Rani Lakshmibai, born on November 19, 1829, was called Manu and Chhabili in her childhood.
“No, I will not give my Jhansi. I will fight as long as there is a drop of blood left. Jhansi will remain independent and the British scoundrels will be reduced to ashes in its flames. “Either we remain independent or we will be destroyed in the sacrifice of freedom.” Manu, Chhabili Manikarnika and the sacrificial queen of Jhansi, who became immortal with the name Lakshmibai after marriage, had received training in both weapons and scriptures. As an efficient ruler, she was devoted to her people. On the other hand, when the British plotted to capture Jhansi, his heroic nature forced the British forces to tighten their control.
It became a symbol of the fact that women were not inferior to men in courage, bravery and leadership and is repeated to this day.
The story heard from the mouth of Bundela Harbols was,
She was the queen of Jhansi who fought hard.
Women also in the queen’s army
Manikarnika, born on November 19, 1829, was known as Manu and Chhabili in her childhood. In 1842, she married the king of Jhansi, Raja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar. At her in-laws’ house they gave her the name Lakshmibai. A few days before his death on 21 November 1853, the childless Gangadhar Rao adopted Damodar Rao as his foster son. The British government refused to accept Damodar Rao as the king of Jhansi. The British began to increase pressure with the intention of taking over the state. Rani Laxmibai had to leave the fort and come to Rani Mahal. But Lakshmi Bai was determined to return to the kingdom. He continued his efforts to expand military power. Women were also given a place in his army. He waited for the right moment to attack decisively.
thunder in the summer sky
On June 4, 1857, the flame of revolution broke out in Kanpur. Jhansi followed him. In his famous work “Independence Summer of 1857”, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar wrote: “What was Nana Saheb Peshwa’s childhood friend Chhabili doing then? He would sit on the horse after seeing his grandfather sitting on the horse. Every time he sat on an elephant, she sat on the elephant. When he sits on the throne in Kanpur adorned with his grandfather’s Swatantrya Tilak, he does not sit on the ground in Jhansi! The day Nana threw the dice in Kanpur, the chapala of Jhansi also began to thunder in the summer sky. Jhansi rebelled on June 4, 1857. On June 8, a procession of British officers taken hostage was brought to the city. Seventy-five British men, twelve women and 23 children lost their lives. On that day Jhansi was freed from British rule. Rani Laxmibai assumed power there.”
The area was destroyed to stop the supply of targets.
In the first phase of the revolution of 1857, the freedom-loving Indians had defeated the British. In early 1858, after dividing the territory from the Himalayas to the Vindhyas into two parts, a joint army of well-armed whites and their supporting soldiers advanced. The contingent led by Hugh Rose camped 22 kilometers from Jhansi. Revolutionary squads from all over the country were camping in Jhansi, north of Narmada. Lord Campbell and Lord Canning ordered Hugh to help Charkhari Naresh, who was surrounded by Tatya Tope. But he attacked Jhansi first. Savarkar has written: “But as soon as he entered the land of Jhansi, he had to suffer a lot. Rani Lakshmibai had destroyed the surrounding area so that the enemy could not get supplies. There was also no tree to provide shade. Not a single corn in the fields. “Not even a part of the grass was left.”
The queen was not willing to accept defeat.
Despite the difficulties, the British army continued to approach Jhansi. He took help from Shinde and Tehri Naresh. Rani Lakshmi Bai made her best preparations. Even women delivered ammunition to the artillery. Dattatreya Balwant Parsani has written in “Biography of Rani Laxmibai”: “From March 25, equal meetings began from both sides. The British guns fired day and night. Gosh Khan, the gunner at the Queen’s western gate, turned the muzzle of his cannon. The British gunner was killed in the third shell.
The British suffered heavy losses until the fifth or sixth day. The queen’s strategy defeated the British. But the British had modern telescopes. With their help, they created a water crisis by dumping shells over the reservoir. Amidst this crisis, there was hopeful news that Tatya Tope was heading towards Jhansi with his army. But Tatya was defeated on the banks of the Betwa. After a fierce fight of nine days and nine nights, the queen’s chiefs and soldiers began to become disillusioned. However, the queen was not willing to lose courage. The Queen’s soldiers fought bravely in the last attack on 3 April. But that day Jhansi slipped out of their hands.”
Don’t be afraid to die fighting
The fort’s main gate guard Kunwar Singh, gunner Khuda Baksh and Ghulam Gosh Khan were killed. The queen wanted to leave by setting fire to the fort’s gunpowder mines. Old Sardar said that it is dangerous to stay in the fort now. You should reach Peshwa’s army. The queen replied: “I would like to die fighting in the field. But I am a woman. What if there is some irony in my body? The chiefs assured that as long as one of them was alive, anyone who touched his body would be cut into pieces. That night the queen disguised herself as a man. He rode on a white horse. Damodar had the adoption letter tied behind his back with a silk dhoti. A sword hung from his waist. There were between ten and fifteen horsemen in the queen’s retinue.
Lieutenant Walker followed them. In the morning they shot the walker with a sword on the road to Kalpi. He got injured. Walker’s group had a bloody encounter with the queen’s bodyguards. He stopped following the queen. By afternoon he had reached Kalpi after traveling a distance of 102 miles. It seemed as if the horse had sacrificed its life just to bring them to safety. As soon as he got off his back, the horse faltered and died.
You do your duty, I will keep my promise.
The queen’s next stop was the Peshwa camp. In the following days, Rani and Tatya captured Gwalior with the help of rebel soldiers. But by then the British had captured the land from Narmada to Yamuna and from there to Himachal. The British launched an organized attack on Gwalior to combat the rebel soldiers. Tatya went ahead and fought. But the shadow of defeat grew deeper and deeper. In the midst of chaos the queen showed patience and courage. He took on the responsibility of guarding the eastern gate in military attire. He said, “I will keep my promise even at the risk of my life.” Soldiers, do your duty.” The queen organized a morcha near the Kota inn.
Veer Savarkar wrote, “Lakshmibai’s two friends, Mundar and Kashi, also fought shoulder to shoulder with the queen. Even a general like Smith remained subdued before the might of the queen’s army. The queen was shining like lightning on the battlefield all day. In the end, Smith had to retire.”
martyrdom while fighting
On June 18 the British attacked with great preparation. Hugh Rose was also with Smith today. Rani was also ready to compete. His horse was tired. That day they brought a new horse. The queen bravely faced the formation of the English army. But the British broke through their last line of defense and attacked from behind. Rani’s weapons had gone cold. He wanted to reach his soldiers fighting ahead. Heeling to the horse. Mundar and Kashi’s horses were also moving at the same speed. But Mundar’s cry echoed. They shot him. In return, the queen’s sword cut the British soldier into two pieces with a single blow. The queen turned again. In front there was a drain. The horse was trapped there.
This new horse was not ready to be thrown down the drain. He started to spin there. British soldiers had surrounded them. There was a sword attack from behind. The right side of the head and the right eye were hanging. The second fatal blow was to the chest. His last breaths were taking place. The trustworthy Sardar Ramchandra Rao Deshmukh was nearby. He took them to a hut. Baba Gangadas gave him water to drink. The brave woman breathed her last. The British could not touch his body. Ramchandrarao cremated him there by preparing a pyre of grass and leaves.
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