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Navratri: Keladi Rani Chennamma of Kittur
The first major uprising against British rule in India took place in 1857. It is remembered by the Indian people as the first freedom struggle.
Among the leaders of the rebellion of 1857, the name of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi is mentioned first. In fact, Rani Lakshmi Bai started India's tradition of brave women by escaping British persecution. But even before Rani Lakshmibai, an exciting chapter of our freedom struggle was written by Veer Rani Chennamma of Kittur.
It was in the nineteenth century that Chennamma was the first Indian queen to make the ruling British chew iron gram. She was the first queen of India, who was ready to kill the Firangis and raised a strong army of patriots to defend Kittur from British attack.
Rani Chennamma of Kittur Date of Birth: October 23, 1778 Place of Birth: Kakati, Belgaum Religion: Hindu
The father's name was Dhulappa Desai, and the mother's name was Padmavati. Rani Chennamma's husband's name was Mallasarjan. They had only one son, but he also died prematurely.
Navratri
A beautiful girl like Rani Chennamma was born to father Dhulappa Desai and mother Padmavati. He was very happy to see the girl. The word Chennamma means beautiful girl.
Chennamma's education and initiation also took place, according to the Rajkula. He inherited martial arts like horseback riding, weapon practice, hunting, etc. from his brave father. Chennamma was well versed in Kannada, Urdu, Marathi, and Sanskrit.
Navratri
During that period, Kittur was also a famous centre for state trade. There used to be a market for diamonds and gems, and traders from far and wide used to come there. Kittur, full of happiness and prosperity, breathed peace in those days. The king was civil and just, and the subjects were obedient and devout. Mallasarja was the eleventh ruler of the Kittur kingdom. He was a long-suffering, serious, courageous, self-respecting, and art-loving king; his ambition was to make Kittur a very prosperous kingdom, but Patwardhan of Pune cleverly and cunningly imprisoned him. Finally, he died as a prisoner.
The king had an elder queen, Rudramma, and a younger Chennamma. Chennamma was very beautiful. She gave birth to a son, but he died prematurely. After the death of King Mallasaraja, Chennamma gave her love to Rudramala's son, Shivlinga Rudrasara, and guided him much in the kingdom.
Navratri
By then, the roots of British rule in India had spread far and wide, and the British were in complete terror wherever their rule reached. In the south, Dharwad remained the main centre of the East India Company. The British were also very dominant there. The British officials of the Company Government wanted to expand their rule across India, so they did not like the independence of the small kingdom of Kittur, adjacent to Dharwad.
The kingdom of Kittur was starting to prick them like a thorn in the eye. At that time, King Shivlinga Rudrasarja was the son of Mallasarja's elder queen, King of Kittur. He was a friend of the British and helped the British from time to time, but the British, who wanted to expand their kingdom by deception, soon forgot his friendship, and after his death on September 11, 1824, he ruled over the Kingdom of Kittur.
Navratri
He considered it a great opportunity to win the kingdom. They also found a very good excuse, for the king had died childless. Thus, before his death, the king adopted one of his relatives, Gurulinga Mallasarja, and bequeathed that Rajamata Chennamma would take over the kingdom.
At that time, the British were trying to take control of kingdoms whose kings had died childless. He did not consider the adopted son his heir. This was the policy of the then-Governor General Dalhousie. Therefore, as soon as Shivlinga Rudrasarj died, Dharwad Collector and Political Agent Thackeray refused to accept his adopted son Gurulinga Mallasarj as the heir to the Kittur kingdom and tried to annex Kittur to the British kingdom.
Thackeray sent various messages and inducements to Rani Chennamma. But the Queen did not agree to the terms of her freedom. But soon Thackeray got two traitors named Yallapa Shetty and Venkatarao from Kittur State to serve his purpose. Thackeray lured him into handing over half of the kingdom of Kittoor. In return, he agreed to reveal all of Kittur's secrets and give him the best help.
Navratri
Yallappa told Thackeray that as long as Rani Chennamma was alive, the company could not smell the pulse of the government. On the other hand, Rani Chennamma started thinking of ways to counter British tactics and diplomacy. He saw no reason to despair, for if countrymen like Yallappa Shetty and Venkataravan had come out in Kittoor, there were skillful diwans like Guru Siddappa and knights like Balarnya, Rayaranya, Gajaveera, and Chennavasappa.
Kittur was not in immediate danger. Rani with her faithful Divan After consultation, Thackeray replied that the question of the heirs of the Kittur State was a personal question of the state, in which the company government had no right to interfere. Kittur is an independent state and will remain independent. We will fight if need be; otherwise, we like peace.
Rani Chennamma gave a message to the people of the state: “The company government wants to take Kittur from us, but as long as you have a single drop of Queen's blood in your veins, Kittur will not bow to anyone. It is better to die than to submit, so I will fight armed against the British to save the kingdom from the chains of slavery."
writing
Dr. Suvarna Naik Nimbalkar
TRANSLATION BY POSTBOX TEAM
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