“The most dangerous of all the rebel leaders.”

Manikarnika Tambe was born in November, 1928 in Varanasi India.

🕊She was only 4 when her mother died, and her father, a court advisor, was left to raise his children alone.

🏹 She learned horsemanship, archery, self defense and shooting – unusual skills for an Indian girl.

She was married at 14 to Gangadhar Rao Newwalker, the Maharaja of Jhansi. Known after her marriage as the Rani Lakshmibai, Manikarnika had one son in 1851 but the boy was weak and did not survive four months.

The couple adopted a cousin’s son, to secure the ruling line, and called him Damodar.

Two years later, the East India Company took advantage of the Maharaja’s death and applied the Doctrine of Lapse.

► The Doctrine of Lapse was an annexation policy followed widely by Lord Dalhousie when he was India’s Governor-General from 1848 to 1856. According to this, any princely state under the direct or indirect (as a vassal) control of the East India Company where the ruler did not have a legal male heir would be annexed by the company

As per this, any adopted son of the Indian ruler could not be proclaimed as heir to the kingdom. So, due to the Doctrine of Lapse, Britishers did not accept Damodar Rao as the legal heir.

👑 This challenged the Indian ruler’s long-held authority to appoint an heir of their choice.

She was determined to not give up on the Dominion of Jhansi and hence started assembling an army of rebellions, including women.

⚔️ Lakshmibai gave a great fight to the British as the siege of Jhansi lasted for about two weeks. After a fierce war, when the British army entered Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai, tied her son Damodar Rao to her back and fought bravely using two swords in both her hands.

She escaped to Kalpi and was accompanied by other rebellions. She then departed to Gwalior and a fierce battle was fought between the British and Lakshmibai’s army.

She died on June 17, 1858, martyring her life for India’s freedom.

She is now known as a national hero, with statues in her honor in Jhansi and Gwailior.

Biography notes:

📍11/19/1828 – 6/18/1858 India Rani Lakshmibai

In their words:

“The Rani is remarkable for her bravery, cleverness, and perseverance; her generosity to her subordinates was unbounded. These qualities, combined with her rank, rendered her the most dangerous of all the rebel leaders.” — Sir Hugh Rose on reporting her death to the Duke of Cumberland

🍵 Tea inspired by this remarkable woman:

 Rani Chai Tea