Lakshmi Bai, who would later become the Queen of Jhansi, was born on November 19, 1835 in Kasi to ordinary Hindu parents Moropant Tambe and Bhagirathi Bhai. She was named Mani Karnikka (one of the names of for the sacred river Ganges) but was called Manu. Soon after she was born, Manu lost her mother and was raised by her father. Since her mother passed away and her father was busy, Manu often played with Nana Sahib, Rao Sahib, and Bala Sahib, children of a Maratha peshwa (prime minister). There Manu learned to read, write, and more importantly learned to ride horses, how to use swords, fly kites, and race.
Manu’s father was a respected man who often traveled to the court of Raja Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi, a Maratha kingdom in northern India. In 1842 Manu was married to the Raja and she became the Rani (Queen) of Jhansi at the age of 8. As per Indian royal tradition Manu was given a new name and it was Lakshmi Bai and then onwards she was called by Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi.
In 1851 Lakshmi Bai gave birth to a baby boy but the child died within few months. In 1853 Raja Gangadhar became very ill. Since it was an Indian royal tradition to pass-on the kingdom to a male child and since their only male child had died, the Raja adopted Damodar Rao, a child from his extended family. Raja was worried that British East India Company which was expanding may not accept their adopted child.
On the day the Raja died, the Queen was only eighteen years old and with a small child. The British wanted to take over the kingdom of Jhansi. In order to do that they used a rule called “Doctrine of Lapse”. According to this rule if an Indian king died without an heir, the kingdom will be governed directly by the British Government. The Queen appealed to the British that she should continue to rule the kingdom until her son came of age. However, the British didn’t accept her argument or the adoption of the child, even though it was done in presence of British officers and while the king was still alive. The people of Jhansi and Queen were very upset. But, during all this time the Queen was training herself the people of While this was happening in Jhansi, on May 10, 1857 the Sepoy (soldier) Mutiny of India started in Meerut. This incident will become the starting point for the first war of Indian Independence. The mutiny started because both the Hindu and Muslim soldiers resented the fact their new bullets for their Enfield riffles were coated with pig/cow fat. It was offensive to both religions. In addition, there was genuine desire to be freed from the British Empire. Unfortunately, during this rebellion several British men, women, and children were killed by the people of India. The rebellion started to spread from Meerut through the Gangetic plain.
The kingdom of Jhansi was located in an important intersection between Delhi, Lucknow, and Allahabad and Queen of Jhansi became one of the persons involved in the rebellion. She was already upset with treatment she was receiving from the British, so she issued a proclamation to both Hindus and Muslims to fight against the British. In 1857 the Queen successfully defended Jhansi from the neighboring Rajas of Datia and Orchha. In 1858 the British soldiers started to advance toward Jhansi and later that year put a siege on the city. Soon the city would fall and many people will die. However, Rani fought courageously and escaped disguised as a man taking her young son with her.
She quickly reached near by Kapli and joined the forces with people of that city and fight. That city also fell. So the Rani joined the people of Gwalior and continued the rebellion. During the battle of Gwalior the Queen of Jhansi was killed by the British. Even the commander who captured the city said that “(the Queen) was the bravest and best of the rebels”. Because of the Queen’s courage, bravery and sacrifice she would become one of the famous Indian Freedom fighters. She was not only a role-model for freedom fighters but also a role-model for Indian women’s causes. ~ Shyamal
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