The Tiger and the Flame

This is a small post following my two previous on Jhansi and the Queen of Jhansi titled:

• Jhansi, and India’s Joan of Arc
• Queen's Battle to Death

Other notable sights in the Jhansi Fort are the Panch Mahal, Rani Amod garden area, the Shiva temple, the Ganesh temple etc.

Ganesh Mandir

Of particular interest are the popular cannons: Kadak Bijli and Bhawani Shanker Cannon, and then there are a couple of mini-cannons too. It is written that Kadak Bijli was operated by Ghulam Ghaus Khan, the revolutionary leader, while Bhawani Shanker was handled by Moti Bai. Moti Bai was apparently a dance performer at the times of Jhansi’s King but she is known to have handled the cannon better than her dances.

Inside the Fort Complex are the tombs of Ghulam Ghaus Khan, whose last words are said to be: “For our queen we shall lay down our life…” Buried nearby are Motibai and the famous horse, Khuda Bux (or Baksh), who died on 4 June 1858.

Other places of interest around the Fort are the Rani Mahal (Queen's Palace) built in the latter half of the 18th century which is converted into an archaeological museum now.

Rani Mahal

A good collection of sculptures belonging to the period between 9th and 12th centuries A.D. has been housed in the Rani Mahal. Photography was not allowed there.

Entrance to Rani Mahal

Raja Gangadhar Rao's cenotaph

There is also the cenotaph of the Queen’s husband, Raja Gangadhar Rao Newelkar and the temples around it.

Raja Gangadhar Rao was considered as a good man and a good administrator of Jhansi and a great promoter of arts.

A section of the temple nearby

Cenotaph

Then there is the Lakshmibai Talab nearby which is a lake in a sadly dried up and shabby state with stagnant water. I hastily left the place to move on to Orchha.

Jhansi is very well connected to major cities across India by direct train links. Situated at a strategic location where the NS and EW National Highways intersect with each other, I took the NH 75 connecting Jhansi from Gwalior, 98 kms away. Datia is about 30 kms, Orchha 20 kms and Khajuraho is 175 kms away. There is regular bus service to Jhansi from Jaipur, Agra and Gwalior.

The nearest operational airport to Jhansi is Gwalior, 98 kms away. Jhansi has an airport, but is not operational for civil flights as it is a base of Army Aviation. A new airport is in the pipeline which would enable excellent connectivity with major metros and other important cities.

Queen's Battle to Death

The Jhansi Fort is synonymous with the great revolt of 1857 which many refer to as the first war of India's independence. It is a beautiful fort built on the Bangra hilltop by Raja Vir Singh Deo of Orchha in 1613. The Fort was later on passed into the hands of Rani Lakshmibai, the Queen of the Maratha-ruled princely state of Jhansi and she made it her residence.

As soon as I set my eyes on the Fort, I was transported back to history and thought of the heroism of the young Queen who lost her life in the battlefield.

If you have read my previous post on Jhansi, and India's Joan of Arc, you would understand my sentiments on why my heart goes out to the young Queen. She had to face so many difficulties during her short life. To cite a few:

• at losing her mother when she was just 4 years old,
• at being widowed at a young age,
• at the death of her only biological child,
• at the blow dealt to her by the British on the secession case of her infant adopted son who did not receive his inheritance,
• at the lack of support from neighboring rulers,
• at the capture and execution of her father, Moropant Tambe, by hanging at the hands of the enemies,
• at how torn she must have felt to remain loyal to the British out of helplessness under the circumstances while wanting to support the rebels when the Mutiny erupted, and
• above all, at how the society of those days must have looked down upon her for being a childless widow.

Whether it was defending the invading armies of the Orchha and Datia rulers in 1857, or getting no support from neighboring Gwalior, or fighting off the British army in 1858, the young Queen's life was a constant struggle. Historians state that though originally she continued to serve her British masters faithfully, it was only when she was faced with the impending likelihood of execution that the Queen then revolted against them.

I can't stop from sharing a little more on the sad history of events that took place during the last few years of the Queen’s life.

In 1858, on suspicion that the Queen was aiding the mutineers, the British attacked the Jhansi Fort and after weeks of conflict, they laid siege and finally succeeded in the annexation of Jhansi. However, the Queen managed to escape along with her son and covering several kilometres in a few hours, took refuge in Kalpi.

There is a legend of a spot at the Fort that is said to remind of the extremely heroic feat of the Queen when she, in the guise of a man, jumped from an edge of the Fort to her waiting horse several feet below, with her adopted son tightly strapped to her back.

In Kalpi the Queen was received as a great warrior together with a very small group of her most faithful soldiers who escaped along with her. From there, three months later, with the help of the Nawab of Banda and others, the Queen lead a successful attack on the British fortress at Gwalior that was under the control of General Hugh Rose.

The Queen was determined to secure Jhansi from British annexation throughout her life. She proclaimed her decision on not giving up Jhansi and went to the extent of establishing links with various revolutionaries and also with her childhood friend, Tatya Tope (also called Tantia). In one of her meetings with Tatya Tope, she is said to have mentioned that Jhansi will set an example of free India. The more I read about the Queen, the more I am convinced that her intention was not limited to territorial aspirations but that she had a vision and foresight for India's freedom.

Lord Dalhousie, the colonial administrator in India in between 1812-1860, who was on a quest for mass annexation of all Indian territories decided to annex Jhansi. Under his Doctrine of Lapse thousands of lives were lost. Throughout the uprising, the Queen had to fight another private battle to secure the rights of her adopted son who was deprived of his kingdom by the British authorities.

In the final days, Tatya Tope had hopes of support for the Peshwa from Gwalior, however, it was not to be so as it is reported that the Scindia army had a secret alliance with the British. In the losing battle with the British at Gwalior, days of fierce hand to hand fighting ensued in which thousands of soldiers were killed. It is written that on the last day on the battlefield in Gwalior she rode on her horse as the defiant leader of the defense, dressed as a man, using her sword. She was in the thick of battle when a British Army soldier threw his sword at her, killing the Queen on June 18, 1858.

The Queen will always be remembered for her words: Meri Jhansi nahin dungi meaning, I will not give up my Jhansi.

The Queen's heroism became a beacon for the upcoming generations of freedom fighters. She is considered a martyr and iconic figure whose example set in motion the freedom struggle that consequently rid the subcontinent of its colonial rule.

The Queen of Jhansi will always be regarded as an epitome of bravery in India because of her wisdom, courage, sacrifice and progressive views on women's empowerment in 19th century India.

Jhansi, and India's Joan of Arc

Bundele harbolon ke munh hamane suni kahaani thi,
Khoob ladi mardaani woh to Jhansi waali raani thi.

A rough translation of it is:

"This story we heard from the mouths of Bundel bards
Like a man she fought, she was the Queen of Jhansi."

Those are the last few lines of one of the most recited poetry in Hindi literature composed by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan on the life of Rani Lakshmibai. During my school days, I’ve sung it too with rousing feelings of patriotism.



And that is what I recalled when I had my taxi stop at the Jhansi Fort while on my way to explore Orchha, the twin city of Datia.

Jhansi is approximately 25 kms from Datia, and about 100 kms from Gwalior. To the uninitiated, on the map of Central India, there is the southern part of Uttar Pradesh jutting into the northern part of Madhya Pradesh and in between that tiny protruding area of UP is where Jhansi is located. It was nice to see my phone popping up continuous messages of ‘Welcome to Uttar Pradesh’ and ‘Welcome to Madhya Pradesh’ alternatively while on that short road journey, and the signboards on road checkposts affirming same.

Who is the Queen of Jhansi?

Most of us are aware of the historical facts on the popular Rani Lakshmibai. Since I like to dwell on it, let me briefly put a few of my thoughts here.

Queen Lakshmibai was affectionately called Manu when small. Having lost her mother at age 4, her father encouraged her with martial training, including riding, fencing and shooting when she was still a child. Probably her father envisioned her becoming the queen and so educated her accordingly.

Manu married Raja Gangadhar Rao Niwalkar at a young age and became the Queen of Jhansi. As was customary in those days to change name after marriage, she was thereafter known as Lakshmibai. It is said that she gave birth to a son, but the child died a few months after birth. Shortly, Gangadhar Rao fell very ill and he grudgingly relented only a day before his death to adopt a distant relative, a boy named Damodar Rao.

To ensure that the British would not be able to contest the adoption, the Rani had it witnessed by the local British representatives. If I have my history right, upon the Maharaja's death, the British-Indian authorities refused to recognize the adopted child as the next prince, sought to disgrace the Queen and moved to take control. They confiscated the state jewels and deducted her husband's debts from her annual pension. She was required to leave Jhansi Fort for the Rani Mahal, another palace nearby that I visited in Jhansi town.

An poignant account of a meeting between the Rani and her lawyer, John Lang, are recounted in his book, Wanderings in India, published in 1861.

In my next, I shall write and post more pictures of the Jhansi Fort, the fort that played a major role during the first war of Indian Independence in 1857.