Rani Chennamma of Kittur:
The Government of India marked 200 years of Rani Chennamma’s historic victory at Kittur (1824) with the release of a special Rs 200 commemorative coin celebrating her courage and leadership against British rule.
- Rani Chennamma was born on 23rd October 1778, in Kakati village (Belagavi district, Karnataka) to a Lingayat family.
- She was trained in horse riding, sword fighting, and archery from a young age.
- She married Raja Mallasarja of Kittur and later became queen after his death in 1816.
- Revolt of Kittur (1824): After her husband and son’s death, she adopted Shivalingappa as heir to the Kittur throne.
- The British East India Company refused to recognize the adoption, attempting to annex Kittur, an early instance of what later became the Doctrine of Lapse.
- Rani Chennamma refused to surrender and led an armed rebellion against British officer John Thackery, defeating him in the first battle.
- However, the British retaliated with a larger force under Colonel Deacon, captured the fort, and imprisoned her at Bailhongal Fort, where she died in 1829.
- She is one of India’s earliest freedom fighters, preceding the Revolt of 1857 by over three decades.
- Rani Chennamma is revered as a symbol of courage, justice, and women-led resistance against colonial rule in Karnataka and beyond.
- Her story lives on through folk songs (Janapada), ballads, and theatre, along with the annual Kittur Rani Chennamma Utsav.
