Why Manikarnika Tambe Is Know As "Jhasi Ki Rani"? All You Need To Know About Her
There isn’t a single person in India who does not know about the daring Jhasi Ki Rani and her courageous exploits against the British
Such is her legacy that even today, two and a half centuries later, young girls in the country are given her example of fearlessness and gallantry while growing up
Born as Manikarnika Tambe on November 19, 1828, in Varanasi, she rose to prominence as the "Jhasi ki Rani" and a symbol of Indian resistance during the Revolt of 1857
In 1842, Manikarnika got married to Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, the Maharaja of Jhansi and got the name of Rani Lakshmibai
Few years after marriage, in 1851, Manikarnika gave birth to a boy, but he couldn't survive and died after four months
Then Lakshmibai and Gangadhar adopted Rao's cousin's son, Anand Rao, who was later renamed as Damodar
Soon after they adopted Anand, Maharaja died due to an illness in 1853. Rani Lakshmibai was just 18 at that time
After the death of the Maharaja in 1853, the British East India Company refused to recognize their adopted son as the heir, leading to the annexation of Jhansi under the Doctrine of Lapse
After the death of the Maharaja in 1853, the British East India Company refused to recognize their adopted son as the heir, leading to the annexation of Jhansi under the Doctrine of Lapse
When British forces besieged Jhansi, she defiantly declared, “Main apni Jhansi nahin doongi” (I shall not give away my Jhansi), embodying the spirit of resistance
In March 1858, when British forces attacked Jhansi she defended the city with remarkable bravery, organizing an army and leading it against Sir Hugh Rose’s forces, despite being heavily outnumbered, she held off the British for two weeks before Jhansi fell
Eventually, Rani Lakshmibai escaped to Kalpi and then Gwalior, where she continued to fight alongside rebel leaders like Tantia Tope and Nana Sahib
After a fierce war, when the British army entered Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai, tied her son Damodar Rao to her back and fought bravely using two swords in both her hand
Rani Lakshmibai died during the Battle of Gwalior on June 18, 1858. In a fierce confrontation with British forces, she was mortally wounded but refused to be captured alive
She lived and died for the country, we cannot forget her contribution to India and for her bravery, courage, struggle for independence she is called as " Jhasi ki Rani"
In the British report of this battle, Hugh Rose commented that Rani Lakshmibai is "personable, clever and beautiful" and she is "the most dangerous of all Indian leaders"