2016-06-18 Sat

Rani Lakshmi Bai or Jhansi ki Rani, one of the most important figures of India's First War of Independence, died while fighting against the British in Gwalior on 18th June 1858. Today is her 158th death anniversary.

India’s freedom struggle had seen many freedom fighters over the years, but the name of Rani Lakshmibai stands out among them. Manikarnika Tambe, later Rani Lakshmibai of the princely state of Jhansi, was a brave and fearless woman who fought courageously against the British.

Lord Dalhousie adopted the “doctrine of lapse” – allowing the British to annex an Indian state if the ruler did not have a male heir. Resistance to the policy, and the subsequent Great Rebellion of 1857 brought the Rani of Jhansi – the young widow of the last ruler of the state of Jhansi – into the political spotlight.

The British army led by Major-General Sir Hugh Rose attacked Jhansi in March 1858 and laid siege to the fort. In June 1858, 20,000 Indian rebels led by the Rani mounted an attack on Rose’s forces outside Gwalior. And it was here that the queen met her death. Three days after the death of Lakshmibai, the British captured the Fort of Gwalior.

Lakshmibai's name lives on right until this day in 1942, an all-women regiment of the Indian National Army was named in honour of the Rani of Jhansi. Lakshmibai has also inspired generations of poets, writers, and filmmakers who have tried to capture the essence of who Lakshmibai really was.

India post issued two postage stamps to honour the sacrifice Rani Lakshmi Bai. A stamp of 0.15 Naya Paisa was printed in 1957 shows a portrait of Rani Lakshmi Bai on a horse in a battlefield.

A stamp of INR0.60 features a painting of Rani Lakshmi Bai by M.F.Hussain. The stamp features the names of the martyrs of the 1st War of Independence of 1857.