Rani of Jhansi: the Indian queen who resisted colonialism

Surina Venkat

Art: © Rithika Merchant (@rithikamerchant)

If one were asked to make a list of important events that occurred in India during its colonial era, the Indian Mutiny of 1857 would undoubtedly appear near the top of the list. The Indian Mutiny was the first major uprising of the Indian people against the British, who ruled India through the British East India Company.

It started due to a number of factors, instigated by a rebellion among the army. Indian infantrymen who reported to British officers - known more commonly as sepoys - revolted after a rumour spread that the grease they used to lubricate the cartridges of their guns were made using pig and cow fat. Since cows are considered sacred by Hindus and Muslims do not consume pigs, the idea of having to handle the grease angered the sepoys. Members of the Bengal Army soon revolted, with other sepoys soon following suit.

In hindsight, the Indian Mutiny can hardly be called unexpected. Tensions between British colonisers and the Indian people had been high since the start of the British East India Company’s occupation of the subcontinent, and only grew worse as time passed. What had started as a beneficial trade relationship between the two empires had morphed into an unequal power dynamic that saw Indians treated as second-class citizens on their own land – and even their land couldn’t be called their own anymore, as they had begun to lose entire kingdoms to underhand British tactics.

India’s way of life – their politics, economy, and culture – was becoming brutally and systemically stifled due to British interference. To anyone paying attention, it was becoming clear that rebellion was not a matter of if but when.

What was unexpected, however, was the person who became the face of the movement for Indian independence. She was a woman, and in a time period characterised by aggressive patriarchal ideals, she rose to such infamy that even the British recognised her as “the most dangerous of all the rebel leaders”.

Her name was Lakshmibai, though she’s more commonly known by her moniker: Rani of Jhansi.

Lakshmibai’s story was unusual long before she became the face of a revolution. She was born in 1828 under the name Manikarnika Tambe to a wealthy Brahmin family. She had no royal relations, but from birth she was prophetically trained to be a queen. Her childhood education spanned subjects such as reading and writing – both of which were rarely taught to girls at the time – and, more shockingly, swordsmanship, horseback riding, archery, and sharpshooting, activities that had been traditionally male-dominated.

By age fourteen, she had caught the attention of the Indian aristocracy, and in 1842, she married Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, the Maharaja (king) of the Indian kingdom of Jhansi. She took on the title of Rani (queen) of Jhansi and began to be called Lakshmibai, in accordance with a family tradition that required women to change their names after marriage.

Lakshmibai’s ascension to queendom almost eerily corresponded to British expansion into India. In an effort to annex more Indian territory, the British East India Company created the Doctrine of Lapse in the first half of the 19th century; the doctrine, as noted by an article published by Cambridge University Press, stated that if the monarchical family of an Indian kingdom did not have a direct male heir, then the kingdom would fall into the company’s jurisdiction. This became an issue for the kingdom of Jhansi, as Lakshmibai’s husband died in 1853 and the couple had an adopted son.

Lakshmibai wasn’t recognised as an acceptable ruler for her people by the British. It was obvious from the way their laws were written that she was to be excluded from succession - even though she was unlike any queen that had come before her, she was still a woman. British laws such as the Doctrine of Lapse made tools of racism and sexism to advance oppression, and like many Indian women, Rani of Jhansi experienced both forms of discrimination.

That’s not to say sexism didn’t exist in Indian society as well. However, unlike the British, the people of Jhansi held an entirely different opinion on the subject of their Rani’s leadership. To them, she was a capable and considerate queen, so they respected and revered her.

Then came the Indian Mutiny. Indian kingdoms began rebelling against the British and revolutionary sentiments spread across the country like wildfire. It wasn’t long before the kingdom of Jhansi was swept up in the fervour and soon became involved in the thick of the fight.

In June 1857, a massacre of British soldiers occurred at the Star Fort of Jhansi. Lakshmibai’s involvement in the massacre is unknown, but Jerosch’s The Rani of Jhansi, Rebel Against Will reveals notes exchanged between British officials that show the British believed her to be somewhat responsible. When two Indian kingdoms allied with the Company attacked Jhansi, Laksmibai requested aid from British troops to fend off the attack. Her response was met with radio silence.

Jhansi managed to successfully defeat the enemy forces, but this marked a permanent change in the kingdom’s relationship with its colonisers. In January 1858, when British forces once again came to Jhansi, they demanded that Jhansi surrender itself to them or be destroyed. This time, Jhansi did not concede. Its rani refused to hand her kingdom over to the British and instead rallied its citizens for a fight.

In the following months, Rani of Jhansi went from a beloved queen to an Indian legend. She did not just order her troops into battle; she rode alongside them. She did not just inspire her soldiers to fight; she inspired civilians. When Jhansi finally fell, it was after a long and bloody struggle. But despite their best efforts, the British were not able to catch Rani of Jhansi, who escaped with her son and a group of her soldiers.

Rani of Jhansi died during the final battle at Kalpi, though the manner of her death is a matter left up to historical debate. Most accounts say that she charged into battle and was injured in the fray. One version says that a soldier injured her with a saber and as she lay dying, she shot him. Another only says that after she suffered fatal injuries, she asked a hermit to burn her body so the British couldn’t capture it. It’s as if no version of history can accept that she died quietly – she resisted even as her body took its final breaths, determined to go down fighting.

In many ways, Lakshmibai is a prominent example of what women can accomplish if given the opportunity and resources. Her education and societal status led her to a position on the front lines of a war, causing people to associate her with the traditionally masculine values of valour and physical strength. At the same time, she retained her compassion and intelligence – traditionally feminine qualities – which became her greatest strengths during the fight to determine the fate of the nation.

It was her empathy and deep love for India that led her to fight the British, and it was her intelligence that served her and her troops in battle. She juggled the roles of a mother, a warrior, a queen and a revolutionary with dignity and grace, leaving an indelible mark on Indian history.

Rani of Jhansi became the face of a revolution because she fought and struggled to the point of fatal injury, committed herself to a cause so completely that it became the reason for her dying breaths. Her name is a rallying cry for anti-colonialism and gender equality, one that persists to this day within and beyond India’s borders.

Though her revolution was unsuccessful, Rani of Jhansi emboldened India’s independence movement to persevere, and less than a century later, Indians would finally achieve liberation from their colonisers. Rani of Jhansi’s dream would finally be realised – and unlike many of history’s forgotten women, she would be credited for helping her people get there.

Historyjfa21 August 2021FeaturedComment