Born: 23 October 1778, India
Died: 21 February 1829
Country most active: India
Also known as: Rani Chennamma
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
Rani Kittur Chennamma defended Karnataka in 1824 against 20,000 British soldiers. Born in 1778, she was trained from childhood in sword fighting, archery, and horseback riding, and was married to Raja Mallasarja when she was 15. As with Velu Nachiyar decades before, the death of her husband, as well as her son, was the catalyst for her going to war. Adopting a child, she named him successor to the throne; the British refused to acknowledge him as the heir and used this as an excuse to try and take over Karnataka—the same thing would later happen to Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi, and lead her to battle against the British as well. Although Kittur Chennamma was able to force a retreat by the British in October 1824, she was later betrayed by turncoats who mixed cow dung into the gunpowder, rendering it useless. She was captured and imprisoned, dying in British custody in 1829. She is remembered today as a folk hero and symbol of the long fight for independence. There are statues of her at the Indian Parliament Complex, as well as in Bengaluru, Kittur, Belagavi, and Hubballi.
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
In 1824, Kittur Chennamma (October 23, 1778 – February 21, 1829), an Indian queen of Kittur in present-day Karnataka, led an armed resistance against the British East India Company to maintain control over her dominion.
She was a member of the Lingayat Panchamasaali community and received training in horse riding, sword fighting, and archery from a young age. She married Raja Mallasarja from the Desai family at the age of 15.
Kittur Chennamma won the first battle but was captured and imprisoned during a subsequent rebellion. She remains a revered folk hero in Karnataka and a symbol of the Indian independence movement.