Kittur Chennamma was the Indian Queen of Kittur which was a princely state in the state of Karnataka. She fought the British East India Company against the Doctrine of Lapse in the year 1824 and also defeated the British troops. However, she died in captivity in the company’s second rebellion. She was one of the first female rulers to fight the British. It has become a symbol of the Indian independence movement.
Highlights
Chennamma was born in the year 1778 in Kakati. The village is currently located in Karnataka’s Belgavi district. She is from the Lingayat community. She learned horseback riding and swordsmanship from an early age. She married Raja Mallasarja at the young age of only15.
War against the British
Kittur Chennama had sent a request to the Vice Governor of the Bombay Presidency. However, her application was rejected and a war broke out. In the first round of the 1824 war, British troops were defeated. However, during World War II, Chennama was captured and imprisoned at the Bailhongal Fortress. She died here in the year 1829.
Kittur Chennama’s son and husband died in the year 1824. Therefore, it was Chennama’s responsibility to maintain Kittur’s independence from the empire. In the year 1824 she adopted Shivalingappa and made him the heir to the throne.
Kittur Celebration
Rani Chennama’s victory has been celebrated to this day. This Utsav is celebrated in the month of October.
What has been done in the memory of Kittur Chennama?
In the year 2007, then President of India, Pratibhi Patil unveiled a statue of Rani Chennama in parliament. In the year 2011, a Coast Guard ship called Kittur Chennamma was commissioned. In the year 1977, a stamp was issued by the Government of India. Indian Railways operates a train which is known as Rani Chennamma Express and this train connects Miraji and Bangalore. The University of Rani Chinamma in Belagavi is named after her.
What is Doctrine of Lapse?
The Englishman disagreed with Rani Chennamma’s adoption of Shivalingappa. They also wanted to annex Kitur under the doctrine of lapse. The doctrine of lapse is primarily related to Sir Dalhousie because he used it more powerfully. He was governor of the East India Company of India from the years 1848 to 1856. However, the doctrine of lapse was introduced by the courts of the East India Company. According to this doctrine, if the ruler dies without an heir, the “princely state” status of the princely state will be abolished. In addition, the right to elect a successor was withdrawn from the state.
