Rani Lakshmi Bai and the Revolt of 1857

Context: Civic agencies told the Delhi High Court that the installation of a statue of freedom fighter Rani Lakshmi Bai at Shahi Idgah Park in Sadar Bazar has not in any manner endangered the rights of people who offer prayers there.

About Rani Laxmibai

Introduction: 

• Lakshmibai Newalkar, the Rani of Jhansi widely known as Rani Lakshmibai was the Queen of the princely state of Jhansi in the Maratha Empire from 1843 to 1853 by marriage to Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar.
• She was one of the leading figures in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, who became a national hero and symbol of resistance to the British rule in India for Indian nationalists.
• She led the successful defence of Jhansi against Company allies, but in early 1858 Jhansi fell to British forces under the command of Hugh Rose.
• She died in June 1858, during the British counterattack at Gwalior.

Roots and upbringing: 

• Born in the town of Banares (now Varanasi) into a Marathi Karhade Brahmin family.  She was named Manikarnika Tambe. 
• Her father was a Commander during the war of Kalyanpranth and he worked for Peshwa Baji Rao II. 

History of Jhansi (1842–1857)-Loss, and struggle against British annexation: 

• Manikarnika was married to the Maharaja of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, and was afterward called Lakshmibai (or Laxmibai) in honour of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi and according to the Maharashtrian tradition of women being given a new name after marriage. 
• In September 1851, she gave birth to a boy, later named Damodar Rao, who died four months after birth. 
• The Maharaja adopted a child called Anand Rao, the son of Gangadhar Rao's cousin, who was renamed Damodar Rao, on the day before the Maharaja died.
• The adoption was in the presence of the British political officer who was given a letter from the Maharaja instructing that the child be treated with respect and that the government of Jhansi should be given to his widow (Laxmibai) for her lifetime.
• After the death of the Maharaja in November 1853, because Damodar Rao (born Anand Rao) was an adopted son, the British East India Company, under Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, applied the Doctrine of Lapse, rejecting Damodar Rao's claim to the throne and annexing the state to its territories.
• In March 1854, Rani Lakshmibai was given an annual pension and ordered to leave the palace and the fort.

Rani Lakshmibai in the Revolt of 1857

• May 10, 1857: The Indian Rebellion started in Meerut. When news of the rebellion reached Jhansi, Rani asked the British political officer, Captain Alexander Skene, for permission to raise a body of armed men for her protection. 
• In June 1857, rebels of the 12th Bengal Native Infantry seized the Fort of Jhansi and persuaded the British to lay down their arms. The sepoys threatened to blow up the palace where the Rani lived.
• The sepoys left Jhansi and obtained a large sum of money from the Rani. 
• The Rani's forces defeated an attempt by the mutineers to assert the claim to the throne of a rival prince Sadashiv Rao (nephew of Maharaja Gangadhar Rao) who was captured and imprisoned.
• There was then an invasion of Jhansi by the forces of Company allies Orchha and Datia with the intention to divide Jhansi between themselves.
• The Rani appealed to the British for aid but it was now believed by the governor-general that she was responsible for the massacre against Europeans in Jhansi and no reply was received. 
• She set up a foundry to cast cannon to be used on the walls of the fort and assembled forces including some from former feudatories of Jhansi. 

Rani’s defence of Jhansi, escape, and battles until last encounter: 

• When the British forces finally arrived in March 1858, they found the Jhansi fort was well defended and the fort had heavy guns which could fire over the town and nearby countryside.
• Hugh Rose, commanding the British forces, demanded the surrender of the city and if this was refused it would be destroyed.
• Rani defended Jhansi against British troops when Sir Hugh Rose besieged Jhansi on 23rd March 1858.
• The bombardment of Jhansi was met by heavy return fire and the damaged defences were repaired.
• The defenders sent appeals for help to Tatya Tope, an important leader of the 1857 Indian Rebellion and an army of more than 20,000, headed by Tatya Tope, was sent to relieve Jhansi but they failed to do so when they fought the British. 
• During the battle with Tatya Tope's forces, part of the British forces continued the siege. 
• The Rani withdrew from the palace to the fort and after taking counsel decided that since resistance in the city was useless she must leave and join either Tatya Tope or Rao Sahib (Nana Sahib's nephew). 
• As per the legend, with Damodar Rao on her back she jumped on her horse from the fort and escaped.
• At Kalpi (in U.P.), she joined additional rebel forces, including Tatya Tope.
• They occupied the town of Kalpi and prepared to defend it.
• On 22 May British forces attacked Kalpi and the forces commanded by Rani herself were defeated.
• The leaders (the Rani of Jhansi, Tatiya Tope, and Rao Sahib) fled and came to Gwalior and joined the Indian forces who now held the city (Maharaja Scindia fled to Agra from the battlefield at Morar).
• They rebel forces occupied the city without opposition and proclaimed Nana Sahib as Peshwa of a revived Maratha dominion with Rao Sahib as his governor in Gwalior.
• On June 17^th, in Kotah-ki-Serai, Gwalior, a squadron under Captain Heneage, fought the large Indian force commanded by Rani Lakshmibai. 
• In this engagement, Rani was fatally wounded resulting in her death. 
• The British captured the city of Gwalior. In the British report of this battle, Hugh Rose commented that Rani Lakshmibai is ‘the most dangerous of all Indian leaders.’ 

About Jhansi Fort:

• Location: Uttar Pradesh
• Built in 1613 by Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo (1606-27) of Orchha on a rocky hill called Bangra/Bangira in the town of Balwantnagar (presently known as Jhansi).
• Stretching over a massive 15 acres, the walls of the fort, constructed with granite, are a formidable barrier. 
• The fort is surrounded by a deep moat, which was once filled with water, to thwart enemy advances.
• The fortification comprises ten gates (Darwazas), each with its own unique story and architectural style, including the Khandero Gate, Datia Darwaza, Unnao Gate, and Orchha Gate among others.
• The Ganesh Mandir, dedicated to Lord Ganesha, is where Rani Laxmi Bai is believed to have married Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar.
• The Kadak Bijli cannon, mounted on a tower, is a symbol of the military prowess of the fort. It was used in the battle of 1857 and stands as a testament to the intense warfare that took place.