Born: 1778 (Kakati, Belagavi District, Karnataka, India)
Biography:
Kittur Chennamma, born on 23 October 1778 in a small village called Kakati, in the present Belagavi District of Karnataka, India, was an Indian Queen of Kittur. She belonged to the Lingayat Panchamasaali community and from a young age, received training in horse riding, sword fighting, and archery. At the age of 15, she married Raja Mallasarja of the Desai family.
Chennamma’s life took a tumultuous turn when her husband passed away in 1816, leaving her with a son and a state plagued by volatility. Unfortunately, tragedy struck again in 1824 when her son also passed away. This left Chennamma as the sole ruler of Kittur and facing an uphill battle to maintain its independence from the British East India Company.
In an attempt to secure Kittur’s future, Chennamma adopted Shivalingappa as her heir. However, this decision did not sit well with the East India Company, who swiftly ordered Shivalingappa’s expulsion from the state. The Company aimed to establish control over Kittur, and this move by Chennamma was seen as a challenge to their authority.
The state of Kittur came under the administration of the Dharwad collectorate, with St John Thackeray and Mr Chaplin overseeing its affairs. Despite Chennamma’s attempts to assert her rule, the British did not recognize her authority and demanded Kittur’s submission. This incident foreshadowed the later Doctrine of Lapse introduced by Lord Dalhousie in 1848, which aimed to annex independent Indian states.
In her bid to resist British control, Chennamma wrote a letter to Mountstuart Elphinstone, the Lieutenant-Governor of the Bombay province, pleading her case. However, her request was denied, and war became inevitable.
The British forces, consisting of 20,797 men and 437 guns, including the third troop of Madras Native Horse Artillery, launched an attack on Kittur. They also placed sentries around the treasury and crown jewels of Kittur, valued at around 1.5 million rupees, to protect them.
The first round of war took place in October 1824, and to the surprise of the British, they suffered heavy losses. Chennamma and her forces emerged victorious in the initial clash, delivering a blow to the British East India Company. However, this did not deter the Company from continuing their assault.
Despite her success in the first revolt, Chennamma faced challenges in sustaining her resistance. The British forces regrouped and returned with greater strength. In the subsequent rebellion, the Company managed to annex Kittur and take Chennamma prisoner.
Tragically, Chennamma, who had valiantly fought for her kingdom’s independence, died as a prisoner of war. Her courageous spirit and dedication to her people made her a revered figure and a symbol of resistance against British colonization. Chennamma’s role as one of the first and few female rulers to lead forces against the British made her an important figure in women’s history and the Indian independence movement.