Valour, Legacy and Pride of Bharat: The Queens of Southern and Northeastern India

The history of India is adorned with various extraordinary stories of women who ruled, wielded power, and left a great legacy behind them. Although these stories are often overshadowed by their male counterparts, their courage and unbroken spirits need to be heard and known to every Bharatiya. 

Illustration by The Geostrata

Whether it was by making calculated decisions to save their kingdom or remaining resilient against their enemy forces, these queens played a pivotal role in shaping India’s destiny. Through the annals of time, these warrior women remain alive through stories passed down by generations.

Some are long lost and others are preserved in form tradition, the tales of mighty queens of India can be found from every corner of the country. Here are some of the few powerful examples of courageous women warriors, who kept their hearts ablaze and inspired others, from Southern and Northeastern parts of India: 

QUEENS FROM THE SOUTH OF INDIA

1. Rani Abbakka Chowta(16th century)

Coming from a matrilineal descent, the queen of the Tuluva dynasty, Rani Abbakka Chowta stood as a beacon of courage and resilience against the European forces. Ruling over coastal Karnataka during the latter half of the 16th century, she faced increasing threats from the Portuguese.

The Portuguese always aimed to capture Ullal due to its strategic location. For four decades, she fought fearlessly gaining support from powerful kings like the king Venkatappanayaka of Bidnur. But in the end, due to her husband’s betrayal, Abbakka lost the war and had to spend her last moments in jail fighting for justice for her people. 

For this act of bravery, she is sometimes regarded as the 'first woman freedom fighter of India'. She remained the only queen to confront and defeat the Portuguese. Her iconic relentless pursuit of justice made her immensely popular in the southern state, where the queen’s glory is told through folk songs and the festival "Veera Rani Abbakka Utsava" is an annual celebration held in her memory. 

2. Umayamma Rani(17th Century)

In the late 1600s, Rani Umayamma, the queen of the Attingal kingdom, was the most respected and formidable ruler of Kerala. Kerala during that time was a strong matrilineal society, where the ruler’s title and possessions were passed to his sister’s children.

Being a part of the long line of powerful queens who ruled over Attingal, Umayamma Rani had high regard from the kings of Travancore and the public. She was the regent on behalf of her young nephew Ravi Varma from 1677 to 1684. Soon, Umayamma claimed the thrones in 1685 continued to have sovereign power over him and intervened in the internal affairs of the Trippappoor Swaroopam. 

She managed to balance out the threats from British and Dutch traders. Historians also claim that she led the administrative foundation of modern Travancore. She also managed the finances of the state, by making proper accounts of every village and imposed strict collection of dues, hence converting the Trippappoor from a deficit into a surplus state.

Unfortunately, after the death of Umayamma, the fate of Ranis deteriorated and she became the last independent ruler of Trippappoor.

However, she remained one of the great rulers of Kerala who had a great deal of management of state affairs with huge majestic influence.

3. Velu Nachiyar(18th century)

Hailing from Tamil Nadu, the first Indian queen to fight against the British force was Velu Nachiyar, the only daughter of the King of Ramnad and was born in 1730. She was well-trained in martial warfare and weaponry, and had mastered Silambam(fighting with sticks), archery and horse riding.

In addition to that, she was a scholar in many languages like French, English and Urdu. After the death of her husband, King Muthuvaduganathaperiya, the ruler of Sivagangai, she escaped with her daughter and lived under the protection of Palayakaarar Kopaala Naayakkar at Virupachi. 

She returned with the support of Hyder Ali and built up a large army to counter the Britishers. Additionally, she built a strong women's army aiding for her cause. Her commander Kuyili made a suicide attack by running into the ammunition godown and setting herself on fire, hence constructing the first human bomb.

Despite resistance,  she successfully kept her kingdom safe and was permitted to govern the Sivaganga Country and Chinna Marudu by the Nawab of Arcot for ten more years. Thus remained undefeated from the Britishers till the end. 

Today due to her bravery, strategy to gain support from powerful rulers and rich merchants, and her determination to rule over her kingdom is celebrated all across the nation and remembered as Veeramangai or the “brave woman”.

4. Rani Chennama(18th century)

Rani Chennama was a courageous leader, born in 1778 in the state of Karnataka. Her spirit and actions have been admired by the whole nation. She ruled over the princely state of Kittur in present-day Karnataka and imprinted the idea of female empowerment and defiance in the fight for independence, becoming one of the first women freedom fighters to have fought against British rule in India.

Upon losing both her husband and son, the Britishers refused to accept her adopted son to be the next ruler under the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’. Her strong retaliation led to the conflict between the two forces, and her stride and commitment to protect her kingdom dragged her to the battlefield. 

The first battle between the British and Kittur took place in October of 1824, British forces faced heavy losses. Rani’s lieutenant, Amatur Balappa, killed one of the officers of the British force leading to their defeat.

Taking hostage two British officers, Sir Walter Elliot and Mr. Stevenson, Rani Chennamma tactfully negotiated with the Britishers to stop the war. Humiliated by their defeat, the Britishers treacherously returned with much larger forces from Mysore and Sholapur to attack Kittur once again. 

To counter the fleet of 20,000 British soldiers, she employed guerilla warfare tactics to surprise the force, yet after several days of constant tussling at the end, she faced betrayal by her soldier. Outnumbered by the large strength of the British force, she was defeated in her last battle and was taken into imprisonment.

Despite being captured, her rebellious spirit remained unbroken and her rebellion inspired many other rebellions like the Kittur Rebellion. Due to her sense of patriotism and sacrifice, she is considered a martyr in Karnataka. Since 1824, ‘Kittur Utsava’ has been celebrated in the month of October for her heroic rebellion and bravery.

QUEENS FROM THE NORTHEAST OF INDIA

1. Rani Sati Sadhani (16th century)

The legendary queen of the Chutia dynasty, Rani Sati Sadhani was married to Nityapal. In 1524, the Ahom rulers attacked the kingdom, taking advantage of Nityapal’s weak leadership. To counter the attack by the Ahoms, the Chutia force employed guerilla tactics and faakdhenu (crossbows) and spears for defence.

Betrayed by the former commander, King Nitipal was killed leading to the fall of the Chutia kingdom. As the kingdom was captured, the brave queen entered the battlefield to defend her people. 

Rani Sadhani organized a female fighting squad to contribute to the defence efforts of her army, it consisted of 120 brave well-trained warriors. While fighting against the Ahoms, she was asked to marry one of their governors, but her unruffled soul preferred sacrificing herself rather than dishonouring her pride. Her sacrifice is honoured all across the state and the government of Assam also recognises this day and every year on the 21st April as Sati Sadhani Divas, which is celebrated to honour the brave soul of Rani Sati.

2. Pramateswari Devi (18th Century)

Pramateswari Devi, also known as Phuleswari, was the chief consort of the Ahom king Siva Singha (1714-44). Phuleswari was the first queen of Assam to govern the kingdom directly. She was a great patron of Sanskrit and art and culture. Being a great devotee of Maa Shakti, she angered a lot of Manhantas as she attempted to make Shaktism the state religion followed by deep resentment amongst the Vaishnavas, leading to the Moamoria rebellion and becoming one of the factors for the disintegration of the Ahom Kingdom. 

Despite these, she did some great deeds encouraging sanskrit teaching and also constructed a school dedicated to sanskrit teaching. She minted the title ‘Bar-Raja’ or the ‘Great king’ on the coins with the name of herself and her husband. She supported and provided to a lot of Brahmin preceptors and temples, and also made a lot of land grants to them. She was also credited with infusing infrastructure advancements when she built temples honouring Siva, Vishnu, and Devi on the bank of the Gaurisagar tank, which was excavated by her near the town of Sibsagar. 

Queen Phuleswari Devi remained in the position of Bar Raja from 1722 till her death in 1731 and continued ruling over the dynasty having a stronghold on her kingdom by influencing culture and tradition, hence her resilience brought stability to the kingdom during her rule. 

3. Rani Gaidinliu (20th Century)

Rani Gaidinliu was a Naga spiritual and political leader, who belonged to the Rongmei tribe. She was born in the year 1915, in the Tamenglong district of Manipur. At the age of 13, along with her cousin Haipou, joined the Heraka movement, the uprising against the Britishers to establish the self-rule of the Nagas and aim for the revival of the Naga tribal religion in Manipur. Her continued determination for the cause of Naga revival. 

Even after imprisonment by the Britishers, her mighty soul remained rebellious. She was described as the “daughter of the hills” by Jawaharlal Nehru who gave her the title of ‘Rani’ for her courage. Even after India’s independence, she continued to work for the upliftment of the Naga community. The Government of India recognised her heroic contribution in driving out the Britisher from Manipur and hence issued a postal stamp in her honour in 1996, and a commemorative coin in 2015.

4. Queen Abhayeswari(20th Century)

Queen Abhayeswari Devi belonged to the Bijni Raj estate of Assam. After her husband’s demise, King Kumudnaraya, she took over the throne. She has no royal background or formal education but was a very religious and benevolent ruler, her great administrative power made people honour her with the title of ‘Rani Maa’.

Her contribution and donations during the First World War were also recognised by the British government.

She was presented with the Kaiser-i-Hind Gold medal. Ruling over a zamindari estate, she made different welfare schemes and established a High School in Abhayapuri, the capital of Bijni Rah Estate.

Being uneducated herself, yet her dedication to providing education to her subjects, is an exceptional example of great administration. 

She also constructed hostels to encourage students and provided all kinds of facilities from the royal treasury. In 1910, she established ‘Abhayapuri Balike Vidyalaya’, the only school dedicated to female education for the Bijni Rah Estate. Her keen dedication to her subjects favoured establishing a cordial relationship between the ruler and subject, making her one of the great benevolent rulers of Assam’s history.

India is a land of deep and diverse history, its enriched history is hard to cover in just a few words. Indian history is filled with such stories of great women rulers and warriors who have sacrificed themselves and dedicated themselves to nation-building and had a huge impact on their kingdom over time. 

These queens have served as a beacon of hope and inspired other women to be stalwart in the face of adversity. The fierce justice-seeking queens are the symbols of courage and sacrifice. Benevolent and rational compassionate queens are the proper examples who defied the gender norms and gave us the example that administration and battlefields are not confined to any particular gender or group and sheer will and disciplined commitments can build a warrior soul.

Their contribution to building their kingdom and making structural improvements ultimately led to nation-building. Their legacy kept on rising and their valour and determination made a testament for all of us to follow and appreciate the contribution made by them.

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BY S. PRITICHHANDA

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com