Rani of Jhansi
| Rani of Jhansi | |
|---|---|
| Rani Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi | |
Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi (portrayed as a sowar)
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| Predecessor | Gangadhar Rao |
| Successor | British Raj |
| Born | Manikarnika Tambe 19 November 1828 Varanasi, India |
| Died | 18 June 1858 (aged 29) Kotah ki Serai, near Gwalior, India |
| Spouse | Jhansi Naresh Maharaj Gangadhar Rao Newalkar |
| Issue | Damodar Rao, Anand Rao (adopted) |
| House | Maratha Empire |
| Father | Moropant Tambe |
| Mother | Bhagirathi Sapre |
Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi (19 November 1828 – 18 June 1858), born as Manikarnika; 
pronunciation , was the queen of the Maratha-ruled Jhansi State, situated in the north-central part of India. She was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and became for Indian nationalists a symbol of resistance to the British Raj.
Lakshmibai was born on 19 November 1828 in the holy town of Varanasi into a Marathi Brahmin family. She was named Manikarnika and was nicknamed Manu. Her father was Moropant Tambe (a retainer of Chimmaji Appa, the brother of Baji Rao) and her mother Bhagirathi Sapre (Bhagirathi Bai). Her parents came from Maharashtra. Her mother died when she was of four years. Her father worked for a court Peshwa of Bithoor district who brought up Manikarnika like his own daughter. The Peshwa called her "Chhabili", which means "playful". She was educated at home and was more independent in her childhood than others of her age; her studies included shooting, horsemanship, and fencing.
Manikarnika was married to the Maharaja of Jhansi, Raja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, in May 1842 and was afterwards called Lakshmibai (or Laxmibai) in honour of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. She gave birth to a boy, later named Damodar Rao, in 1851, who died after four months. The Maharaja adopted a child called Anand Rao, the son of Gangadhar Rao's cousin, who was renamed Damodar Rao, on the day before the Maharaja died. The adoption was in the presence of the British political officer who was given a letter from the Maharaja instructing that the child be treated with respect and that the government of Jhansi should be given to his widow for her lifetime. After the death of the Maharaja in November 1853, because Damodar Rao (born Anand Rao) was adopted, the British East India Company, under Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, applied the Doctrine of Lapse, rejecting Damodar Rao's claim to the throne and annexing the state to its territories. When she was informed of this she cried out "I shall not surrender my Jhansi" (Mai Jhansi ko nahi doongi). In March 1854, Lakshmibai was given an annual pension of Rs. 60,000 and ordered to leave the palace and the fort. Rani Lakshmibai has been known to the British most commonly as "the Rani of Jhansi"; in Hindi she is often known as "Jhansi ki Rani".
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