WAS RANI LAXMI BAI THE VALIANT WARRIOR QUEEN WAS BETRAYED IN 1857 WAR BY OUR OWN PRINCES?

WAS RANI LAXMI BAI THE VALIANT WARRIOR QUEEN BETRAYED
IN 1857 WAR BY OUR OWN PRINCES?

Dr K Prabhakar Rao

Rani Laxmi Bai, the queen of Principality Jhansi in today’s Uttar Pradesh ( formerly Bundelkhand) sacrificed her life on battle field fighting the forces of East India Company in 1857.She has become the symbol of patriotism, courage, staedfastness determination, bravery and valor. Although she was a woman, she wore male’s attire and led troops on battle field from front holding sword in her hand. Thus she shines gloriously in the pages of world history as a dominant warrior queen. How about many princes of India who preferred the comforts of cozy palaces and company of concubines and pretty wives while gulping liquor down their throats watching Muzra by the dancing girls instead of dangerous battle fields? Many of them chose to be the illustrious and honorable supporters of East India Company rule and of Governor General. How shameful and unpatriotic it was! All these princes were bestowed with many titles, honors, awards and entitlement to various gun salutes once the war was over, for letting down their nation and patriots who were fighting the war and shedding their blood. Indian history books have been silent on this aspect and have not been highlighted. 1857 war was mostly fought in northern India in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi while isolated actions and revolts took place in other parts of India including southern India that was mostly peaceful. Areas such as Kanpur, Faizabad, Patna, Lucknow, Jhansi, Meerut, Delhi and Gwalior were very active and most of pitched battles were fought in these areas and the outcome of the war was decided in these sectors ( 1 ). One of the most important point to note in the 1857 war was the aspect of participation by various centers and princes in this great war. It will be found that most of the princes who plunged themselves in this war were either felt humiliated or were victims of the policies of East India Company. Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi was one among them. She refused to part with her state on the orders of the East India company after her adoption case was rejected.

It will not be out of place to mention about the case of Rani Chinnamma of Kittur in Karnataka state ( now) in 1812 who waged war against the East India company on similar account. It was a lonely battle. On the refusal of Rani Chinnamma to hand over her state as per company’s policy, her state was attacked by the Collector of Dharwad who led the company troops. He was killed in the battle by the queen at Kittur fort and also lost some European military officers. But the victory was short lived and soon her army was over powered by the arrival of reserve troops and she was imprisoned at Bailhongal fort in Karnataka .She died in confinement after few years dreaming that some day she would be able to retrieve her state. Kittur state disappeared from the map ( 2). The policies of the East company and humiliation to the native states and men resulted in the catastrophe as the great 1857 war that has been coined as the First war of independence by Indians while the Englishmen dubbed it as the Sepoy Mutiny. However a limited section of nobility and their troops participated in this war while many princes kept themselves away. Those who participated had genuine grievances and were over taken by patriotism too. Those who stayed away obviously played safe and can be clubbed into the group of opportunistic, selfish and non patriots if not treasonous persons. The important reasons for out break of the war can be summarized as (3) :

Reasons for hostilities

1. The arrival of missionaries had also caused great unease among the Indians. Evangelical
Christians had little understanding of, or respect for, India's ancient faiths.The attitude of scrupulous non-interference in religious affairs that had characterized British rule in the 18th century was forgotten. Native populace started to believe that the British wished to convert them. The passing of Act XXI of 1850, which enabled converts to inherit ancestral property, confirmed this belief; the new law was naturally interpreted as a concession to Christian converts. Hindus and Muslims were forced into Christianity. The British were rude and arrogant towards the Indians who they described as barbarians without any culture. The European judges hardly ever convicted British for their crimes.

2. Thousands of soldiers and nobles got unemployed when Lord Dalhousie annexed Avadh. Under his 'Doctrine of Lapse' the princes were denied the long-cherished right of adoption; in this way Dalhousie annexed the Maratha States of Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi and several minor principalities. On the death of the ex-Peshwa, Baji Rao II, the pension granted to him was abolished and the claims of his adopted son, Nana Sahib, were disregarded.

3.British administrative laws ruined both the peasants and landlords. Indian handicrafts completely collapsed and the craftsmen were impoverished. India became a market place for finished goods from England. Poverty increased and the discontent among the masses motivated the Indians to join the revolt in large numbers. Thus, the British drained India of her wealth and all her natural resources.




The most important personalities who were part of this war were:

1.Bahadur Shah II, nominal Mughal emperor of India who was much aggrieved by loss of his empire, British domination and being reduced to be a pensioner.

2.Begum of Awadh who was much aggrieved after her state was annexed by the East India Company .

3.Nana sahib the adopted son of Baji Rao II, the last Peshwa who was refused pension and the title after the death of last Peshwa

4. Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi who refused to annexation of her state after her adopted son was not accepted by the company .

They were joined by local nobles who were against foreign domination and humiliation caused to them.





Although revolt spread at many places in Northern India, Rani relatively kept Jhansi calm and she was hesitant to rebel against the British. Soon Sir Hugh Rose laid siege to Jhansi on 23 March 1858 along with British troops. Rani Laxmibai with her faithful warriors decided not to surrender. The fighting continued for about two weeks. Shelling on Jhansi was very fierce. In the Jhansi army, women were also carrying ammunition and were supplying food to the soldiers. Rani Lakshmi Bai was very active. She herself was inspecting the defenses of the city. She rallied her troops around her and fought fiercely against the British. In the mean time an army of 20,000, headed by the rebel leader Tantya Tope, was sent to relieve Jhansi and to take Lakshmi Bai to freedom. However, the British, though numbering only 1,540 in the field so as not to break the siege, were better trained and disciplined than the “raw recruits,” and these inexperienced soldiers turned and fled shortly after the British began to attack on 31st March 1958. Lakshmi Bai’s forces could not hold out and three days later the British were able to breach the city walls and capture the city. Yet Lakshmi Bai escaped over the wall at night and fled from her city, surrounded by her guards ( 4).
Along with the young Anand Rao, the Rani decamped to Kalpi ( Near Gwalior) along with her forces where she joined other rebel forces, including those of Tantya Tope. The Rani and Tantya Tope moved on to Gwalior, where the combined rebel forces defeated the army of the Maharaja of Gwalior Jayajirao Scindia after his armies deserted the rebel forces. They then occupied a strategic Gwalior fort. It is claimed that Rani Laxmi Bai was given a weak horse by the Gwalior king to ride because her trusted horse died after her escape from Jhansi. It said that the horse did not respond effectively and could not jump over canal when required and she had to recharge back into enemy’s forces at Gwalior. She was seriously injured in this battle and she died on 17 June 1858 while fighting 8 Hussars of East India company at Kotah ki Sarai near Phool Bagh area (5). . In the report of the battle for Gwalior, General Hugh Rose commented that the Rani, "remarkable for her beauty, cleverness and perseverance", had been "the most dangerous of all the rebels.

The point of contention is about the aspect of weak horse she was riding in the battle. After nearly 160 years after her death, questions are being raised about the aspect of weak horse and betrayal by Gwalior Maharaja (6). The Maharaja of Gwalior probably in no way was aggrieved of the East India Company rule like most of the Indian princes from Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Western Punjab ( Now in Pakistan) Gujarat and Hyderabad ( Deccan) and southern states like Mysore, Travancore Cochin, who kept themselves away from the conflicts and rebels. They knew that support to rebels means loosing their estates. Patriotism was limited to only few sections in India. This has been the major reason for the failure of 1857 rebellion that is called first war of Indian independence. However the war was dubbed as Sepoy mutiny. If all the princes out of patriotism took up sword even if they were not aggrieved, the Englishmen would have been cut to pieces and thrown out from thus land long ago. There would not have been a rise of MK Gandhi in the land. The aspect of weak horse although is being raised by a section of people in the present Bundelkhand region, it can not be proved conclusively. However people are much cut up and sentiments drive them to criticize the role played by Maharaja of Gwalior at that time. People have great sympathy for the Rani who was the symbol of patriotism. There is a point in their criticism. Like other princes in India who did not support rebels, maharaja of Gwalior also has to be blamed. He thought it was better to support the Englishmen than support a loosing side. We are witnessing similar situation in Indian politics. There are many leaders who change parties like garden lizards when party becomes weak and has no chances of winning. Loyalties disappear in to winds. Therefore Maharaja of Gwalior can not be singled out. No doubt, he falls into category of all those princes who of course betrayed national cause by not actively taking part in 1857 war. They are surely at guilt. Apology by the descendents of the dead princes for the acts of former princes shall not serve any purpose infact. Rani Laxmi Bai and her associated have failed in their mission, but they have occupied a special place in the history of India while all the princes who let down the movement have vanished into dark pages of history unsung and un heard.


Bibiography.

1.Rani Laxmi Bai, Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rani_Lakshmibai -

2.Kittur Rani Chinnamma. Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kittur_Chennamma -

3. Indian History, British period, First war of independence, www.gatewayforindia.com/history/british_history2.htm -


4. Rani Laxmi Bai, Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rani_Lakshmibai -

5.. Ibid

6.wn.com/Rani_Lakshmi_bai_3d_animation_movie,_rani_laxmi_bai,_Jhansi_ki_rani