Why is it in the news?

• The Prime Minister has recently paid tributes to the symbol of the bravery of Indian women power, Rani Lakshmibaion her birth anniversary.

About Rani Lakshmibai

• Rani Lakshmibai was born on 19th November 1828 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
• She is celebrated as a symbol of the bravery of Indian women.
• Originally named Manikarnika, was the Queen of the Maratha-ruled princely state of Jhansi.
• She married Maharaja Gangadhar Rao at the age of 14 and adopted the name Laxmibai. After her son’s death, she adopted Damodar Rao.
• In 1853, after the Maharaja of Jhansi’s death, Lord Dalhousie applied the Doctrine of Lapse, refusing to acknowledge her adopted child and annexing the state. The doctrine allowed the East India Company to annex princely states without legal male heirs.
• Later, Rani Lakshmibai emerged as one of the prominent figures during the Indian Revolt of 1857.
• She fought courageously against the British to protect her empire from annexation. She died fighting on the battlefield on 17th June 1858.
• The Indian National Army honoured her legacy by naming its first female unit after the valiant queen of Jhansi in 1943.