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Women Rebels of First War of Independence (Indian Rebellion)1857
Rani Velu Nachiyar (1730 – 1796) and Kuyili, Commander in Chief
Rani Velu Nachiyar, also known as Veeramangai (Brave Woman) was queen of Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu. She was the first Rani to rise up and wage war with the British East India Company.
She was trained in methods of combat (including martial arts), horse riding and archery. She was an advanced scholar of multiple Indic and European languages. After, her husband was killed by the British (East India Company) soldiers in 1772, she became a fugitive. After appealing to others, she amassed a force of 5000 warriors and gunpowder weapons from Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and the Marudu brothers, before organising rebellious counter operations against the British.
Her female Dalit commander in chief, Veeramangai Kuyili, undertook a suicide mission to blow up the ammunition stores of the East India Company in 1780. Kuyili is considered the first woman martyr in Indian history. She had previously protected the Rani as her body guard from assassination attempts when an intruder tried to murder her as she slept and when she discovered that her own Silambam teacher was a spy. Kuyili’s sacrificial mission empowered Velu Nachiyar to win the battle, reclaim her fort and kingdom from the British. After the Rani’s death in 1796, she was succeeded by her daughter, Vellacci - establishing the sovereignty of women rulers and warriors.
Rani Lakshmibai (1828–1858)
Rani Lakshmibai, known as the Rani of Jhansi, of the Maratha empire, rose up in the Indian First War of Independence (also known as Indian Rebellion) of 1857 against British colonial rule. After the death of her husband, Maharaja Gangadhar Rao in 1853, the East India Company annexed Jhansi. She refused to surrender her kingdom and despite many diplomatic efforts on her part arguing that the “annexation constituted a "gross violation ... of treaties" and that Jhansi was reduced to "subjection, dishonour, and poverty", the British were unrelenting. She remained defiant and vowed, "I will never give up my Jhansi!" She had built an all woman regiment whom she trained herself and often paraded them on horseback to signify her rebellion and strength to the British.
In the 1857 Uprising instigated by the Sepoy troops at Meerut, Lakshmibai joined the uprising (even as she misled the British). Although she was able to defend her land for a short while, it ultimately fell to the British in 1858 after a harsh seige. Lakshmibai climbed over a wall and escaped by horseback to join a rebel force which went on to capture Gwalior from the British. She died in June 1858, after being seriously injured at the battle with British. lakshmibai's bravery and leadership is an enduring symbol of resistance. Even the British described her as "remarkable for her beauty, cleverness, perseverance [and] generosity to her subordinates. These qualities, combined with her rank, rendered her most dangerous of all the rebel leaders…” and she was the "best and bravest of the rebels" (Field Marshal Hugh Rose)
Indians revere her as the embodiment of Sakti (the primal deity of creative force) – she is described as embodying many characteristics of the deities - the bravery and ferocity of Durga and her aspect Chandi; the wealth and generosity of Lakshmi; the knowledge and artistry of Saraswati; the courageous leaps of Hanuman; and the androgyny of Siva.
Begum Hazrat Mahal (1820 – 1879)
Begum Hazrat Maha, from Faizabad, is also known as Begum of Awadh. She was the first wife of the Lucknow ruler, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. After her husband was ousted and exiled to Calcutta by the East India Company and they annexed Awadh, she rebelled against the British East India Company during the First War of Independence (Indian Rebellion) of 1857.
She rebelliously took charge of state affairs as her son was a minor. She joined forces with Raja Jailal Singh to seize control of Lucknow from the British. She challenged the British proclamation calling for an end to the Uprising:-
“To eat pigs and drink wine, to bite greased cartridges and to mix pig's fat with sweetmeats, to destroy Hindu and Mussalman temples and mosques on the pretence of making roads, to build churches, to send clergymen into the streets to preach the Christian religion, to institute English schools, and pay people a monthly stipend for learning the English sciences, while the places of worship of Hindus and Mussalmans are to this day entirely neglected; with all this, how can people believe that religion will not be interfered with?”
After a long and arduous siege, Lucknow was once again captured by the British, forcing Hazrat Mahal to retreat in 1858 and flee to Kathmandu, Nepal where she died in exile.
Blessings of inspiration and courage to all brave warriors and rebels,
Kallie
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