soon. They cremated her hurriedly, before the British arrived.

Lakshmibai was barely 29 years old, but she had left an indelible mark on history.

Even her opponent Hugh Rose acknowledged her great qualities. He wrote: ‘Although a lady, she was the bravest and best military leader of the rebels. A man among the mutineers.’

The passing of a legend

In song and story

Rani Lakshmibai lives on in song and story.

Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’s rousing poem “Jhansi ki Rani” is perhaps the most popular literary piece that celebrates her valour.

Mazha Pravas Vishnubhat Godse

A compelling account of the fall of Jhansi, this is the memoir of a Brahmin priest who lived through the siege . The only first person account by an Indian.

Mahashweta Devi’s seminal biography of the

Rani is the most widely known perhaps. Written in Bengali originally, the author

travelled widely and consulted many sources.

The Queen of Jhansiby Mahashweta Devi

This is the best-known novel on the life of Rani

Lakshmibai. The author lived in Jhansi and sourced much

material from her adopted son Damodar Rao as well as local people.

Jhansi ki Rani Vrindavan Lal Verma

This well-known novel has fictionalized the

Rani’s life and introduces a romance with Major Ellis.

For this reason it was banned in U.P.

Rani Jaishree Mishra

Thank you!