The glorious history of the Indian subcontinent is laced with stories of the bravery of kings and their indomitable power in wars and over kingdoms. Their war tactics, their intelligence, their undeniable charm, and the amount of wealth and wives they acquired- all these have been the pivotal topics of discussion of all the historians. Seldom do we hear of the “she” part of the kingdom, the part that not only bore the future generation of the kingdom but also could rule the kingdom in a manner that the “he” part could never do. All that is glorified is their dedication towards their husband as they perform sati and accept their fate. Little do we know that there were women who have gone out of their way to change the course of history that we see today.

Be it the Rajput women or women from the Mughal Harem, tales of bravery and indomitable intelligence roam in the air from all the dynasties that once prevailed in India. When it comes to South Indian kingdoms, it is believed to be more than 5000 years old, with some of the bravest women ruling the kingdom like no other male ruler. From Chola dynasty’s Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi, Pandyan dynasty’s Queen Meenakshi, Chalukya dynasty’s Queen Vijaya Bhattarika to Kakatiya dynasty’s Rani Rudrama Devi and Satavahana dynasty’s Queen Naganika, their stories of ruling the kingdom with their male counterparts is quite commendable.

Though there are thousands of stories to narrate, today we would travel to Kittur- a location between Dharwad from where the world-famous Dharwad Pedha comes, and Belagavi, the second capital of Karnataka. While this would be nothing but yet another dusty town for most of us, wait until you hear of the story of a woman who was born 56 years before Rani Lakshmibai.

After her marriage, Chennamma became the Queen of Kittur and also gave birth to Kittur’s heir. But fate turned cruel to such an extent that not only did she lose her husband in 1816, but her son too died in 1824. Chennamma was left in a state full of volatility and on top of it, she also had the responsibility of saving Kittur from the evil clutches of the Britishers.

Fearing that she would lose the state in the hands of the Britishers, Rani Chennamma decided to adopt Shivalingappa and make him the heir to the throne so that the family legacy would continue. However, this was not accepted by the Britishers. The state of Kittur came under the administration of the Dharwad collectorate and Mr. Thackeray along with Mr. Chaplin, who was considered as the pivotal handlers of the state, did not recognise the new ruler, Shivalingappa, and asked the queen to surrender the kingdom to the Britishers.

Being the epitome of bravery and courage, Kittur did not accept the terms and conditions of Doctrine of Lapse and sent a letter to the Governor of Bombay, Lord Elphinstone to let her adopted son become the future king of Kittur, but her plea was straightaway rejected. She was constantly forced to let go of her kingdom, but her constant defiance finally led to the breakout of a war, that change the course of Kittur.

Seeing the amount of bloodshed, Chennamma negotiated with the officers and asked them to bring the war to a halt. She also released both the officers on the condition that there would be no further wars. But the British Commissioner and Governor of Bombay, Mr. Chaplin could not accept a humiliating defeat in the hands of a small Indian ruler and that too, a woman. Though he accepted the queen’s condition, he soon broke his promise and returned with an even larger army from Mysore and Sholapur to attack Kittur once again.

Standing bravely in front of the Britishers along with her lieutenants, Sangoli Rayanna and Gurusiddappa, Chennamma killed the sub-collector, Mr. Munro. Everything was going well until some of her men from the army double-crossed her. Mallappa Shetty and Venkata Rao were the traitors who mixed cow dung with gunpowder while firing it from the cannons. It was only because of them that Chennamma lost the war, but even after this, she did not lose her courage and continued fighting till the end along with her close aide and well-known freedom fighter, Sangolli Rayanna. After a long fight, Kittur was ultimately captured and imprisoned for life at the Bailhongal fort.

However, her passion to save her motherland from the clutches of the Britishers inspired yet another freedom fighter, Sangoli Rayanna to continue fighting on behalf of her. He wanted Shivaligappa to acquire the throne, but Shiva was arrested and put in exile. Rayanna too was caught and hanged to death.

Although Rani Chennamma’s life was cut short, her uproar against the Britishers gave the people of Kittur the courage to fight against the oppression. Her eyes glint with fierce passion, a shiny silver sword adorns her hands, and a horse carries her with pride- the statues of Rani Chennamma glorify the various cities of Karnataka. Her indomitable spirit and tales of bravery still echo in the air, narrating the epics of our glorious past.