Rani Chennamma: First Female Independence Campaigner

Khushaal Mishra

Rani Chennamma: First Female Independence Campaigner

Numerous conflicts have taken place in our history, led by many heroic women that have impacted the direction of India's history. We owe our current freedom to the individuals who battled for independence. Rani Chennamma, an embodiment of strength and bravery, was one such hero.

A statue of Rani Chennamma; Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Rani Chennamma was born in 1778 in Kakati (a tiny town north of Belgaum in Karnataka), about 56 years before Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi. She was trained in horseback riding, sword combat, and archery from an early age. She was well-known in her community for her bravery.

Rani Chennamma married Mallasarja Desai, the king of Kittur when she was 15 years old. After her husband died in 1816, her married life appeared to be a tragic story. She had only one son from this marriage, but fate seemed to play a terrible game in her life. Her son died in 1824, leaving the lonely soul to battle against British control.

In 1824, she adopted a son, Shivalingappa, and designated him successor to the kingdom. This irritated the East India Company, which ordered Shivalingappa's expulsion in the disguise of the Doctrine of Lapse. The Dharwad collectorate took over Kittur, which Mr Thackrey led, but Rani Chennamma refused to go and sacrificed her all to safeguard the kingdom and its people.

Rani Chennamma and the locals were vehemently opposed to British hegemony. The British attacked Kittur with around 20,000 soldiers and 400 guns. They failed in their effort to invade and steal its diamonds and treasures. The first combat between Kittur and the East India Firm took place in October 1824, where the company suffered a serious defeat.

Amatur Balappa, Rani's lieutenant was murdered the English Collector and political agent St. John Thackeray in the conflict. Kittur forces also kidnapped two British captives. Rani Chennamma freed them when the British assured her that they would stop fighting. However, once the captives were returned, they broke their vow and reignited the fight. She did everything she could to avert conflict, negotiating with Chaplin and the Governor of the Bombay Presidency, under whose administration Kittur fell. It had no impact. Chennamma had no choice but to declare war.

Sangolli Rayanna and Gurusiddappa aided the Rani in her courageous battle. Despite her valiant efforts, Chennamma was captured, and Kittur fell to British soldiers. She was imprisoned at Bailhongal Fort, where she died on February 21, 1829. She was 50 years old. Thackeray took over Kittur. Hundreds of British soldiers, including Thackeray, were slain in the fight that followed. The humiliation of loss at the hands of a minor monarch was too much to bear for the British. They besieged Kittur with larger forces from Mysore and Sholapur.

Kittur Rani Chennamma did not win the fight against the British, but she left her mark on history for many decades. She is regarded as a symbol of courage in Karnataka, alongside Onake Obavva, Abbakka Rani, and Keladi Chennamma.

Rani Chennamma has gone down in history as a legend. Her valiant opposition to the British created the topic of plays, ballads, and song tales during the liberation movement. Folk songs, or lavanis, were plentiful, and the liberation cause was aided by singing bards who travelled across the region.

Rani Chennamma and her soldiers battled heroically and murdered the Sholapur sub-collector. This was short-lived, however, for the queen was betrayed by traitors in her troops. While shooting canons, Venkata Rao and Mallappa Rao mingled cow excrement with cannon powder.

Sangolli Rayanna and Gurusiddappa(the army chief) aided the Rani in her courageous battle. Despite her valiant efforts, Chennamma was captured, and Kittur fell to British soldiers. She was imprisoned at Bailhongal Fort, where she died on February 21, 1829.

Until her death in 1829 CE, she spent her days reading sacred scriptures and doing pooja. Sangolli Rayanna, who continued to fight on her behalf but was later executed by the British, was inspired by her sacrifice. Rani's adoptive son was also apprehended.

Thackeray took over Kittur. Hundreds of British soldiers, including Thackeray, were slain in the fight that followed. The humiliation of loss at the hands of a minor monarch was too much to bear for the British. They besieged Kittur with larger forces from Mysore and Sholapur.

On September 11, 2007, a statue of Kittur Chennamma was unveiled on the grounds of the Parliamentary Building in New Delhi. It is an appropriate memorial to a heroic queen who was the first ruler in Bharat to oppose British control. The Kitturu Utsava is an annual event conducted in Kittur from the 22nd to the 24th of October to commemorate Chennamma's first victory over the English.