Rani Lakshmi Bai

Rani Lakshmi Bai

The queen of Jhansi, Rani Lakshmi Bai was born on 19th November 1828. She was one of the strong, courageous and prominent personas of the first war of India's independence that started in 1857. She set an example for the rest.

Childhood

Rani Laxmi Bai was born to Moropant Tambe and Bhagirathi Sapre (Bhagirathi Bai) in a Marathi Brahmin family in Varanasi. Her real name was Manikarnika. Her pet name was Manu. Her mother, Bhagirathi Bai died when she was only four years old. As a result, her father took the responsibility of her a as a child.

Education and Marriage

She was educated at home only by a tutor. Along with that, he was given training in martial arts also. That included horse riding, shooting and fencing. At the age of fourteen, she got married to the Maharaja of Jhansi, Raja Gangadhar Rao Niwalkar. After marriage, she was called Lakshmi Bai. After three years of marriage, she gave birth to a baby boy. But the infant did not survive more than four months. After sometime, Raja got ill and they adopted a child.

War

“Khoob ladi mardani wo to Jhansi waali rani thi” used for Jhansi ki Rani only because a women who is so strong and brave that without any support and carrying her infant at her back during the war is a symbol of courage, fighting spirit and her love for the state. She formed a volunteer army on her own which was a mix of men and women both, those brave women. Women along with men got military training to face and fight in the war, in the battle. Rani constantly defended Jhansi from being invaded by the armies of the neighboring rajas of Orchha and Datia. However, in the fight of two indigenous parties, one outside party i.e. Britishers managed and succeeded in entering the country.

At the end

However, even in such a mess, Lakshmi Bai managed to escape along with the infant and to her luck, she met Tatya Tope, the then Great warrior. She went unconscious while fighting for Gwalior and there and then she died on 17th June 1858.