Kittur Rani Chennamma: India’s Valiant Freedom Fighter

• Early Life:

Rani Chennamma, the Queen of Kittur, was one of the first female rulers to rebel against the British Empire. She was born in a small village Kakati on October 23, 1778. She got trained in archery, sword fighting, and horse riding from a very young age. At the age of 15 years, she was married to Mallasarja Desai, the ruler of Kittur.

Due to her rebellious nature, she was imprisoned. However, she became a folk hero in Karnataka and a symbol of the independence movement in India.

• Fight Against Britishers:

Her husband died in 1816. She had one son, who also died in 1824. After her son's death, she adopted a boy named Shivalingappa and named him the heir to the throne of Kittur.

Her adopted son was not accepted by the British East India Company due to the Doctrine of Lapse introduced by Lord Dalhousie. As per this doctrine, if the ruler of a state dies without a natural heir, the state would be ruled by the sovereign. Thus, the state of Kittur would be brought under British rule.

When she knew this, she sent a letter to the Lieutenant-Governor of the Bombay Presidency and explained her cause. But, the request was turned down, and to confiscate the jewels of Kittur, Britishers attacked Kittur with over 20,000 men.

In the first round of the war in October 1824, the queen was victorious. To avoid further destruction and war, Rani Chennamma negotiated with the British Commissioner Mr. Chaplin and the Governor of Bombay, under whose regime Kittur fell. She released the hostages owing to the British promise that the war would no longer be continued. However, the promise turned out to be only an act of deception.

British forces continued to attack with more force. For 12 days, Chennamma and her soldiers relentlessly defended their fort. She fought bravely but she was betrayed by traitors in her army who mixed mud and cow dung with the cannon gunpowder. Ultimately, Kittur Chennamma and her forces were outnumbered by the large strength of the British forces. Rani Chennamma was defeated in her last battle and captured by the British, who imprisoned her at the Bailhongal Fort for life.

She did not succeed in winning the battle, but she provoked many people to rise against the British Rule and taught a lesson to the British government that Indian rulers will not accept their enforced laws without a good fight.

Her loyal lieutenant Sangoli Rayanna continued the guerrilla war even in her absence up to 1829, but all efforts were in vain. He wished to install Shivalingappa, Chennamma’s adopted son, as the ruler of Kittur, but he was captured and hanged by the British. Shivalingappa was also arrested by the British forces.

• Imprisonment:

After being captured, she spent the last five years of her life in imprisonment at Bailhongal Fort reading holy texts and performing pooja. She took her last breath at the Bailhongal Fort on February 21, 1829.

Rani Chennamma’s samadhi (burial place) is in Bailhongal taluk, under the care of Government agencies.

• Tribute:

Every year, Kittur celebrates the Kittur Utsava from the 22nd to the 24th of October in Rani Chennamma’s name.

Rani Chennamma became a legend. During the freedom movement, her brave resistance to the British formed the theme of plays, songs, and song stories. Folk songs or lavanis were a legion and freedom struggle got a good boost through singing bards who moved throughout the region.

On September 11th, 2007 a statue of Rani Chennamma was unveiled at the Indian Parliament Complex by Pratibha Patil, the first woman President of India. The statue was donated by Kittur Rani Chennamma Memorial Committee and sculpted by Vijay Gaur. Two other statues of Rani Chennamma were also installed at Bangalore and Kittur.

A daily train between Bangalore and Kolhapur was named after the Rani as the Rani Chennamma Express. Her life was also captured on film in the form of a historical-drama film by B. R. Panthulu. The film is named Kitturu Chennamma.