Talk:Rānī Lakṣmībāī of Jhānsī

By Vishal Agarwal

Rānī Lakṣmībāī was born in Vārāṇasī in 1835. Even as a young girl, she displayed great valor. Once, while watching the Daśaharā festival from a boat on the Gaṅgā, she saw a crocodile rushing toward some boys in the water. One boy was struggling, and without hesitation, the little girl named Manu leapt into the river, swam to the boy, and saved him from the crocodile. She grew up to become the legendary queen, Rānī Lakṣmībāī.

Her courage was noticed by the Marāṭhā emperor Bājīrāo II. Later, she was married to Rājā Gaṅgādharrāo of Jhānsī in Central India. The couple had no children, so they adopted a son. Soon after, Gaṅgādharrāo died, leaving Lakṣmībāī a widow. The British rulers refused to accept the adopted son as heir and announced their annexation of Jhānsī under the “Doctrine of Lapse.” They offered the Rānī a pension of five thousand rupees and residence in the fort, but she refused to surrender her kingdom.

In 1857, as the great rebellion spread, Rānī Lakṣmībāī declared herself the rightful ruler of Jhānsī. The British, under Sir Hugh Rose, besieged her fort. Tying her young son to her back, she fought bravely, cutting through enemy lines to escape to Kālpī. From there, she joined Tāntiā Tope, and together they captured Gwālior, forcing its ruler to flee.

The British responded with overwhelming force. At this time, Jalkārī Bāī, a woman who resembled the Rānī, offered to disguise herself as Lakṣmībāī and ride out, diverting the enemy. Her sacrifice allowed the queen to escape briefly. Eventually, however, the British surrounded Lakṣmībāī. She fought valiantly, single-handedly facing multiple soldiers, before falling in battle in 1858.

Her courage was praised even by the poetess Subhadrā Kumārī Cauhān immortalized her in verse as a shining inspiration for Bhārat’s freedom struggle.