“Khoob ladi mardani vo
to Jhansi wali rani thi” Every Indian must have heard these
lines once in their life. Yes, you get it right, we are talking about Manikarnika
aka Rani Laxmi Bai. She was an adventurer (Virangana). She courageously
fought to the British till her last breath. She
was one of the bravest and mighty warriors of
India’s first war of Independence.
Childhood
Rani Laxmi Bai was born
on 19 November 1828 in Kashi (now Varanasi) into a Maharashtrian family. Her
father was Moro Tambe and mother Bhagirathi Bai. In childhood, her name was Manikarnika Tambe
and nickname Manu. She was only 4 years old when her mother died. Her father worked for Peshwa Baji Rao II of Bithoor district. The Peshwa named her "Chhabili", which means
"playful". She completed her study in the Peshwa family and get able
to read and write. Along with this, she learned horse riding, shooting, martial
arts and fencing. Nana Sahib and Tatya
Tope were her childhood friends.
Marriage
In May
1942 Manikarnika get married to the king of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao Newalkar and
become the queen of Jhansi. According to tradition after marriage, she got a new
name Rani Lakshmi Bai. In 1851 she gave birth to a baby boy, letter he named
Damodar Rao. But Damodar died 4 months later. After that Gangadhar adopted his
cousin's son, Anand Rao. Before Gangadhar's death, Anand was renamed Damodar
Rao. In November1853 Maharaja Gangadhar Rao died.
According to the Doctrine of Lapse, East India
Company refuse to accept Damodar(Anand) as an heir of Gangadhar Rao and the king
of Jhansi. That time Governor-General of British India was Lord Dalhousie. In March 1854, Rani Lakshmi Bai was given an annual
pension of Rs. 60,000 and ordered to leave the palace and the fort.
Beginning of the Rebellion
Rani Laxmi Bai refused to obey the British order and she ruled on the
kingdom behalf of the minor heir. On 10 May 1857, the Indian Rebellion started in
Meerut. Jhansi became the
focal point of rebellion for British rule due to not leaving Jhansi's palace. The
queen knows the consequences, so she starts making her own army. She also
included women soldiers in her army. Between
September and October 1857, neighbouring states like Orchha and Datia also tried
to capture Jhansi. But Rani Lakshmi Bai's courage and the army forced them to
retreat.
Then in January 1858, the
British army attacked Jhansi. The battle of Jhansi lasted for about 2 weeks,
but in the end, the British army captured and besieged the kingdom of Jhansi.
The queen of Jhansi was forced to take son Damodar Rao from there and leave the
fort. Rani Laxmi Bai took refuge in Kalpi after leaving the fort. He met Tatya
Tope there. Rani Lakshmi Bai's army and Tatya Tope's army together captured a fort
of Gwalior. On 17 June 1858, Rani Laxmi Bai died while fighting with the
British army at Kota's inn near Gwalior.
Today she is known for
her bravery, courage and wisdom. her progressive views on women’s empowerment
in 19th century India and due to her sacrifices, she became an icon of the Indian
independence movement. The Rani Mahal, the palace of Rani Lakshmibai, has now been converted into
a museum. It houses a collection of archaeological remains of the period
between the 9th and 12th centuries AD.
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