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Lakshmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi
(November 1835 – 17 June
1858) was the queen of the
Maratha-ruled princely state of
Jhansi, situated in the northern
part of India. She was one of the
leading figures of the Indian
Rebellion of 1857 and a symbol
of resistance to the rule of the
British East India Company in
the subcontinent.
Her father worked at the
Peshwa court of Bithoor and
because of his influence at
court Lakshmibai had more
independence than most
women, who were normally
restricted to the zenana. She
studied self-defence, horsemanship, archery, and even
formed her own army out of
her female friends at court.
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Lakshmibai was married to Raja
Gangadhar Rao Newalkar at the early
age of 7 to the Maharaja of Jhansi in
1842, and thus became the queen of
Jhansi. After their marriage, she was
given the name Lakshmibai. The Raja
was very affectionate towards her.
She gave birth to a son, Damodar Rao, in 1851. However, the child died when
he was about four months old. After his death, the Raja and Rani of Jhansi
adopted Anand Rao. Anand Rao was the son of Gangadhar Rao's cousin, and
was later renamed Damodar Rao. It is said that the Gangadhar never recovered from his son's death, and died on 21 November 1853.When the Maharaja died, Rani Lakshmi Bai was just eighteen years old, but never lost her
courage and took up the responsibility of protecting the interests of Jhansi.
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Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India at that time, tried to take advantage of the misfortune of Jhansi to expand the British Empire. The British
did not accept Damodar Rao, as the legal heir of Rani Lakshmi Bai and her late
husband. In March 1854 Rani of Jhansi was granted an annual pension of
60,000 and was ordered to leave the Jhansi fort. She was firm on the decision
not to give up the dominion of Jhansi to Britishers.
For strengthening the defense of Jhansi
Rani Lakshmibai assembled an army of
rebellions, which also included women.
For this great cause she was supported
by brave warriors like Gulam Gaus Khan,
Dost Khan, Khuda Baksh, SunderMundar, Kashi Bai, Lala Bhau Bakshi, Moti
Bai, Deewan Raghunath singh and
Deewan Jawahar Singh. She assembled
14,000 rebels and organized an army for
the defense of the city.
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On May 10, 1857 the Indian Rebellion started in Meerut. This began after the
rumour that the new bullet casings for the Enfield rifles were coated with
pork and beef fat and unrest began to spread throughout India. During this
chaotic time, the British were forced to focus their attentions elsewhere, and
Lakshmibai was essentially left to rule Jhansi alone, leading her troops swiftly
and efficiently to quell skirmishes initiated by local princes.
Rani Lakshmibai had always been hesitant about rebelling against the British.
Her hesitation eventually came to an
end when British troops arrived under
Sir Hugh Rose and laid siege to Jhansi
on 23 March 1858. An army of 20,000,
headed by Tatya Tope, was sent to
relieve Jhansi but failed to do so when
his forces engaged with the British on
31 March. Three days later the besiegers
were able to breach the walls and capture the city. The Rani escaped by night
with her son, surrounded by her guards,
many of them women.
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Along with the young Damodar Rao, the Rani decamped to Kalpi along with
her troops, where she joined other rebel forces, including those of Tatya
Tope. The two moved on to Gwalior, where the combined rebel forces defeated the army of the Maharaja of Gwalior and later occupied a strategic
fort at Gwalior. However, on 17 June 1858, while battling in full warrior regalia against the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars in Kotah-ki Serai near the
Phool Bagh area of Gwalior, she was killed at battle. The British captured
Gwalior three days later. In the British report of the battle, General Sir Hugh
Rose commented that the Rani, "remarkable for her beauty, cleverness and
perseverance", had been "the most dangerous of all the rebel leaders"
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Her father, Moropant Tambey, was captured and hanged a few days
after the fall of Jhansi. Her adopted son, Damodar Rao, fled with his
mother's aides. Rao was later given a pension by the British Raj and
cared for, although he never received his inheritance. Damodar Rao
settled down in the city of Indore, and spent most of his life trying to
convince the British to restore some of his rights. He and his descendants took on the last name Jhansiwale. He died on 28 May 1906, at
the age of 58 years.
The End.
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