History of Jhansi & Ranee

No reference to Jhansi can ever be complete, without the mention of the famous Ranee (Queen) of Jhansi the valiant queen who fought and became a leading light for the rebellious fighters of the sepoy movement in India of 1857.

Jhansi is in the territory of what is famously called Bundelkhand. It is broken hilly country, rising to heights of 3000 feet, fertile area, but mostly forests especially at the time of the Ranee. Bundelkhand's history is warlike and traditionally its people are very brave, independent in spirit and the area is home to various warrior clans, who were very instrumental in acting as a buffer for the attacks from the north, for the Hindu Deccan kingdoms, specially from the Afghans and later Muslims, until in the later years it was finally annexed to the Mughal empire. Until the 9th century the area was predominantly, under the Rajputs. A famous forerunner in the area, around the 12th century, to the Ranee of Jhansi, was Ranee Durgavati who repelled three Muslim attacks, but died fighting in the last fight in the battle field.

Near by to Jhansi are also the famous mines of Maharajpur, Rajpur, Kimera and Gadasia which have been famous in the past centuries for their diamond mines, and a very large one dug from the mine was kept in the fort of Kalinjar among the treasures of Raja Himmat Bahadur. Much later on, during the reign of the mighty Mughals, specifically during the third Mughal Emperor Akbars reign the diamond mines of Panna produced diamonds to the amount of a lakh of Rupees of the time, annually, and were a considerable source of revenue and employment, but presently in recent times, they have not been too profitable.

Early Bundela History

The people of this Bundelkhand area represent various races who have settled in this area over centuries. The Bundelas - the race who gave the name to the surrounding country - still maintain their dignity as chieftains, by disdaining to cultivate the soil, although by no means conspicuous for lofty sentiments of honour, pride or morality.

Past travellers, centuries ago have recorded on their travels in mid India & also about Datia and Jhansi & recorded that the inhabitants are a stout and handsome race of men, well off and contented. The major prevailing religion in Bundelkhand is Hinduism, as in the past also, although Buddhism & Islam held sway from time to time also

The earliest dynasty recorded, to have ruled in Bundelkhand were the Garhwas, who were succeeded by the Parihars; but unfortunately not much is known of either, except in local folklore poems and songs. About A.D. 8oo the Parihar dynasty, are said to have been ousted by the Chandels, and Dangha Varma, a chief of the Chandel Rajputs, appears to have established the earliest paramount power in Bundelkhand, trying to unite most of the local chieftains, towards the close of the 10th century A.D. Under his dynasty the area attained its greatest splendour in the early part of the 11th century, when its raja, whose dominions extended from the River Jumna to the Narbadda river, marched at the head of 36,000 horse and 45,000 foot, with 640 elephants, to oppose the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni.

In 1182 the Chandel dynasty was overthrown by Prithvi Raj, the romantic and brave ruler of Ajmer and Delhi, who is immortalised in Indian folklore as the one who amongst other things opposed Mahmud of Ghaznavi  17 times, and prevented the Muslim invaders from entering into Hindustan, but after him the country remained in ruinous anarchy until the close of the 14th century, when the Bundelas, a spurious offshoot of the Garhwa tribe of Rajputs, established themselves on the right bank of the Jumna river.

One of them took possession of Orcha by treacherously poisoning its chief. His successor succeeded in further extending the Bundelas state, but he is represented to have been a notorious plunderer, and his character is further stained by the assassination of the celebrated Abul Fazl, the prime minister and historian of Akbar, the third Mughal Ruler. 

Jajhar Singh, the third Bundela chief, unsuccessfully revolted against the court of Delhi, and his territory, & became incorporated for a short time, with the Mughal Empire. The struggles of the Bundelas for independence resulted in the withdrawal of the royal troops, and the admission of several petty states as feudatories of the empire on condition of military service. 

Towards the end of the Mughal dynasty the Bundelas, especially under Champat Rai and his famous son - Chhatar Sal, offered a successful resistance to the efforts of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. On the occasion of a Mahommedan invasion in 1732, Chhatar Sal asked and obtained the assistance of the Mahratta Peshwa, whom he adopted as his son, also giving him a third of his dominions for the Peshwas support against the Mughals.

The Mahrattas gradually extended their influence over Bundelkhand, especially around the Third Battle of Panipat and in 1792 the Peshwa was acknowledged as the lord paramount of the country. The Mahratta power was, however, on the decline; the flight of the Peshwa from his capital Poona to Bassein before the British arms changed the aspect of affairs and by the treaty concluded between the Peshwa and the British government, the districts of Banda and Hamirpur were transferred to the latter.

Two chiefs then held the ceded districts, Himmat Bahadur, the leader of the Sanyasis, who promoted the views of the British, and Shamsher, who made common cause with the Mahrattas. In September 1803, the united forces of the English and Himmat Bahadur compelled Shamsher to retreat with his army. In 1809 Ajaigarh was besieged by a British force, and again three years later Kalinjar was besieged and taken after a heavy loss. 

This photo shows the main side of the fort & road leading to the main Jhansi fort gate, most other famous gates are now not useable or sealed up. The flag pole atop the round parapet on left is supposed to be the point from where the Ranee of Jhansi jumped off from the fort, with her adopted son Damodar tied to her back on her favourite horse, to escape the storming British soldiers. The horse died around 500 yards on left from where the photo is taken and is commemorated, with a huge statue of the Ranee on the horse. As a historical recollection now days, on the fort ramparts, they have the light and sound shows, depicting the Life of the Ranee.

In 1817, by the treaty of Poona, the British government acquired from the Peshwa all his rights, interests and pretensions, feudal, territorial or pecuniary, in Bundelkhand. In carrying out the provisions of the treaty, an assurance was given by the British government that the rights of those interested in the transfer should be scrupulously respected, and the host of petty native principalities in the province is the best proof of the sincerity and good faith, with which this clause has been carried out. During the mutiny of 1857, however, many of the chiefs rose against the British, the Rani of Jhansi being a notable example. The main reason for the Jhansi Ranee to Mutiny against the later British was, the British not honouring this particular clause made around 1820 with the local Bundella chiefs and which had sidetracked her rights to rule Jhansi.

In 1615 the fort of Jhansi was built, on a steep sided rock, by the Raja of Orcha, a neighbouring kingdom about 6 kms from Jhansi. Oral tradition recorded that a visiting prince, on requesting the Orcha Raja if he could see the new fort being built from the Orcha fort ramparts, was replied - Jhain si "like a shadow", and it became the name of the new fort and later the township, that developed around it.

As earlier recorded, around the 17th century Aurangzeb the Mughal ruler, was on a quest to Islamise Hindoostaan (India) and Chatra Saal a famous leader of Bundelkhand fought against the Imperial Mughal army of Aurangzeb, defeated them and captured the generals. Aurangzebs attention however being drawn more to the Deccan, specially the new growing Mahratha kingdom south, developing under Chatrapati Shivaji, left the Bundelkhand area alone, and on his death in 1707, the area remained independent. Around 1733 the Marathas were handed over parts of Chatrasals kingdom including Jhansi as gratitude when an ageing Chatra sal requested the Peshwa military assistance against the Moslem ruler of Allahabad.

In 1759, when a rebellion broke out, it was sternly put down by a Mahratta general Raghunath Rao, and the Peshwas made him ruler of Jhansi, which seat became hereditary. After subsequent rulers in 1818 the Peshwas seat of power in Poona, was totally taken over by the British, and the then local Jhansi ruler joined the British on his own accord. A treaty signed between the British and Jhansi rulers, accepted their sovereignty and hereditary rights to the Jhansi throne. In 1825 when a rebellion broke out in Central India the British were caught unawares and the Jhansi ruler of the time, Ramachandra, supported the British in subduing the rebellion.

For the support provided, the then Governor General Lord William Bentick made a special visit to Jhansi and conferred the title of Maharaja on the ruler, who also begged the British to be allowed to fly the Union Jack on the Jhansi fort. Ramachandra, a simple minded person, also assisted the British in the Burma war, with large sums of money approximately Rs 70,000, which left the treasury in a bad shape, as Ramchandra refused to accept repayment from the British, and the people and neighbouring chiefs of Jhansi were not very happy, as the state treasury was bankrupted. In 1835 on his death, his uncle who succeeded him was not much useful and he died three years later, to be succeeded by his brother Gangadhar Rao, who proved to be an able administrator and a Prince of considerable dignity, foresight and resolution. He was instrumental in controlling the local chieftains around Jhansi, suppressed Thuggee in the area, and also by able administration earned the respect of the British agents.

According to the records of Sir William Sleeman, British resident at the Jhansi court at that time, the city had 60,000 people and was celebrated for the manufacture of carpets, crafts and jewellery. Business was encouraged and conducted safely. There was general peace after a long time and people were content. However Gangadhar Rao did not have any children and his first wife Ramabai died childless. He was very interested in directing theatre plays and arts and did not marry again for a long time.

In 1842 the aged Peshwa Baji Rao II, now living in Bithoor sent word to Gangadhar Rao, recmmending a fine girl for his wife. This was the future Ranee of Jhansi - daughter of Moropant Tambe and his wife Bhagirathi.

Moropant was a wise and brave Maharatha who had made a mark in the Peshwas court, but at that time lived in Benaras. A daughter was born and named Manakarnika, one of the names of the Holy Ganges River, lovingly called Manu and bought up in a very liberal manner, for the times, by her father. He taught her sword fighting, kite flying, racing, rifle and pistol shooting, horse riding, reading and administrative work. It is said, the mostly un-lettered sepoys who fought the 1857 war, in later years, saw a heavenly support on the Ranee, as of one, born in the lap of the holy river Ganges.

A lot of stories of her determination as a child are recorded in Bundelkhandi folklores. Her mother a beautiful woman was instrumental in inculcating in her the religious fervour noted in later years. Benaras at that time was a high centre of learning, manufacture of silk shawls, and a world renowned market for garments and a prosperous centre of trade.

Later on, Moropant moved to Bithoor, to be with the exiled Peshwa and his court. Here a young Manu came in contact with three other youngsters her age, who later-on were leaders of the Indian mutiny of 1857. So Nana Saheb, Rao Sahib, Tatya Tope and Manu became friends for life. Due to her vivacious nature, aggressive attitude for learning and her wit, her boldness, she was fondly called "Chhabeli" (Quick witted/tomboyish) by the elderly Peshwa.

In 1842 on marrying Gangadhar Rao, Manu and her father moved to Jhansi. The wedding took place with great pomp and fanfare. Her name was changed to Lakshmibai (also spelt Laxmibai), as was the tradition in those days. In 1851 after a visit to Benaras with her husband the queen gave birth to a boy and there was much rejoicing in the city, people celebrated and lots of sweets and alms were distributed to the poor. Finally the ruler of Jhansi had a future king and the dynasty would continue

However the child died in three months and there was great despair. The king was desperate for a male heir, and knew the consequence of this, as the British were annexing all princely states on the merest pretexts. The maharaja became sick and suffered a lot. However before he died he adopted a child, in the presence of the towns gentry and the British agents, in a lavish ceremony. He had willed the Queen Lakshmibai to be "Malika" or Crown regent to the young Damodar, the adopted son, which was also accepted by the resident British agent . Two days later on 21 November 1853 he died, believing the British would keep their promise to his adopted son and his queen.

Under normal circumstances it would not have been an issue, but Lord Dalhousie the newly appointed Governor General was on a quest of mass annexation of all Indian territories in the country. His doctrine of Lapse, of annexing kingdoms, with no male heir, was a precursor to the famous mutiny, where thousands of lives were lost. This was a major cause of concern for the young widow of Gangadhar, who realized how precarious the situation was. The Hindu childless widow of the time was a pariah, looked down upon, and almost resented for even being alive, by the society of the time.

However Ranee Lakshmibai was a strong person who wanted to look after Jhansi as a regent for the young Damodhar, her adopted son. Immediately on taking over the rule, she gave up purdah, (practice of keeping face covered and not meeting people one to one) a startling idea at the time, and mingled freely with her subjects, shrewdly maintaining purdah with the British however. She lived a simple, devout, disciplined life, maintained strict religious practice and prayer. Various petitions were strongly sent by her to the British espousing the case of her state to remain sovereign, but under British rule.

However on the 27th of February 1854 the Governor General rejected the Ranee's pleas not to annexe the state. The seat was hereditary as per the earlier agreement with the British. The Jhansi throne had never been a gift to the Jhansi rulers by the British. When news was relayed to her by the British agent, she was very upset & angry, but controlled herself with great difficulty, & spoke the now famous lines in a loud and melodious "Meri Jhansi nahin dungi" - I will not give up my Jhansi.

Major Ellis the British agent now suddenly made in charge of Jhansi, in these circumstances, was fully respectful of the Ranee and assured her his full support for her. But the Ranees main worry was her subject's well being. There was much gloom in the city that day and shops remained closed in protest. The Ranee was very distressed, thousands of people went bare foot and bare headed to the palace, a Hindu mark of grief. Moropant Tambe persuaded them to go back home as the Ranee would find a way out. Hearing of this the Ranee stopped weeping and regained courage, touched by her subjects show of concern. After consulting her ministers she sent a mission to London also, to plead her case which was not much successful. Much time and money was spent on this mission.

She had to leave her palace and for 3 years took residence as allocated by the British, outside the fort area. She bade her time, coming close to her subjects, all the more. The general feeling in the population was that their beloved Ranee and Jhansi were given a bad deal and resentment towards the British started . According to reports of the time, the Ranee was of medium height, wheatish complexioned and handsome looking, her attire was more liberal then ordinary for the time, and she wore minimal jewellery. She carried a small pearl encrusted pistol in her cummerbund and had a sword with her also.

The British rule on Jhansi had severe economic drawbacks. Jhansi was very famous for its carpets, brass works, carved furniture etc. The Maharaja's army was disbanded and only a few hundred strong army was retained, the Indian administrators were replaced by a few British men and trade and business suffered badly. With the disappearance of the native court, the local tradesmen, handloom, business people, soldiers all disappeared. The British became richer and the locals poorer.

The scene was ripe for a rebellion. Local trades were replaced by British goods from Manchester and transported in huge quantities by the new Indian railways.

The disbanded soldiers became a burden with no other work, on their farming families, already burdened by heavy taxes. For example, on annexing the Nawabs state of Oudh, (Modern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and parts of Bengal) an army of 60,000 men was disbanded. The Christian missionaries were also very keen to convert en-masse and this upset the sentimentalities of the traditional Hindus and Muslims alike. When the rumour for the greased Enfield rifle cartridges spread, it was the proverbial last straw that broke the camel's back.

This was the introduction of the new Enfield modern rifles issued to the army, where instead of pouring gunpowder into the gun muzzle, and hammering a ball and firing the gun with a flintlock action, the cartridge was loaded into gun, ready to fire. However it was rumoured, the cartridge was greased in cow and pig's tallow (fat), which was a big taboo for the Hindus and Muslims respectively and very much against their faith and religion. The army sepoys enquired of their officers, about the fat greased cartridges but were rebuffed and so they retaliated. The army garrison in Meerut on 10 May 1857 mutinied against their officers, under the supposed leadership of Mangal Pandey, they freed the imprisoned comrades and marched to Delhi. Before this the natives had been passing information to all rebel posts and people with sympathetic support to their cause, with "rotis" the Indian flat bread.

The political situation at the time was tumultuous. There were very few British officers and soldiers in control of the huge Indian sepoys. The British East India Company had become a powerful army, from being traders and was bent on conquering India and looting the riches. This was the time when the East India company had grown too rich and strong and the British were becoming more political rulers, pitting princes against each other & supporting one against the other with military strenght. The general population was in unrest, the traditional zamindars were being replaced by District Collectors and economic hardship was felt by the common men, due to high taxes. Laws were made in London for Indian people, mostly by people who did not have any idea of Indian customs, traditions, hierarchy etc.

When the mutiny broke out in central India, Calcutta and Punjab, at that time major British garrisons were cut off from each other. South of India and even Bombay and Madras did not rise to the rebels cause at all and the mutiny was more a northern Indian issue. The rulers of Gwalior state however remained very pro British and it is rightly argued, that had that state joined the rebel cause earlier, things may have turned other wise. This is also recorded in correspondence and reports later by the British. However it is a debatable issue, seeing that the mutiny was not really having any strong visionary leadership and was never a national issue really, but more a localized attack with the sepoys fighting in isolation all over, rather then nationally as  one body. In most places the sepoys themselves resorted to looting, harassing the general population and specially the local rulers, moneylenders and traders and even The Last Mughal Emperor in Delhi and the Jhansi Ranee were not spared by these mutineers. It was a case of ordinary uneducated soldier men, suddenly becoming powerful, with most not knowing what and how to do things at all. Many an opportunity was lost by them due to poor leaders, isolated attacks and no war game plans. The mutineers had large numbers and great amounts of ammunition then the British

At the time, Jhansi was surrounded all around by rebellious sepoys in the north, but peaceful on the south front. However the British in Jhansi stationed there did not realize the gravity of the local army's angst and kept things normal. But the sepoys in Jhansi also rebelled and killed almost all their officers and women and children of European decent. The Ranee thought not involved in this massacre was blamed by the British high command in Calcutta, contrary to reports from local Europeans & the resident British agent in Jhansi. The High command in Calcutta saw it as a political excuse to annexe Jhansi, to British rule

The sepoys then marched over to the Ranee and demanded her support to go to Delhi. Overpowered by sheer numbers, not having any body guard and armed support she diplomatically kept herself aloof helped some British women escape and stayed neutral. After a few days the sepoys decided to leave Jhansi and march to Delhi, as was happening from most parts of north India, and forced the Rani to give them a large sum of money and horses etc. The Rani was quiet happy to see them go as they had been terrorizing the local civilians and looting the city. She soon called upon her populace to keep things under control and appointed key people to look after the police, army, treasury etc as there were no British left to do so.

She then informed the British resident in nearby Sagar, Major Erskine in early June of the state of affairs in Jhansi. The Major thanked the Rani and requested her to govern Jhansi till a replacement was sent forth. However his superiors in Calcutta thought otherwise. There seems to have been some serious communication problems at this time, as can be expected in such uncertain times. However the Rani soon realized that the British were not keen on keeping their word and so on requests from her subjects and Ministers she started to prepare for a fight with the British.

She is recorded to have been the most unorthodox ruler in India, ever seen. No class distinction was made on grounds of religion, colour or caste, and appointments were made on merit to Hindus and Muslims alike. Most of her army generals were Muslims of Afghan origin.

Soon on taking the throne she was challenged by one Sadasheo Rao to the throne of Jhansi, but in two different skirmishes he was defeated and later imprisoned. Then the Princes of Datia and Pihari, thinking of the Ranee as women, came forward to wrest Jhansi from the Rani, but were defeated crushingly. Later a formidable attack was raised by Larhi Bai, Ranee of Orcha, under a huge army, but they too were defeated. All these victories proved to be a great morale booster to the Jhansi army and civilians and raised the Ranees image in their eyes.

In other parts of north India there was huge turmoil. The rebellion had spread like wildfire all over northern India. Delhi had been under the sepoys control for months and an almost 80 year old Mughal monarch - Bahadur Shah Zaffar, was forced to be their titular head, much against his own wishes, but some records suggest under pressure from his Begum. However on 22 September the British attacked Delhi and even thought the sepoys outnumbered and resisted for a while, the British forces soon captured Delhi, imprisoned the Last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, and effectively soon the Mutiny of 1857 was literally crushed. However Lucknow, Cawnpore and some other strongholds held on for a few more months.

But by early 1858 the British had captured Delhi, cleared up the State of Oudh and so they turned their attention to Central India. When war with the British became imminent the Ranee asked for volunteers and 14000 men and women volunteered to support her, in Jhansi on the first day.

Spurned on by their success in northern India, the East India Company directors, being very vary of the Ranee and her prowess, created a separate command to campaign against Jhansi from the safe Bombay base. Such was the awe of the Ranee. It is recorded that a special army train was sent out from Bombay for the fight against Jhansi.

Sir Hugh Rose a seasoned veteran army commander of vast Middle Eastern experiences was called in to head what was a newly formed Central India Field Force. He was a proven campaigner who had been a very successful army leader of vast strategic experiences and success. On 19 September 1857 after landing in Bombay he got down to the task of meticulous preparation against Jhansi.

In early December he arrived at Indore, the advanced base camp and took over command. After a brief rest he captured Sehore and Rahatgur forts, strategically controlled by Rohillas and Bundellas. Soon he reached Sagar, about 125 kms from Jhansi, where he made his final preparation for the battle against Jhansi, by replenishing his food supply, ammunition and all commodities and was amply supplied so, by a Parsee shopkeeper in Sagar, who are recorded by British reports to have charged the British heavily also.

In fact a special military railway supply train was established for his campaigns support. The local terrain was very harsh for the British army, the local inhabitants were most uncooperative towards the British and above all the summer of 1858 proved to be, ne of the hottest ever recorded, which were all challenges for Sir Hugh Rose. A few local Rajas around Jhansi also put up resistance against the British to support the Ranee. However early morning of 20 March 1858, he finally reached Jhansi.

The Ranee of Jhansi was also getting ready with her fortification, making more ammunition and training her soldiers and even a unit of women warriors was formed She also appealed for assistance from Tatya Tope, her childhood friend, as he was close by in Kalpi with a huge army. He had early success against the pro British local rulers, in the area, however he was very badly upstaged by a very small British army strategically managed by Sir Hugh Rose himself. This was when the attack on the Jhansi fort had already begun by the British and the Jhansi forces were fighting a lonely battle with no support from anyone. The spirit of the Jhansi army which had sky rocketed on seeing Tatya Tope's forces, close to Jhansi, were crashed to the ground on seeing their rout by the British in a single encounter. In fact a small number of approximately 1500 British soldiers defeated a 20,000 strong Indian army within half  a day or so & secured a huge cache of badly required arms and ammunition also

While this was going on, the British and Jhansi forces were gunning each other heavily, day and night. Around the 24th March 1858 more British Brigades had joined Sir Hugh Rose and the Jhansi city was surrounded. Tatya Tope was defeated around end March, in what is recorded as the Battle of the Betwa. (a local river )This was a decisive battle for the Indian sepoys, as it turned the tables badly on them, leaving the Ranee all alone in Central India and depending only on her local supporters. This defeat also demoralized the Jhansi army and suddenly Sir Hugh Rose became a General of unimaginable deeds, for with 1500 men he routed Tatya Tope's army of over 20,000 men in a swift encounter.

The Ranee thought badly disheartened, kept her forces morale & spirits up, with a stirring speech enforcing them not to loose courage, reminding them that in the last few days they had already been fighting the British without the Peshwas army anyway. The British who had come to an end of their ammunition, were suddenly replenished from the arsenal of Tatya Tope's defeated army, and spurred by success the British General stormed Jhansi on 3 April 1858.

Jhansi, as part of Bundelkhand was ruled for many centuries by the Bundelas, the Rajputana Rajputs & other warlike tribes, who forged a style of governance, attire, language, food etc suitable to the regions extreme climate. This dress sense can still be seen in some of the interior villages of Bundelkhand, on special occasions like their weddings etc even today.

However it is recorded by local historians that the British gained entrance to the weakened Jhansi fort due to treachery of a local chieftain who was guarding the Orcha Gate. He informed the British of the weakest spot to assault. With great difficulty the British did climb the ramparts of the fort and when the Ranee was awakened and told the south side guns were silent, she surveyed the scene with her binoculars, saw the British army soldiers in her fort and led the devoted 1500 Afghan and Arab soldiers and fell on the British with such ferocity the British had to retreat and break up ranks to survive.

A fierce battle ensued with the Ranee on her white charger, in the midst of it. Although the enemy had been checked they were not dislodged, the Ranee being outnumbered, and on advise from an old veteran, reluctantly retreated. From behind walls and houses the British were still attacking the Ranee's forces. Houses were set on fire, animals were running amuck and shrieks of children and women filled the air. In the palace the Ranee was very perturbed and wanted to fight to death, but the old veteran again persuaded her to stay calm and not to just give up her life.

For two days the British slowly and steadily inched forward, destroying houses as they moved forward, burning them down. The Jhansi civilians were defending their homes, men were being killed by the British in front of their families and it became evident the Ranee had to leave or be captured. Before departing she distributed money and gold to her faithful followers and urged them to go into town and save themselves.  Then with a very small group of her most faithful soldiers she dashed out of the palace, farewelled by her loyal subjects in the fort and rode out, through the fighting and the cordon of soldiers surrounding the fort. The escape was so audacious that no one believed she had escaped, and General Rose was furious and sent a posse of soldiers to capture her, but though seen by the British soldiers, the Ranee escaped.

It is alleged that just on finishing her meal at a place called Banda, a Lieutenant Dowker, in charge of the chase party, surprised her and her followers, a brief skirmish followed in which the Ranee herself dislodged the Lieutenant and would have killed him, but he was saved by one of his cavalryman. In this confusion, the Ranee and her followers escaped and reached Rao Saheb Peshwas camp in Kalpi, a distance of over 100 miles.

Meanwhile the Battle for Jhansi was over by the evening of 4 April 1858. By all accounts the city and fort were systematically looted, burnt and destroyed. The men were hanged to make an example and the local people were shot at point blank range. There was plundering and houses were set on fire. Whole colonies burned and the oppressive heat and thirst felt was horrible, in the searing heat. Women and children threw themselves in to the wells to escape death, but as they surfaced for air, the British soldiers shot their bobbing heads.

Jhansi was one of the richest cities in India at the time and the loot collected was in millions of pounds. Looting was systematically done by the victorious army and it is said the Hyderabad, Madras and Bombay army units were actually allocated different days to go for the looting.

Meanwhile the Ranee reached the Peshwas camp at Kalpi, just past midnight and in the morning had a verbal confrontation with her childhood friend Rao Saheb, who was the Peshwa now. However the Peshwa calmed her and praised her valiant effort against the English. The Ranee asked for an army to lead and to fight the English again. A military march past was organized. The Ranee soon noticed that most people in the army march past were not trained soldiers but the hangers on like cooks and ancillary units of backup people, Although a large army, it was not as disciplined and trained as the Ranee wanted and she later on started to train the soldiers. However there was not much time and also the Rani realized the various factions and egos amongst the rebel leaders.

Meanwhile around 25 April 1858 General Rose left Jhansi to attack Kalpi. The Rani prepared a plan tactfully and presented it to the rebel leaders, who did not take it seriously. Soon General Rose attacked the fort, entered it and the rebel army was on the run again. Tatya Tope abandoned his army, under pretext of visiting his parents. Rani Lakshmibai though disheartened that her plan was not put to action, still kept hopes. Bitter quarrels flared up within the rebel army, each blaming the other. Morale was at a low and most of the Peshwas soldiers, had fled or were in hiding in the forests. Miraculously the Nawab of Banda arrived with 2000 cavalry and this new backup fused enthusiasm amongst the demoralized army and the retreating soldiers came back.

The summer heat was taking its toll heavily on the European soldiers. Kalpi fort situated on a high rock was well protected with the ravines of the Jamuna River. General Hugh Rose devised some very meticulous planned strategies and almost defeated the enemy. The Peshwa and the Banda Nawab were ready to retreat, when the Ranee urged them not to and headed straight for the thickest battle ground and fell on the British so furiously, the British withdrew. However the camel corp. of the British under General Rose himself created damage to the rebels and the Peshwa retreated to Kalpi, and without proper back up support it forced the winning Ranee to withdraw also.

With this withdrawal, all was literally lost for the rebels; the British entered Kalpi easily and captured a huge armoury of the rebels ammunition and guns. The rebel cause was as good as lost, in central India.

The rebel leaders all retreated to a place called Gopalpur, but with hardly any ammunition, a demoralized army, no fortress, food and no support they were at wits end. However a plan was decided to take the fort of Gwalior, as a last resort, a plan so desperate it was audacious. Tatya Tope had connections in Gwalior, of trust and he set off immediately to scout the situation out. He soon reported back that if the Peshwa entered Gwalior there would be support for him. However the Gwalior states Prime minister was a British stooge and when the Peshwa not wanting a confrontation sent a letter to Gwalior for assistance, the Scindia Maharaja wanted to impress his British masters and marched out with his army and fired on the Peshwas army, which shocked them all, specially Tatya Tope who had been promised support from the Gwalior army seniors, only a day or so ago

However the Ranee with 200 men fell upon the Gwalior army. The soldiers, already in two minds gave up on seeing the Ranee. The Maharaja just escaped back to Gwalior and fled to Agra, to the British camp. The Peshwa entered Gwalior triumphantly and held a darbar that evening. Festivities are said to have kept going for over a fortnight. The Ranee was much perturbed by all this and finally she confronted & scolded the Peshwa, who could not get the gist of the matter and had wasted precious time in merriment instead of getting ready for the battle with the British which was eminent.

Thus once again the rebels lost precious time doing nothing. They had a huge well trained army, guns, cannons, ammunition and everything they had lost at Kalpi. The Ranees plea fell on deaf ears, and she retreated to wait and watch. In the meantime General Rose cancelled his holiday leave and returned to attack Gwalior. As before, he scouted the area, and camped at Morar near Gwalior around the 16th of June 1858.

Tatya Tope now approached the Ranee for advice and she furiously told him what she thought of Rao Saheb. However she was prepared to fight the English. With her men and the Gwalior contingent she attacked the British lines with ferocity and scattered them. It is alleged; the Ranee was holding her horses reins in her mouth and fighting with swords in each hand, an art she used to practice regularly in Jhansi. She was in the thick of battle, when she fell from a shot from a carbine, mortally wounded while trying to attack the 8th Hussars who had just joined the battle.

One of her faithful servants carried her away to the rear. Her 200 faithful soldiers fought to the last men and women, that day. There are very many conflicting accounts of what happened next. The British accounts of two senior officers contradict each other and most probably are hearsay of the time.

The local Indian account states that she was wounded in the skirmish that day. She died on the second day of the four day battle of Gwalior, fighting the Hussars, near dusk time. On being injured her faithful, a Muslim lady and others who never left her side, took her away to the monastery of a nearby Hindu ascetic, Baba Gangadas, who sensing the end was near, poured some holy Ganges water into her parched lips, she opened her eyes and asked for her adopted son Damodar, felt him lovingly, gave her pearl necklace to be distributed to her loyal followers and breathed her last. Fearing the Hussars and British army and mockery that may follow of the brave Ranees dead body, the followers and saint decided to carry out her last rites and she was religiously burnt amongst chartings of the Vedic rhymes.

With the passing away of the Ranee Lakshmibai of Jhansi, the mutiny lost its total appeal, the rebels dispersed almost immediately, Gwalior and also Jhansi was handed over to the Scindia family and the British declared the mutiny officially as over. The bravest warrior of the Indian Mutiny was no more, but she left an example for generations to follow.

Tatya Tope survived and harassed the British for a few years, carrying guerrilla warfare most successfully. However he was betrayed by a loyal friend and hanged on 18 April 1859, in Sipri and he entered the annals of Indian freedom fighters with a smile on his face. Rao saheb took sanyas (renouncement of the world) wondered around north India for four years and was caught in the Punjab by a British spy; court tried again and hanged at Bithoor on 20 August 1862. A few local skirmishes kept harassing the British in central India for a few years, but the main thrust of the Indian War of Independence 1857 or call it the Sepoys revolt of 1857, effectively ended with the death of Maharani Lakshmibai of Jhansi.

Summarisation of the 1857 Revolt / Mutiny or Freedom fight of India

On studying the action of the sepoys during the uprising of 1857 we may normally quote the following main reasons as causes for failure of the Indian Mutiny:

• Lack of centralized planning and leadership amongst the sepoys, was probably the major cause of failure. Lack of men power control led to indiscipline, which led to looting, plundering and harassment of the general populace, the very people they were supposed to have freed and liberated. The disgruntled populace then, not only not support the sepoys, but also wished they were not there, in most cases.
• No battle plans, or action or scouting of enemy ranks and lines done, during battle times also, which resulted in many an opportunity to have defeated the British being lost, specially in Delhi, Kalpi, Gwalior  and even Jhansi. Thus a disciplined British army though very less in numbers had a major success over huge Indian rebel numbers.
• The mistrust of rebel leaders on one another, lack of foresight and easy living of most had its toll also and except for isolated cases, success was not achieved.
• The greased cartridge issue was more religious, then political, both for Hindus and Muslims and bought them fiercely together against the British of the time, success capitalization of this situation, could not be achieved on this point, probably due to lack of leadership.
• Lack of proper communication facilities amongst the Indian rebels, as against the telegraphic message channels of the British command, the communication was still person to person by physical travel and pigeon couriers etc.
• Over confidence of the Indian rebels on themselves and under estimating their British officers.
• The British idea of divide and rule worked wonders for them, as they baited many a rebel to pass on vital information of enemy positions and details which assisted the British tremendously, up to the point that even fort gates were opened for the British to enter, literally unopposed.
• The cruelty of the Sepoys to humiliate, murder the European women and children and later harassment of the Indian business community, general looting of the populace, did not adhere kindly to the general populace. Although the British did similar mass slaughters, of the rebel men, even the  women and children were not spared. But the ruling power of the time was British and history was so written to tarnish the sepoy movement, while the cause was primarily East India Company's personnel's greed.

There was a popular little lyric which is well known in the area, which goes as follows; Jhansi gali ki fasi Datia gale ka haar (Jhansi is a noose on the neck, while Datia is a garland). This lyric must have probably circulated after the huge massacre in Jhansi by the British in 1858.)

Datia is very close to Jhansi & there was, as is now also a very active interaction between the people of Jhansi and Datia. The local rulers of the two principalities fought battles against, and along side, each other, during the course of history. Unfortunately for the Jhansi ki Rani the rulers of Datia did not offer the support sought at the time of her battle against the British in 1857/58

The painting records a local wedding, probably some local ruler. Note the finery of the clothing and the lavish decorations in the background. Note the painters detail to facial expression, the dresses & other finer details.

This painting shows the Fort of Jhansi. This painting is in the museum at Jhansi and would be around 1840 .Shows the hillock, the fort is erected on and some local traders of the time. Note the wooden staff or spear in the hands of the turbaned person in centre. All three men have distinctive headgear, a compulsory feature in those days. My view is that this is the side facing the "Sahar" city area of today, the main gate of present day would be hidden behind at the left side.

Painting of founding Raja of Orcha, Maharaja Rudrapratap Judev, a popular principality near to Jhansi. The place still retains its rustic charm, a lovely fort and palace and a 5 star resort hotel at the foot of the mountain fort. Every Tuesday they have a mass prayer session in the local temple, attended by loyal devotees.