Rani Abbakka: The warrior queen who defeated the Portuguese

Freedom fighters have been poignant of reverence for us patriots. But few ever were recognized for their work, courage & valor. One such forgotten heroine of freedom struggle was Rani Abbakka who gave the Portuguese colonialists hell for their attempts to take over. Spread over the coastal region of Karnataka Abbakka Devi ‘s princely capital of Ullat is present day Mangalore which caught the attention of the Portuguese invaders after taking over Goa in 1525.The invaders first attacked the South Karnataka Coast & destroyed the Mangalore Port before advancing towards Ullat. Skilled in warfare & leading an army that included soldiers from all religious sects, Abbakka Devi was not a force to be messed with. When the Portuguese were enraged by her antics & demanded her to pay she would have none of it. By 1555, Portuguese sent Admiral Don Álvaro Da Silva & his platoon to take over Ullal & Rani Abbakka led her army. Over the next 2 decades the Portuguese continually sent their forces to Ullal and had to return with their tails behind their legs. A total of 6 attacks that the Portuguese planned between 1525 to 1570 were trampled by Rani Abekka. In 1557, the Portuguese plundered Mangalore. Although the Portuguese managed to take over Ullal and enter the queen’s royal grounds she escaped being captured and took refuge in a mosque. That very night the queen gathered 200 of her best soldiers and attacked the invaders killing General Peixoto. In a series of retaliatory attacks she managed to take back her city & move back to Mangalore Fort after killing Admiral Mascarenhas.She was unstoppable for the Portuguese. In the last attack, the Portuguese managed to imprison Rani Abbakka but she revolted, she was imprisoned but not her fighting spirit. In 1569, The Portuguese came back for Mangalore fort and in 1570, she formed an alliance with the Bijapur Sultan of Ahmed Nagar & Zamorue of Calicut, but the queen’s husband betrayed her and helped the Portuguese conquer Ullal. Today the queen is a figure of a legend & mass reverence. Ani Abbakka Chowta etched her name into stone. She was absolutely unbelievable and she was the last known person to have “Agnivana” the fire arrow