Maharani Laxmibai of Jhansi has a prominent place in the history of India’s independence. Just as the sons of India have sacrificed themselves from time to time, similarly the daughters of India have also sacrificed themselves.Maharani Laxmibai’s name is counted among such great daughters of India.
Rani Lakshmibai Biography: Birth
Rani Lakshmibai Biography: Rani Laxmibai was born on 19 November 1828 in Varanasi (Banaras) district of Uttar Pradesh. Her childhood name was Manikarnika, but everyone lovingly called her Manubai or Manu. Rani Laxmibai’s mother’s name was Bhagirathi Sarpe. Her mother was a scholar of Sanskrit and was religious. After her mother’s death, there was no one to take care of Rani Laxmibai. So her father took Manu to Bajirao Peshwa II.
Manubai and Peshwa’s adopted son, Nana Saheb, used to play and study together. Whatever Nana Saheb used to do, Manubai also used to imitate him. When Nana Saheb used to learn sword fighting, Manubai also used to learn sword fighting. When Nana Saheb used to teach horse riding, Manubai also used to teach him. Nana Saheb used to help Manu. Within a few years, Manubai became proficient in every work before Nana Saheb.
Rani Lakshmi Bai , Life and Family
Manubai was married to King Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi, and she was named Laxmibai after the marriage. A few months after the marriage, Laxmibai gave birth to a son on Ekadashi. 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. He died suddenly.
Sadness spread from the palaces to the cities, Maharani Laxmibai and Gangadhar Rao were drowned in sorrow. But time itself heals wounds.
King Gangadhar was worried because there was no heir to Jhansi. And due to this his health started deteriorating. The king was worried about Jhansi. The king, with the consent of Queen Laxmibai, adopted Anand Rai, the son of his family brother, Vasudev Rai, so that his kingdom could be saved from falling into the hands of the British. After some time of adopting a son, King Gangadhar died.
Lord Dalhousie’s controversial letter to Rani Lakshmibai
After the death of Raja Gangadhar, the British got this opportunity. First of all, the British raised the objection that why did she adopt the child without the wish of the British government? The government cannot accept such an adopted son (Dantak Putra) as the heir of Jhansi.
Maharani Laxmibai was about 20 years old at that time and she was in a difficult situation. On one hand, there was the burden of ruling the state and on the other hand, the helpless pain of separation from her husband was hurting her heart. If Maharani Laxmibai had any support at that time, it was her Dantak Putra. The British government did not accept that Dantak Putra as the heir of Jhansi. If she had accepted Dantak Putra as the king of Jhansi, then how would the British have taken over Jhansi?
Lord Dalhousie sent a letter of order to the queen. It was written in the letter that “The government has annexed Jhansi to the British Empire, Maharani Laxmibai should vacate the fort,
she will be given a pension of five thousand rupees per month, she should disband her army, and the number of servants should be reduced.” Maharani Laxmibai became restless after reading Lord Dalhousie’s letter,
She was very sad after reading the letter. She had not yet recovered from the grief of her husband and son. On top of that, Lord Dalhousie’s letter caused a great shock to her heart. Maharani Laxmibai was forced to accept the pension.
Revolution of 1857
The queen started living a simple life. She used to wake up every morning, take a bath, do puja, etc. and then roam around the palace. This went on for a few days and then the first revolution of 1857 started. Maharani Laxmibai was also a part of this revolution.
We heard the story from the mouth of Bundela Harbolas,
Bundele Harbolon ki muh hamne suni kahani thi,
Khoob ladi mardani, woh to Jhansi wali Rani thi.बुंदेले हरबोलों की मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी ,
खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झांसी वाली रानी थी।
read more :: https://allpoetry.com/poem/8586979-Jhansi-Ki-Rani–With-English-Translation–by-Subhadra-Kumari-Chauhan
Jhansi had become a major center of the War of 1857, during which violence reached its peak. Maharani Laxmibai also started strengthening the security of her Jhansi and formed a volunteer army. There were women in the volunteer army who were adept at war strategy.
At that time, brave Maharani Laxmibai was 29 years old. She fought with the army of the British Empire and attained martyrdom on the battlefield.
Death of Maharani Laxmibai
Some historians say that Maharani Laxmibai died due to a sword blow to the head; she was the second bravest woman who was martyred in the struggle for the revolution.
Maharani Laxmibai died on 17 – 18 June 1858 in Gwalior.
Rani Lakshmibai Biography: in table format __
| Born | 19 November 1828 (Banaras) |
| Childhood name | Manikarnika Tambe |
| Famous namesakes | Rani Laxmibai / Queen of Jhansi |
| Father’s name | Moropant Tambe |
| Mother’s name | Bhagirathibai |
| Husband’s name | Raja Gangadhar Rao |
| Adopted son’s name | Damodar Rao |
| Date of death | 18 June 1858 Kota Ki Sarai, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh |
also read biography of gautama buddha :: https://mayaghgyan.com/biography-of-gautama-buddha-563-bc-483-bc/
Rani Lakshmibai Biography: The Unsung Heroine (chhalakari bai )
Chhalakari Bai was an ordinary female soldier in Rani Lakshmibai’s army, but she showed extraordinary bravery. She looked like Rani Lakshmibai and deceived the British by disguising herself as the queen when the British attacked Jhansi.
Chhalakari Bai’s Role:
She misled the British by disguising herself as Rani Lakshmibai.
The British who captured her thought they had captured the queen.
This gave the queen time to escape safely and make strategic preparations.
She belonged to the Koli community and was a patriotic female warrior.
