Rani Chennamma
Rani Chennamma was the first woman who stood against the British Empire. She was an independence activist who sacrificed everything to protect her kingdom.
Kittur Chennamma was born in Kakati in 1778. She was extremely brave and started learning many skills right from her childhood like archery and horse riding.
At the age of 15 years, she was married to Mallasarja Desai who was the king of Kittur. During the course of her reign, she had to face tragic situations like the death of her husband in 1816 and the death of her son in 1824.
The British tried to capture Kittur’s treasures and jewels but they were unsuccessful. The first war occurred between the British and Kittur in 1824. British forces consist of 20,000 men and 400 guns. However British army faced heavy losses and their two British officers, Sir Walter Elliot and Mr. Stevenson were also taken hostage by Rani Chennamma’s forces. Rani released the hostages on the terms that the war should end there.
In order to complete the revenge British again came back with more forces and attacked Kittur. Two soldiers of Rani’s army, Mallappa Shetty and Vankata Rao, betrayed Chennamma by mixing mud and cow dung with the gunpowder used for the canons.
During the second war, Rani and her soldiers defended their fort bravely for 12 days. Unfortunately, Rani Chennamma was defeated in this battle and was captured by the British, who imprisoned her at the Bailhongal Fort for life.
Rani Kittur Chennamma is still remembered for her extreme courage, bravery and valour.
