RANI
(RAH-nee)
A
Hindu princess or wife of a rajah
Related
crosswordese: RANEE
Common
clues: Asian princess; Indian
title; Raja’s wife; Calcutta queen; Hindu queen; Indian
royalty; Punjabi princess; Royal in a sari
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
5 times a year
Equestrian
statue of Rani Laxmi Bai at Agra.
Lakshmibai,
The Rani of Jhansi (c. 1828/1835 – June 17, 1858) was the
queen of the Maratha-ruled princely state of Jhansi in North
India. She was one of the leading figures of the Indian rebellion
of 1857, and a symbol of resistance to British rule in India.
Originally
named Manikarnika at birth, she was born to a Maharashtrian
Karhade Brahmin family sometime around 1828 in the Hindu city of
Varanasi.
Moropant
Tambey traveled to the court of Raja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, the
Maharaja of Jhansi, when Manu was thirteen years old.
At
that time, Lord Dalhousie was the Governor-General of India Lord
Dalhousie decided to annex the state of Jhansi under the Doctrine
of Lapse.
But
Rani Lakshmibai was determined to defend Jhansi. She proclaimed
her decision with the famous words :Mi maajhi Jhansi naahi denaar
(I will not give up my Jhansi)[citation needed].
In
September and October 1857, the Rani led the successful defense
of Jhansi from the invading armies of the neighboring rajas of
Datia and Orchha.
In
January of 1858, the British Army started its advance on Jhansi,
and in March laid siege to the city. After two weeks of fighting,
the British captured the city, but the rani escaped in the guise
of a man, strapping her adopted son Damodar Rao closely on her
back. She fled to Kalpi where she joined Tantya Tope, another
maratha general and another leading figure of the 1857 mutiny
(later hanged by the British).
There
is nothing on record to say that she had any hand in planning,
instigating or organizing the mutiny of sepoys at Jhansi. In
fact, she informed the British that she had been ill-treated by
the mutineers and forced to pay money, and she asked for their
help to maintain order. Believing in her innocence, the
Commissioner of Saugor division nominated her to rule in Jhansi
till the British could re-establish their administration. When
the British changed their attitude and suspected her of
complicity in the mutiny, she sent appeals to the authorities
pleading her innocence and professing her loyalty to the British.
If she had succeeded in dispelling the suspicions of the British,
she would have gone to their side.[citation needed] But when at
last she found that the British held her responsible for the
mutiny and massacre at Jhansi, she preferred to fight. And it may
be said to her credit and glory that she died heroically in the
battlefield.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rani
Lakshmibai".
RANI
(247)
34 We >1 09 Indian princess
26
Tu- >1 08 Hindu princess
26
Tu >1 08 Rajah's wife
14
Tu+ >1 00 Punjabi princess
13
We >1 00 Hindu queen
9
We >1 08 Hindu royal RAJA
8
Tu+ >1 08 Rajah's mate
8
Th- >1 06 Sari-clad royal
7
Fr- NYT 07 Eastern royal RAJA
7
Mo >1 07 Sari wearer
6
We >1 07 Indian royal RAJA
6
Tu+ >1 03 Indian royalty RAJA
4
Th >1 08 Asian princess
4
Sa- LAT 07 Asian royal RAJA
4
We+ >1 07 Delhi princess
4
Th- >1 08 Hindu noble RAJA
4
Th- >1 04 Rajah's spouse
4
Fr- >1 07 Royal Indian RAJA
3
Th+ NYT 09 Eastern queen
3
We+ >1 02 Punjab princess
04
Eastern aristocrat
2
Fr- NYS 07 Eastern princess
2
We- >1 05 Important Indian RAJA
2
Th LAT 02 Indian VIP
2
Fr- LAT 05 Indian dignitary
2
Tu- >1 08 Queen of Mount Olympus
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