A few years ago, I visited Hubli for a wedding. After the function, all the ladies in the household decided to go shopping. We stopped at the Hubli city circle near the main bus stand of Hubli. I am a reluctant shopper and sarees were nowhere on my shopping list. So I found my mind wandering. I saw a grand statue on a traffic island, and was amazed to see that it was a statue of a woman warrior on horseback with a sword in her hand. It seemed very similar to the Rani Lakshmibai statue in Pune. But it wasn’t. My hostess told me that it was the statue of Rani Chennama of Kittur. I like reading about history, but nowhere had I found her name before. I came to know that she was a queen who had fought the British much before the First War of Independence of 1857, and the locals revere her as a valiant queen. Every year the Kittur Uttsav commemorates and honours Rani Chennama’s bravery. So here her story.
She was born in Kakati, a small village near Belagavi, on October 23, 1778. She received training in sword fighting and archery from a young age. At the age of 15 she got married to Mallasarja Desai, the king of Kittur. Unfortunately, Mallasarja died in 1816 and her son died in 1824.She then adopted Shivlingappa as her heir. The British, who were expanding their empire in India wanted to plunder the riches of Kittur and add it to their empire, did not recognise him as the heir. As per the Doctrine of Lapse they ordered Rani Chennama to surrender her kingdom. She sent a letter to Lord Elphinstone, the Governor of Bombay, but he refused to consider the case.
When the British again ordered her to surrender, she defied them. So the collector in charge, Mr. Thackeray and Mr. Chaplin, the Commissioner, attacked the kingdom of Kittur. In the first battle however, the British suffered huge losses and Mr. Thackeray was killed by Chennamma’s lieutenant, Amatur Balappa. Two British officials, Sir Walter Elliot and Mr. Stevenson, were also taken hostages by Rani Chennamma’s forces. It was indeed a huge victory for Kittur. However, the British sought to negotiate with Rani Chennamma.
She agreed and negotiated with the Governor of Bombay. The hostages were released after she got a promise that Kittur wouldn’t be attacked again. The promise was not honoured by the British and humiliated because of the first defeat, they attacked Kittur with an even larger force.
Rani Chennama and her army defended her fort valiantly for 12 days but they were outnumbered by the large British Force. She was then captured by the British and imprisoned in the Bailhongal Fort where she spent the last 5 years of her life.
She passed away on February 21, 1829. She was an inspiration to the later generation of freedom fighters.
On September 11, 2007, Rani Chennamma’s statue was unveiled at the Indian Parliament complex in New Delhi by the first woman President of India, Smt. Pratibha Patil. A train running from Bengaluru to Kolhapur is also named after her.
This made me realise that there could be many other freedom fighters from various parts of India about whom we don’t know much.
As I was surfing the net for more names, I came across the name of another brave queen who had opposed the British even before Rani Chennama - as early as in 1780. I was also amazed to know that this queen was the first one to use the technique of suicide bombing. My amazement turned into respect when I read that she was not only a warrior but also a scholar and spoke three languages: Urdu, French, and English besides her mother-tongue, Tamil. Let me tell you about this great warrior, a great strategist, and a brave woman from southern India – ‘Veermangai’ Velu Nachiyar.
She was a princess born on January 03, 1730. The only child of her parents Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha and Sakandimuththal who were the King and Queen of the Ramnad Kingdom (districts of present Tamil Nadu). She received training in weapons and arms at an early age and also ancient Tamil Martial arts like Valari and Silambam.
She was married at the age of 16 to Muthuvadugananthur Udaiyathevar, the prince of Sivagangai. They had a daughter together called Vellachi, and ruled over the kingdom for over two decades – from 1750 to 1772. By then the British had started expanding their empire in India and often supported the conflict amongst the Indian rulers. The Nawab of Arcot, who had his eye on the Sivgangai Kingdom, formed an alliance with the British and they attacked Sivgangai. In this war Muthuvadugananthur Udaiyathevar was killed and Velu Nachiyar escaped with her daughter Vellachi.
She then fled to Virupachi in Dindigul and lived there for eight years under the sanctuary of Gopala Nayaker. It was at Dindigul that she met Hyder Ali, the Nawab of Mysore. He was impressed by not only her skill in arms but her command on Urdu. He promised to be her ally in defeating the British and not only invited her to stay at the Dindigul fort but also built a temple for her to pray. She and Hyder Ali had the foresight to not fall for the British tactics of divide and rule. They remained friends despite following different religions.
Do you know that she was the first one in Indian history to use the technique of suicide bombing? In 1780, her spies found out where the British stored their ammunition and she planned to destroy it. Her commander-in-chief, Kuyili, a woman from a lower caste and considered by the Rani as her adopted daughter, volunteered for this mission. She doused herself in inflammable liquid and destroyed the ammunition in the armoury by setting herself on fire. This made Kuyili the first suicide bomber in history.
Velu then formed an army with the help of Hyder Ali and recaptured the kingdom of Sivgangai which she ruled till 1790. Vellachi, her daughter, ruled the kingdom from 1790 to 1793. She maintained friendly relations with Hyder Ali and with his son Tipu Sultan, whom she considered her brother.
In 1796, at the age of 66, ‘Veermangai’ Velu Nachiyar passed away in Sivgangai.
The Government of India released a postage stamp in 2008 in her honour.
As we celebrate the 74th Independence Day this year let us find out more about such unknown historical personalities and honour their sacrifices.
- Ketaki Bal
Visiting Faculty (ELTIS)