Great Warrior Indian Queens in Indian History.
1) Rani Nayikadevi Chandel – The courageous and celebrated queen of the Solanki Dynasty of Gujarat who defeated the forces of Mohd. Ghori in the Battle of Gandarghatta/Kasaharada/Kakadadaha in the year 1178. Mohd Ghori could hardly survive and KM Munshi states that the majority of his forces were either killed or converted to Hinduism. Chauhan Rajputs of Naddula and Jalor supported Solanki Rajputs in this war and Durjanshal Ji Jhala was the Commander of Solanki’s army. Mularaj being a minor was on the throne and Nayaki Devi was the Queen Regent. She was a Chandel Rajput princess of Jejakabhukti.
2) Rani Karnavati Parmar(Nak Kati Rani) – King Mahipati Shah Parmar of Garhwal Kingdom died young in 1631, after his death his Rani Karnavati, ruled the kingdom on the behalf of her very young seven-year-old son, Prithvipati Shah. She ruled over for many years to come, during which she successfully defend the kingdom against invaders and repelled an invasion of the Mughal army of Shah Jahan led by Najabat Khan in 1640, over time she earned the nickname ‘Nakti Rani’ (Nak-Kati-Rani) as she had the habit of cutting the noses of the invaders, as the Mughal invaders of the period realized. Monuments erected by her still exist in the Dehradun district at Nawada.
3) Rani Karnavati Hada – Queen Karnawati was a princess of the Hada kingdom of Boondi who was married to Maharana Sanga of Mewar. In 1534, Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat besieged Chittor. Karnavati, then The queen-mother of Mewar made a stirring call to arms for the defense of the ancestral fort of Chittor which was answered by nobles and common soldiers alike who committed to fighting themselves to death to protect their motherland. Despite the odds, the warriors of Mewar put up a great resistance but the artillery of the Gujarat Sultan was too much for them. Faced with an impossible situation, they once again took the decision of Jauhar shaka. Rani Karmavati lead the womenfolk of the fort for Jauhar while Men performed the Shaka.
4) Rani Mangammal – Historian S. Rajagopal describes her as being a ‘visionary queen’ who wasn’t just an excellent administrator but also extremely popular among her subjects. She made her grandson who was only 3 months old, the heir of the throne and since then she had ruled Madurai on behalf of her grandson as regent till 1705 A.D. The first major problem that she had to face was the imminent threat from the Mughals. Her greatest trial and biggest military failure, however, was her expedition against Raghunatha Sethupathi. Although she was a devout Hindu, she treated all religions with utmost tolerance and respect. As highlighted before, the history of Madurai can never be complete without mentioning Rani Mangammal’s name.
5) Rani Velu Nachiyar – Born in 1730, she was the only child. Trained in the art of warfare and martial arts she was fluent in Urdu, English, and French, a rare feat for a woman in those times. When dark clouds loomed over her kingdom after her husband’s death, Velu Nachiyar along with her infant daughter Vellachi managed to escape. Velu Nachiyar was determined to wrest her kingdom and spent this time planning and gathering allies for an attack. During this time, she also built an army of women, known as ‘Udaiyaat’, and trained them in warfare. Ultimately, her commander-in-chief Kuyili’s sacrifice helped Velu Nachiyar defeat the British. Due to her grit and bravery, the queen is fondly remembered as ‘Veeramangai’ but sadly, through the pages of India’s struggle, her name got lost with time.
6) Durgavati Chandel – Rani Durgavati was born on 5th October 1524 A.D. in the family of famous Chandel emperor Keerat Rai. She was born at the fort of Kalanjar (the daughter of Raja Salbahan, the Rajput king of Mahoba). Chandel Dynasty is famous in Indian History for the valiant king Vidyadhar who repulsed the attacks of Mehmood Gaznavi. Sher Shah Suri attacked Durgavati’s maternal kingdom. The joint forces successfully resisted the attack, but for Durgavati, that wasn’t the last battle she would fight against the Mughals. Six years after this attack, In 1564, Emperor Akbar sent an expedition under Asaf Khan to conquer Gondwana. Many neighboring chieftains quickly fell until Asaf Khan shifted his focus to Garha-Katanga. On the advice of Adhar, Durgavati gathered her force. When Asaf Khan heard of Rani Durgavati’s advance, he halted at Damoh. The Rani made her camp at Narhi, east of Garha. Iàn a blow to Rani Durgavati and the Gonds, the Mughal army captured the ravines, which was the road to the access of Narhi after brave resistance of Arjan Das Bais, the Rajput faujdar of elephants in the Gond kingdom of Garha Katanga. The brave Rani and her son Bir Narayan repulsed three Mughal invasions. By then, many of her brave Gond and Rajput officers fell which included Kanut Kalyan Bakhila, Chakarman Kalchuri, and Jahan Khan Dakit. The queen’s army suffered huge losses and her numbers dwindled from 2000 to just 300 men (Akbarnama, p. 329-331).
But courageous Rani Durgavati fought the battle against the mighty army of the Mughals. During the battle, she was shot by 2 arrows one at her ear and the other at her neck. Outnumbered against the Mughals and badly injured Rani Durgavati is said to have killed herself, rather than to be captured or be killed by enemies. She asked her minister, Adhar Singh to kill her with his sword. But when the loyal soldier refused so, Durgavati plunged a knife into her stomach and committed suicide. Vir Narayan was also killed in the battle.
7)Rani Bellawadi Mallama – She was the first woman to have a specially trained women’s army in the 17th century to wage war against the British and also mighty powerful Maratha army led by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. She went to fight Shivaji Maharaj who even the British rulers and Mughals were scared of. There was a battle in Belwadi in which Yesaji, husband of Mallamma was killed by Marathas but Mallamma continued the fight with the help of her women warriors. The battle raged for 27 long days. Mallama continued the war, with her force and vowed to avenge her husband’s death.
Rani Chenamma – The story of Kittur Rani Chennamma differs from the previous two. Rani Chennamma and the local people opposed actively the British high-handedness. Thackeray invaded Kittur. In the battle that ensued, hundreds of British soldiers were killed along with Thackeray. The humiliation of defeat was too much to digest. They brought in bigger armies from Mysore and Sholapur and surrounded Kittur. Rani Chennammma tried her best to avoid war. She negotiated and made efforts but all in vain. Alas, she was compelled to declare war. For 12 straight days, the valiant queen and her soldiers defended their fort but still, the traitors sneaked in. The Rani was defeated. She was taken a prisoner and kept in a fort of Bailhongal for life. She spent the rest of her days reading holy texts and performing pooja till her death in 1829 C.E. Her story of valor differs from the common notion of romanticization of ‘victory.’ It is the struggle that plays a key role and not always coming out as victorious.9) Hadi Rani Chauhan – Hada Rani! She is a familiar name in Mewar but unknown to the rest of India. She was a daughter of a Hada Chauhan Rajput married to a Chundawat chieftain of Salumbar in Mewar who sacrificed herself to motivate her husband to go to war.
When Maharana Raj Singh I (1653–1680) of Mewar called his commander to join the battle against Aurangzeb, the commander, having married only a few days earlier hesitated about doing so. Perceptions of Rajput honor caused him to join the battle despite his reservations. He asked his wife, Hadi Rani, for some memento to take with him to the battlefield. Thinking that she was an obstacle to his doing his duty for Mewar, she cut off her head and put it on a plate. A servant covered it with a cloth and presented it to her husband. Devastated but nevertheless proud, the commander tied the memento around his neck by its hair. He fought bravely, making the Aurangzeb forces flee, and after his victory, he got to his knees and cut his neck, having lost the desire to live.
10)Rani Laxmi Bai – Lakshmi Bai, also spelled Laxmi Bai, (born c. November 19, 1835, Kashi, India—died June 17, 1858, Kotah-ki-Serai, near Gwalior), rani (queen) of Jhansi and a leader of the Indian Mutiny of 1857–58. The 22-year-old queen refused to cede Jhansi to the British. Shortly after the beginning of the mutiny in 1857, which broke out in Meerut, Lakshmi Bai was proclaimed the regent of Jhansi, and she ruled on behalf of the minor heir. Joining the uprising against the British, she rapidly organized her troops and assumed charge of the rebels in the Bundelkhand region. Mutineers in the neighboring areas headed toward Jhansi to offer her support. Under Gen. Hugh Rose, the East India Company’s forces had begun their counteroffensive in Bundelkhand by January 1858. Advancing from Mhow, Rose captured Saugor (now Sagar) in February and then turned toward Jhansi in March. The company’s forces surrounded the fort of Jhansi, and a fierce battle raged. Offering stiff resistance to the invading forces, Lakshmi Bai did not surrender even after her troops were overwhelmed and the rescuing army of Tantia Tope, another rebel leader, was defeated at the Battle of Betwa. Lakshmi Bai managed to escape from the fort with a small force of palace guards and headed eastward, where other rebels joined her. Tantia Tope and Lakshmi Bai then mounted a successful assault on the city-fortress of Gwalior. The treasury and the arsenal were seized, and Nana Sahib, a prominent leader, was proclaimed as the Peshwa (ruler). After taking Gwalior, Lakshmi Bai marched east to Morar to confront a British counterattack led by Rose. Dressed as a man, she fought a fierce battle and was killed in combat.
11) Panna Dhai Khinchi (Not queen) – Panna Dhai was a 16th-century nursemaid to Udai Singh II, the fourth son of Maharana Sangram Singh. She belonged to Khinchi branch of the Chauhan Rajput community. Panna dhai sacrificed her son’s life to pay her loyalty towards the Royal family. She saved Mewar Vansh.
12)Rani Talash Kunwari- { Purvanchal’s Rani Laxmi Bai (Revolt of 1857)} Rani Talash Kunwari was a Durgvanshi Dikhit Princess married to Raja Jung Bahadur Singh Kalhans of Amorha, Basti (UP). After the death of Raja Jung Bahadur Singh, Rani took control of the estate in 1853. During the revolt of 1857, she rebelled and fought valiantly against the British. She did not come into the captivity of the British and sacrificed herself with her own Kataar before being captured by the British.