Lesser Known Facts About Jhansi Rani - Part 2

We saw how Dalhousie annexed Jhansi to the British Empire using the Doctrine of Lapse, despite the fact that there was already a proper adoption in place. What Dalhousie did was completely unjustifiable.

Rani Lakshmibai even sent a delegation to London at a cost of sixty thousand rupees to represent her case. She did everything possible to resolve the issue amicably. It is not that she took up the sword as soon as the annexation order came. But when nothing worked, she had no choice.

As per the words of a Britisher himself, the British Government did not stop with the annexation. They demanded payment of a supposed debt owed by her ancestors, the earlier maharajas, to the East India Company. This amounted to thirty-six thousand rupees. She refused, stating, ‘This is not a liability created by my husband; why should I pay?’

Money was also needed for performing the Upanayana Samskara of her adopted son. When she requested that some amount inherited by him from his father be released for this purpose, the British demanded four sureties, saying, ‘What if the boy grows up and asks for the whole money?’

By then, she was already in a vengeful mood. Adding to the tensions, the British authorized the slaughter of cows and established slaughterhouses across Jhansi. Rani protested, but as usual, the British ignored her.

In the army, rumors were spreading that the British were mixing ground bones in wheat flour and using cow and pig fat as lubricants for cartridges. Open rebellion began in Jhansi on the 5th of June 1857. These rebels were primarily Indian soldiers in the army.

The next day, Rani Lakshmibai and her people also joined them. The English officials and their families stationed in Jhansi lived inside the fort. First, the soldiers attacked the British Kutchery, killed all the British officers there, and released the prisoners. Then, they attacked the fort.

The British, holed up in the fort, sent three disguised representatives to Rani seeking her help. She handed them over to the rebels, and they were killed. One report claims that she declared she had no concern for the ‘British swine.’

The fort was under siege, leaving the English with no option but to come out. They were all captured and brought to Jokham Bagh, the cremation ground in Jhansi. Except for a woman and two children, all 55 of them were killed there.

Official communication from the British commander in Jhansi to his superiors reported that Lakshman Rao, a confidant of Rani, was instigating the soldiers to rebel. Another of Rani’s men, Bhole Nath, organized meetings between Indian officers and Rani, often bringing them to her.

The rebels read out a proclamation declaring that the people of Jhansi belonged to God, its land belonged to the Raja, and its ruler would be Rani Lakshmibai. She would govern on behalf of her adopted son, Damodar Rao.

By this time, the British had realized she was a formidable enemy. The people of Jhansi supported her wholeheartedly, and she wielded significant influence. Rani’s father, Moropant Tambe, was also a key influencer in the rebellion in Kashi, while she led the uprising in Jhansi.

Thus, Rani Lakshmibai took over the reins of Jhansi on the 9th of June 1857. The rebel soldiers left for Delhi. She issued orders to all officials, declaring that she had occupied the throne (Guddi) of Jhansi and would be its ruler henceforth.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi