| Rani Chennamma | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Rani Chennamma inBengaluru | |
| Maharani of Kittur | |
| Reign | 1816–1828 |
| Predecessor | Mallasarja |
| Successor | Shivalingappa |
| Born | Chennamma (1778-11-14)14 November 1778 Kakati,Belagavi District, present dayKarnataka, India |
| Died | 21 February 1829(1829-02-21) (aged 50) Bailhongal,Bombay Presidency,Company Raj |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Mallasarja |
| Father | Dhulappa Desai |
| Mother | Padmavati |
| Religion | Jainism (by birth) Lingayat-ShaviteHinduism (possibly by marriage) |
Chennamma of Kittur was the Queen of theprincely state ofKittur in present-dayKarnataka. She led an rebellious armed resistance against theBritish East India Company, in order to retain control over her dominion. She defeated the British army in the first war, but died as a prisoner after her second rebellion. As one of the first and few female rulers to lead kittur forces against British colonisation, she continues to be remembered as afolk heroine in Karnataka.
Kittur Chennamma was born on 14 November 1778, in Kakati, a small village in the presentBelagavi District of Karnataka, India. Kakati was a small deshgat (a small princely state). Chennamma's father wasDhulappa Desai and her mother's name was Padmavati. She was born into a Jain family, and her ancestors were follower ofJainism. Later, her family decendents converted toLingayatism much later, she received training in horse riding, sword fighting and archery from a young age. She married Raja Mallasarja of theDesai family at the age of 15, after looking up to him since the age of 9, and she also adopted a Lingayat boy namedShivalingappa as her heir.[1][2]
Chennamma's husband died in 1816, leaving her with a son and a state full of volatility. This was followed by her son's death in 1824. Rani Chennamma was left with the state of Kittur and an uphill task to maintain its independence from the British. Following the death of her husband and son, Rani Chennamma adopted Shivalingappa in the year 1824 and made him heir to the throne. This irked the East India Company, who ordered Shivalingappa's expulsion. The state of Kittur came under the administration ofDharwad collectorate in charge ofSt John Thackeray of which Mr Chaplain was the commissioner, both of whom did not recognize the new rule of theregent, and notified Kittur to accept the British control.
This is seen as a predecessor of the laterDoctrine of lapse Policy introduced later byLord Dalhousie, Governor General of India, to annex independent Indian States from 1848, a doctrine based on the idea that in case the ruler of an independent state died childless, the right of ruling the State reverted or "lapsed" to thesuzerain.
In 1823, Rani Chennamma sent a letter toMountstuart Elphinstone, Lieutenant-Governor of theBombay province pleading her case, but the request was turned down, and war broke out.[3] The British placed a group of sentries around thetreasury andcrown jewels of Kittur, valued at around 1.5 million rupees upon the outbreak of war in order to protect them.[4] They also mustered a force of 20,797 men and 437 guns, mainly from the third troop of Madras Native Horse Artillery in order to fight the war.[5] In the first round of war, during October 1824, British forces lost heavily and St John Thackeray, collector and political agent,[6] was killed in the war.[3] Amatur Balappa, a lieutenant of Chennamma, was mainly responsible for his killing and losses to British forces.[7] Two British officers,Sir Walter Elliot and Mr Stevenson[6] were also taken as hostages.[3] Rani Chennamma released them with an understanding with Chaplain that the war would be terminated but Chaplain continued the war with more forces.[3] During the second assault, subcollector ofSolapur, Munro, nephew ofThomas Munro was killed.[6] Rani Chennamma fought fiercely with the aid of her deputy,Sangolli Rayanna, but was ultimately captured and imprisoned atBailhongal Fort, where she died on 21 February 1829 due to health deterioration.[3]
Sangolli Rayanna continued the guerrilla war to 1829, in vain, until his capture.[3] Rayanna wanted to install the adopted boy Shivalingappa as the ruler of Kittur, but Rayanna was caught and hanged. Shivalingappa was also arrested by the British.[3] Chennamma's legacy and first victory are still commemorated in Kittur, during the Kittur Utsava held on22–24 October every year.
Rani Chennamma's samadhi or burial place is in Bailhongal.[13]
On 11 September 2007 a statue of Rani Chennamma was unveiled at theIndian Parliament Complex byPratibha Patil, the first woman President of India.[14] On the occasion, Prime MinisterManmohan Singh, Home MinisterShivraj Patil,Lok Sabha speakerSomnath Chatterjee,BJP leaderL. K. Advani,Karnataka Chief MinisterH. D. Kumaraswamy and others were present, marking the importance of the function.[15] The statue was donated by Kittur Rani Chennamma Memorial Committee and sculpted byVijay Gaur.[15]
There are also statues commemorating her atBengaluru,Belagavi,Kittur andHubballi.[13]
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