Rani Chennamma was born on October 23, 1778. She was the queen of Kittur, in Karnataka, India. In her youth she was trained in horseback riding, sword fighting & archery. She became queen of her native kingdom of Kittur and married Raja Mallasarja, a member of the Desai family: together the couple had one son. Her son died in 1824, afterwards she adopted a boy named, Shivalingappa & declared him heir to the throne. The British East India Company disputed his claim, ordering for him to be disinherited & utilized a policy of supremacy & total authority. Needless to say, Chennamma defied orders.
Rani Chennamma sent a letter to the governor of Bombay pleading Kittur's cause but the governor, Lord Elphinstone, turned her down, leading to an all out war. The British attempted to confiscate the treasure & jewels of Kittur, with a force of 200 men, made up mostly of men from the 3rd troop of the Madras Native Horse Artillery. At the beginning of the war, in October 1824, the British, were losing. St. John Thackeray, the British commissioner was killed by Chennamma's forces; two other British officers, Walter Elliot & a Mr. Stevenson, were taken hostage.
Rani Chennamma released Elliot & Stevenson with the understanding the war would come to an end. But the British went back on their word, returning with an even larger army. Chennammma fought fiercely, alongside her lieutenant, Sangolli Rayana. But was ultimately captured by the British and imprisoned at Baihongal Fort, where she died on February 21, 1829. Sangolli Rayana kept up the resistance against the British until his capture by the British, in 1829. He was tried for treachery & hanged.
Chennamma was born 56 years before the 1857 rebellion of Rani of Jhansi, thusly making Chennamma one of the first Indian women to rise up against British rule. Her legacy is still commemorated in Kittur, during the Kittur Utsuva, every year between October 22-24. On September 11, 2007, a statue of Rani Chennamma was unveiled at the Indian Parliament Complex, in New Delhi, by Pratibha Patil, the first female president of India. Chennamma also has statues of her erected in Bangalore & Kittur. She is buried near Baihongal Fort, in a park, but due to poor maintenance, it sits in a neglected state.
Side notes:
Karnataka- a state in southwestern India.
Desai- an administrative, princely or honorary title & surname
Madras Native Horse Artillery- part of the Madras army; army of the Madras presidency, which was one of 3 presidencies in British India. Both the presidencies & their armies were owned by the British.
Baihongal Fort- located in the state of Karnataka.
http://www.hinduhistory.info/rani-chennamma/
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Female Warriors
Non-FictionFrom Naotara li and Mulan to Eleanor of Aquitaine and Boudicca. Strong women throughout history who fought for the countries, families and beliefs; that made a stand against those who threatened to destroy them. They took charge when no else would.
