Rani Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi, also known as manikarnika was an Indian queen. She was one of the leading figures in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and became a symbol of Indian nationalists against British rule in India. Rani Lakshmibai was born on November 19, 1828 in the city of Varanasi. Her name is Manikarnika Tambe and her nickname is Manu. Her father is Moropant Tambe and her mother is Bhagirathi Sapre. His parents are from Tambe village of Guhagar taluka located in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
Rani Lakshmibai married Maharaja of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao Newalkar, in May 1842 and was later called Lakshmibai in honor of the Hindu goddess Devi Lakshmi and according to Maharashtrian tradition the women received get a new name after marriage. In September 1851, she gave birth to a son, later named Damodar Rao, who died four months after birth from chronic illness. Maharaja adopted a child named Anand Rao, son of cousin Gangadhar Rao, whose name was changed to Damodar Rao, the day before Maharaja died.
On May 10, 1857, an Indian revolt broke out in Meerut. When news of the uprising reached Jhansi, Rani asked for the permission from the British political officer, Captain Alexander Skene, to form an armed army for protection; Skene accepted this proposal. The city was relatively quiet amidst the bustle of the area in the summer of 1857. Until then, Lakshmi Bai was reluctant to rebel against the British. In June 1857, rebels of the 12th Native Infantry of Bengal captured the Star Fort at Jhansi, containing treasures and magazines, and after persuading the British to lay down their arms with the Promise of Non-Infliction They broke their promise and massacred 40 to 60 Europeans. garrison officers with their wives and children. Rani’s involvement in this massacre is still a matter of controversy. An army doctor, Thomas Lowe, wrote after the uprising and called her “the Jezebel of India… young rani with the blood of the slain on her head”.
