The end

The end of the war came at Gwalior and here India produced one of its most famous warriors and for the times one of the strangest,a woman. The war came to an end with a bloodbath;vendetta of the soul but also the righteous sense of dominion. She had been born to a Brahmin family around 1828 in Varanasi. In 1858 the British attacked Gwalior; they laid siege to the city .On June the 17th during the Battle of the Gwalior forts (above) Rani set fire to herself so the story goes as she did not want to become the prisoner of the British. Colonel Molleson saw her as a created martyr as he said."Her countrytmen will always see her as driven by ill-treatment into rebellion".Although she lived only till 22, she remains a living legend. Her life is a thrilling story of courage. I am sure many of you may have heard her name mentioned before, . 

Jhansiki Rani was born in the year 1835 in the holy city of Varanasi, and her name was Manu. Unfortunately she lost her mother when she was only four, so the duty of bringing her up fell principally on her father. Along with formal education she acquired the skill in sword fighting, horse riding and shooting. Manu later became the wife of Gangadhar Rao, Maharaj of Jhansi, in 1842. From then on she was known as Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi.

In 1851 the Rani bore a son but her fate was cruel and she lost her child within three months. The Maharaja passed away on the 21st November 1853. Although prior to this the couple has adopted a boy to be their heir, the British government claimed they did not recognise the right of the adopted boy to the kingdom. It was their policy at the time that the British would directly annex any kingdom without an heir.

Before his death Gangadhar Rao personally petitioned the East India Company that his adopted son Damodar Rao be recognized as his heir, and died with the same hope. But in 1854 it was proclaimed that the East India Company would not recognize Damodar Rao, and ordered the Rani to vacate the fort and live in the palace in return for a pension of Rs. 5,000 per month (a considerable sum in those days). The Rani was enraged and determined not to let go of the kingdom, but had at that time no power to oppose the might of the British, so she complied with the orders and was determined not to give up. She was extremely popular with the people, and held a lot of sway, and bided her time for the right moment.
After the British took over her government her daily routine changed. Every morning from 4am to 8am were set apart for bathing, worship, meditation and prayer. From 8am to 11am she would go out for a horse ride and practice shooting and sword fighting. Thereafter she would bathe again, feed the hungry, give alms to the poor and then have food; then rested for a while. After that she would chant the Ramayana. She would then exercise lightly in the evening. Later she would go through some religious books and hear religious sermons. Then she worshipped her chosen deity and had supper. All things were done methodically, according to her strict timetable. 


(below one of the few Indian Sepoy Mutiny producers William Hocker Bengal Horse artillery plus the Gurkhas who sent 10,000 men from Nepal to team up with Campbell)