When was rani lakshmi bai born

Home / Health, Lifestyle & Body Facts / When was rani lakshmi bai born

Meanwhile, a section of Lakshmibai’s advisers, who wanted to free Jhansi from the British rule, bolstered their position and when the British troops finally reached Jhansi in March 1858, they were taken aback by the kind of defence set up by the city. This unconventional training, encouraged by her father, shaped her into a strong and independent woman.

Family, Caste & Husband

Born into a Marathi Karhade Brahmin family, her father, Moropant Tambe, served in the court of Peshwa Baji Rao II.

Her mother, Bhagirathi Sapre, died when Lakshmibai was young. She resolved not to surrender Jhansi to the British. She put up a tough resistance to the British forces and also sought and received help from Tantia Tope.

Although her troops were overpowered by the British, Lakshmibai did not surrender. There was a wave of happiness among the people from the palace to the city, but the beloved son of Maharani Laxmibai and Gangadhar Rao could not become the owner of the throne of Jhansi.

She also mustered forces which included former Jhansi feudatories and also some mutineers and managed to defeat the invaders in August 1857.

According to Rose, the remains of Lakshmibai were interred under a tamarind tree under the Rock of Gwalior “with great ceremony”.

In Popular Culture

In the course of time, many patriotic songs and poems have been written narrating her bravery, including the Hindi poem ‘Jhansi ki Rani’ by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, which finds place in curriculum of many Indian schools.

While Lakshmibai is depicted as an iconic figure of the Indian independence movement in Indian novels, poetry, and films, the Victorian novels mostly represent her in negative shade as an unscrupulous, scandalous and bloodthirsty woman.

Several films and television series have been made on her life.

Whatever Nana Saheb used to do, Manubai also used to imitate him. She also learned mallakhamba with her childhood associates, including Nana Sahib and Tantia Tope.

Rani & the Annexation of Jhansi

In May 1842, Manikarnika was married to Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, the Maharaja of Jhansi. Lakshmibai, however, expected an attack by the British in Gwalior but failed to convince the other Indian leaders to prepare for a defence.

Lakshmibai’s anticipation proved right when the British forces under Rose made a successful attack on Gwalior after capturing Morar on June 16 that year.

Death

Lakshmibai led a fierce battle against a squadron of the 8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars under the command of Captain Heneage in Kotah-ki-Serai, close to the Phool Bagh of Gwalior on June 17, 1858.

A legendary figure associated with early resistance against the British Raj, she played an important role during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. A day before Gangadhar Rao’s death in 1853, they adopted another son, Anand Rao, under the watchful eye of a British officer; he too was named Damodar Rao.

The Doctrine of Lapse and Jhansi

Following Gangadhar Rao’s death, the adoption of Damodar Rao should have secured his succession.

A few months after the marriage, Laxmibai gave birth to a son on Ekadashi. Lakshmibai led the Indian troops against the British but could not make headway. Maharani Laxmibai also started strengthening the security of her Jhansi and formed a volunteer army. Thereafter, Nana Sahib was proclaimed as the Peshwa (ruler) and Rao Sahib as his governor (subedar).

Lakshmibai’s appeals were repeatedly rejected; she was offered a pension and ordered to vacate the Jhansi fort but resolutely refused to relinquish her claim. Sir Hugh Rose, who was in command of the Central Indian Field Force, declared that if the city does not surrender it will be destroyed. Rani Lakshmibai’s staunch refusal to surrender Jhansi marked a pivotal moment, significantly contributing to the 1857 rebellion.

Her childhood name was Manikarnika, but everyone lovingly called her Manubai or Manu.