Forgotten Indian Queens

Monarchy has existed since the advent of civilizations. It is one of the oldest forms of governance in which an individual is chosen from a group of people to lead and rule. Most often it is hereditary whereas it can sometimes differ in a way in which an eligible candidate is chosen based on their worth or merit. In India, both forms have existed and thus monarchy in the Indian subcontinent contrasts with monarchy seen in other foreign countries. The process of choosing an able ruler also varies in the way on who chooses one. In many cases, the responsibility is given to an important advisor who is a visionary and an able teacher whereas in other cases, the people of the specific region are involved in planning and decide among themselves on who would lead them.

Indian monarchs have made a mark on Indian history but most of them are male. Female presence is not seen in many cases and if they had been prominent in those days, their achievements have not been highlighted. In the recent years, some female monarchs have been rediscovered and their names written in history but there are a few. It is important to note that women have been actively partaking in administrative processes and have also ruled over their kingdom when situations have asked of them. Hence, it becomes imperative that their names, their lives and their achievements are recorded as they have certainly have influenced historical events.

Velu Nachiyar (1730-96 AD)

Princess of Ramanathapuram and later as queen of Sivganga(1760-90), she was the first queen to fight against British domination in the state of Tamil Nadu. She won the battle in 1780 AD. She was trained in various martial arts such as valari, silambam( stick fighting), horse riding and archery. She is known to a scholar having known multiple languages like French, English and Urdu. Her enmity with British began when her husband Muthuvaduganathaperiya Udaiyathevar was killed by British soldiers and Nawab of Arcot. She allied with Tipu Sultan and Gopala Nayaker. She ruled over her kingdom for over a decade and fought numerous battles to protect her kingdom. She has also been credited with forming a special women's army called Udaiyaal after her daughter. Her death seems to be quite tragic as she has said to have set herself alight due to British inventories.

Didda (958-1003 AD)

She is considered to be the most powerful ruler of Kashmir and nicknamed as Catherine of Kashmir. She belonged to the Vappadava dynasty as daughter of Simharaj of Poonch kingdom. Wife of Kshemagupta, she directed and controlled the kingdom for about 50 years and controlled affairs of the kingdom first as queen, then guardian to son Abhimanyu then regent to her grandsons and finally as an independent ruler. Although, Kshemagupta was the sovereign till his death in 938 AD the power laid in her hands. She would also be called as Diddakshema. She had a large influence over him. This is evident in coins minted during that time with her image carved next to the king. The power remained with her even when her grandsons (Nandigupta, Tribuvana and Bhimagupta) ruled. Her lust for power grew rapidly and eventually had her grandsons killed for the throne. She would ascend and rule up to 1003 AD. She is widely popular for her shrewd administrative skills when handling rebellious ministers and feudal lords in which she would further consolidate her position through diplomacy and military tactics. 

Avanti Bai  (16 Aug,1831-20 March,1858 AD)

She is widely known as a freedom fighter from the Lodhi community who fought against tyrannical British rule in Dindori, Madhya Pradesh, earlier referred to as Ramgarh. She was the queen of Vikramaditya Singh who died in 1851. This left her acting as a regent to her minor son, Amar Singh. The British did not accept this and sent an administrator to the kingdom to sort out the affairs. She dismissed him and declared a war against British authorities. She raised an army of 4000 men during the 1857 revolt. She met the British force the first time in Kheri, near Mandla. She won the battle which led to the British attacking her state. She fled to Devharigarh Hills for her safety. The British set fire to the town and launched an offensive on the hills. She resorted to guerilla warfare but committed suicide by sword on 20 March 1858, due to her inevitable defeat at the hands of the British. Her last wish was said to be that the British left Indian soil and return to their homeland.

Rudrama Devi (1262-1295 AD)

She was the queen of Kakatiya Dynasty and the only woman ruler who led her troops in battle and was killed in 1289 AD. She showcased a particular style of martial arts and ingrained it in her army. she was known to be a tough fighter. she was influential in pushing Eastern Ganga dynasty beyond the Godavari river and successfully defeated Yadavas of Devagiri. She received huge amounts of territory from the latter. She also fought against the Cholas and her nobles who were not ready to accept her as their ruler. She ruled over the region for around 30 years in which she fortified her capital, improved administration and provided irrigational facilities for agriculture.

Begum Hazrat Mahal (1820-1897 AD)

popularly known as Begum of Awadh, she was the second wife of  Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah. Awadh came under British administration in 1856. The Nawab was exiled to Calcutta. She participated actively in the 1857 mutiny along with her supporters including Raja Jailal Singh. They were able to seize Lucknow and Begum declared her son Birjis Qadar as the ruler of Awadh. One of the main causes of her agony was the destruction of India's temples and mosques for construction of roads. The British recaptured Lucknow and parts of Awadh and the begum was forced to retreat.  She worked with Nana Sahib and Maulavi of Faizabad in the attack on Shahjahanpur. She had to escape to Nepal and was given asylum there by Jang Bahadur. She died in 1897 and was buried in Kathmandu's Jama Masjid. The British in 1889 pardoned Birjis Qadar and he was allowed to return home.

Rani Abbakka Chowta (1525-1570 AD)

She was the ruler of Ullal, a small state to the south of Mangalore. Ullal, in those days, was subordinate to Portuguese in Goa. As was the custom, the principality had to pay tribute to the Portuguese and could only trade with them. Abbakka then decided to stop paying tribute and severed trading ties with them. The Portuguese after having known of this decision, sent an envoy to her court to remind the terms of the agreement. She denied it which led to the Portuguese attacking her state's trading ships in 1525 AD. As a response, she launched an attack on Mangalore to drive them away. Portuguese forces attacked Ullal the second time. The Rani took the help from the rulers of Keladi and Calicut to drive them way, which they successfully did. Due to her heroic feats, she gained the name Rani Abhaya or fearless queen.

Rani Durgavati (1524-1564 AD)

A Rajput warrior woman from Chandela Dynasty, she married a Gond, Sangram Shah despite her father's disapproval and him hailing from lower strata of society. Her husband died early in their marriage making her the sole ruler of the region of Gondwana and acted as regent to her young minor son. She ruled over her kingdom for 15 years and died in a battle with Mughal emperor Akbar's general Asaf Khan in 1564. Her reputation as a strong queen emanated from two primary reasons. Firstly, she was known to be the protector of commoners. In one instance, she personally hunted down a tiger which was threatening villages and secondly, her heroic demise after fighting off a massive Mughal army.

 

References

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Amazing Indian Women's Freedom Fighters published in Worldwide Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development by Dr. Nivedita Swami ( Asst. Prof. of History Govt. First Grade College, Kamlapur, Kalaburgi, India)

Gender Perspectives in Indian Context: Critical Responses by Dipak Giri

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The Women Who Ruled India: Leaders, Warriors, Icons by Archana Garodia Gupta

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