Rani Lakshmi Bai Biography: Age, Height, Career, Family, Personal Life, Movements

Rani Lakshmi Bai Biography: In a world dominated by male rulers, characters, and other figures, reading about a woman who single-handedly and courageously fought for her kingdom, self-respect, spouse, and the people of her kingdom is a rare and remarkable experience. Her moniker was Manu, and she was born to a Marathi Brahmin family. Her parents were from Maharashtra and had a connection to Nana Sahib; rumor has it that they were cousins. Her father, Moro Pant Tambe, represented the Peshwa of Bithoor in the district court of Bithoor. Peshwa was an honorable man, and he raised Manikarnika as if she were his own daughter. Due to Manikarnika’s joyful, jovial, mischievous, and notorious personality, Peshwa nicknamed her Chabeli, which translates to “playful” in English.

Similarly to others, Lakshmibai was educated at home. At the time, education was scarce and schools only admitted male students, making it extremely difficult for a girl child to obtain any form of education. However, given Lakshmibai’s background and the acceptance level of her parents, they were very supportive of her education. Manu was more independent than any other child of her age, and it is fascinating to learn that her childhood studies included shooting, horsemanship, fencing, and Mala Khamba, which she practiced with childhood companions Nana Sahib and Tantia Tope. Manikarnika had a very courageous upbringing due to the fact that her mother passed away when she was only four years old, leaving her father with a ferocious child.

In May 1842, Manikarnika was wed to the maharaja of Jhansi, Raja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, after a very turbulent and up-and-down existence. She gave birth to a son named Damodar Rao in 1851, but he died four months later. The maharaja adopted Anand Rao, the son of Gangadhar Rao’s cousin, and renamed him Damodar Rao the day before he passed away. The British East India Company, which at the time was under Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, applied the doctrine of lapse, essentially rejecting Damodar Rao’s claim to the throne and annexing the state to its territories. When Lakshmibai heard this, she swore she would not surrender Jhansi at any cost; her exact words were “I shall not surrender my Jhansi” The Rani Mahal, the palace of Rani Lakshmibai that has been converted into a museum, contains a collection of artifacts from the 9th to 12th centuries A.D.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Biography: Age, Height, Career, Family, Personal Life, Movemets

Bio/Wiki
Real Name	Manikarnika Tambe (Born)
Nickname(s)	Manu Bai, “Joan of Arc” of the Indian Independence Struggle
Profession	Queen
Personal Life
Date of Birth	19 November 1828
Birthplace	Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Date of Death	18 June 1858
Place of Death	Kotah Ki Serai, near Gwalior, India
Age (at the time of death)	29 Years
Death Cause	Martyrdom
Zodiac sign/Sun sign	Scorpio
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Bithoor District, Cawnpore (now, Kanpur), Uttar Pradesh, India
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Marathi Brahmin
Hobbies	Horse Riding, Fencing & Shooting
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Widowed (at The time of death)
Marriage Date	19 May 1842
Family
Husband/Spouse	Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar

Who was Rani Lakshmi Bai?

Rani Lakshmibai, 19 November 1835 – 17 June 1858, also known as Jhansi Ki Rani, was the queen of the Maratha-ruled lordship of Jhansi, a prominent character in the Indian Revolt of 1857, and a symbol of resistance to British India. Jhansi Rani’s original name was Manikarnika Tambe, but she is known as the Indian Joan of Arc in Indian history. She was known as Manikarnika. Her family members affectionately nicknamed her Manu. At only four years old, she lost her mother. Therefore, her father was liable for her upbringing. While concluding her studies, she also received training in horseback riding and shooting, as well as martial arts.

Life of Lakshmibai

Lakshmi Bai’s upbringing in the family of Peshwa Baji Rao II was uncommon for a Brahman girl. She was trained in martial arts and became an expert in sword combat and horseback riding as she grew up with the boys at the Peshwa court. She married Gangadhar Rao, the Maharaja of Jhansi, but was bereaved without a surviving heir to the throne. Just prior to his demise, the Maharaja adopted a boy as his heir in accordance with Hindu tradition. The British governor-general of India, Lord Dalhousie, refused to recognize the adopted successor and annexed Jhansi in accordance with the doctrine of lapse. The East India Company dispatched a representative to the minor kingdom to handle administrative duties.

Lakshmi Bai Rule and Struggle

The 22-year-old monarch refused to give the British control of Jhansi. Shortly after the outbreak of the 1857 revolt in Meerut, Lakshmi Bai was proclaimed queen of Jhansi and given the title Jhansi ki rani Lakshmi bai. She made decisions on behalf of a minor heir. She swiftly organized her forces and assumed command of the insurgents in the Bundelkhand region while leading the British rebellion. Mutineers from neighboring regions traveled to Jhansi to lend their support.

In January 1858, General Hugh Rose led the East India Company’s counteroffensive in Bundelkhand. Rose captured Saugor (now Sagar) in February and then moved to Jhansi in March after advancing from Mhow. The company’s forces enveloped the fort of Jhansi, and a fierce battle ensued. Even when her forces were outnumbered, the Queen of Jhansi fought tenaciously against the invading army. In the Battle of Betwa, the rescue army of Tantia Tope, another rebel leader, was defeated. With a small contingent of palace guards, Lakshmi Bai escaped the fort and headed east, where she was joined by other rebels.

Rani Lakshmi Bai Death

Tantia Tope and Lakshmi Bai successfully attacked the Gwalior city fortress. The treasury and arsenal were seized, and a popular chief named Nana Sahib was proclaimed Peshwa (ruler). Lakshmi Bai marched east to Morar after capturing Gwalior to confront a British counterattack led by Rose. She waged a fierce battle while disguised as a man and was killed in combat. It is assumed that her funeral was conducted on the same day as her injury near the scene of her accident. One of her servants assisted in arranging a swift funeral. Her father, Moropant Tambey, was executed several days after the collapse of Jhansi. Damodar Rao, her adoptive son, received a grant from the British Raj and was provided for, despite never receiving his inheritance.

Recognition

She became a symbol of the Indian independence movement due to her strength, courage, and intellect, her progressive vision for the liberation of women in India during the 19th century, and her sacrifices. Both Jhansi and Gwalior commemorated the Rani with bronze sculptures depicting her on horseback.

Rani was inventively educated as a woman who can read the scriptures and wield a weapon with the same strength as a man, despite contemporary social norms battling illiberal conceptions of gender inequality. In opposition to the British Rule of Lapse, she did more than fight for Jhansi initially hesitantly and then resolutely. She fought for the right of an adopted child, the right of a woman to rule the kingdom while her chosen heir was a minor, the right of women to wear uniforms in war, the freedom to live and rule instead of becoming sati, and the right of every ‘citizen’ of her empire, male or female, Muslim or Hindu, or otherwise, to fight for independence. Her commitment to a national agenda that only coalesced and was sown beyond her sphere of influence; for leading her army of men and women with exemplary bravery; for giving birth to a victorious feminist ideology; for unifying her army. She will eternally be a part of the History of the National Movement.

More About Rani Lakshmi Bai

• She was an expert equestrian with extensive training.
• It is said that because she did not want the British to capture her corpse, she instructed someone else to cremate or bury her.
• Peshwa of Bithoor gave her the name Chabili as a result of her mischievous and lively behavior during her early years.
• The palace of Lakshmibai, also known as the Rani Mahal, has been converted into a museum so that people from all over the world can learn about the most legendary woman in history.
• In 1957, two postage stamps were issued or introduced to commemorate the centenary of the rebellion.