The Land of Rani Laxmibai can be covered in half a day !

Jhansi Government Museum

I was driving to Orchha from Gwalior and decided to have a stopover in Jhansi. Thus I had to squeeze in a few hours and still ensure not to miss out on any major attractions. The first stopover was this museum to ensure that I get a refresher on the history of Jhansi before I set foot on the magical Jhansi Fort.

The Museum is extraordinary and I felt it is an ideal destination for a student’s excursion. I started with the Rani Laxmibai Gallery which portrays the Life of Rani Laxmibai and speaks volumes of her bravado in fighting the British for her independence. There are various portraits of Rani and narrates her story in a fascinating manner. Not only I learned new facts about Jhansi, but also about the history of the Bundelkhand region which was presented in a simple and effective manner.

The display of arms and ammunition is probably the most exciting chamber on the ground floor of the Museum. The first battle of Indian independence of 1857 has been highlighted in many places.  There are 3 levels and each is better than the other. The coins of the era, the dress and folks of the region, and overall the representation of Indian civilization made me feel proud of our heritage and prepared me well to visit the Jhansi Fort which was my next stopover 

Please keep in mind there are no public toilets on the premises. I had traveled a few hours and badly needed to take a leak and thus had to request some officer to let me use their restrooms. Thankfully he was generous enough to consider and allowed me inside. The museum is large enough to spend at least 4 hours, however, I spent about 1 hour due to paucity of time.

Jhansi Fort

The Jhansi Fort is located about half a Kilometer from the Government museum. There is ample parking and the view of the Fort from the Parking spot is really wonderful.

Jhansi Fort was built by Raja Vir Singh of Orchha in the year 1613 on a sprawling 15 acres of land. He was the Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of Orchha. This fortress is situated on a large hilltop called Bangira and served as a stronghold of the Chandela Kings in Balwant Nagar( earlier name of Jhansi) from the 11th through the 17th century.

The fort was built to accommodate the whole city living inside, due to fear of attack by other rulers. So with huge gates and walls, Jhansi was secured from outer attacks. The entrance to Jhansi Fort still has a huge Iron gate that was the first barrier for outside forces. Nowadays there is a ticket counter on the left side of the gate there is a ticket counter to enter the fort. Probably, in old times there was a sentry here instead of the ticketing vendor. This thought somehow amused me and made me smile.

Jhansi gained significance in Indian history due to the courageous queen, Rani Laxmimibai, who valiantly fought against the British forces during the First War of Indian Independence in 1857. Laxmibai wasn’t of royal blood; born in 1827 in the holy city of Varanasi. She was named Manikarnika at birth and her father worked in the royal court as an adviser. This allowed her to get access to education from the Brahmin priests and scholars as well as training in horse riding and sword fighting from the Palace.

In 1842, at the age of 15, Manikarnika Tambe was married to Maharaja Gangadar Rao of Jhansi and came to be known as Rani Laxmibai. It was an independent princely state ruled by the Maratha Newalkar Dynasty under the suzerainty of British India from 1804 to 1853.

She was a compassionate, yet unconventional queen. She refused to abide by the norms of the purdah system, under which women were concealed from public view by veils or curtains. She attended to the poor, regardless of their caste, a practice considered bold during that time. She insisted on speaking with her advisers and British officials face to face. The Rani wore a turban, an accessory common among men, and trained women in her circle to ride and fight.

In 1848, Lord Dalhousie, India’s Governor General, declared that princely states with leaders lacking natural-born heirs would be annexed by the British, under a policy called the Doctrine of Lapse. Laxmibai’s only child had died, and her husband’s health was starting to deteriorate. The couple decided to adopt a 5-year-old boy to groom as successor to the throne and hoped that the British would recognize his authority despite the declaration.

Unfortunately, just 5 years later in 1853, the Maharaja succumbed to ill health. Immediately, the East India Company offered the queen a pension if she agreed to cede control. She refused, exclaiming: “Meri Jhansi nahin dungee”   (” I will not give up my Jhansi”) — a Hindi phrase to this day is etched into India’s memory, stirring up feelings of pride and patriotism.

Laxmibai tried to regain control of Jhansi through negotiations, but when her efforts failed she joined the Indian Rebellion of 1857, an uprising of soldiers, landowners, townspeople, and others against the British in what is now known as India’s first battle for independence. It would be 90 years before the country would finally uproot the British, in 1947.

The Story of Jhansi needs a special mention of Veerangana Jhalkari Bai known for her extraordinary courage. She fought with the British troops disguising herself as Rani Lakshmi Bai. It is believed that it was she who led the Rani safely outside the fort during the war. As a tribute to her remarkable strength, integrity, and patriotism, the Government has proposed a museum in the existing Panch Mahal, within the Jhansi Fort premises.

A trusted adviser and master gunman, Gulam Gaus Khan served Rani Laxmibai and needs a special mention too. He was killed by the Britishers while protecting Jhansi. His grave is present inside the Jhansi Fort to respect his contribution to the Queen. Unfortunately, his sacrifices could not bear the fruits of freedom, and the Rani, perished on the battlefield in June 1858. After the Rani was defeated, the British seized the fort and later handed it to the Maharaja of Scindia.

There are 10 gates to enter this fort. In front of the main gate, a large cannon placed on a brick slab named Kadak Bijli catches the attention that was used during the freedom struggle of 1857. There are so many dark places inside the fort, which I believe was helpful for soldiers to stay or remain hidden. The outermost wall of the fort has small gaps to insert the fore-end of the rifle.

The other places of interest are the Kalkothari downstairs, an isolated prison for special captives, or the Execution tower upstairs. It is difficult to imagine the states of these mysterious or deadly places in the current context but knowing of lives lost in such places does send a bit of shock waves down the nerves.

The Panch Mahal is a palace inside Jhansi Fort, a five-storeyed building. It is here that Rani Laxmi Bai used to reside with her husband Raja Gangadhar Rao. Later on, she shifted her residence to Rani Mahal in the main city.

Almost a century after her death, the Indian National Army formed an all-female unit that aided the country in its battle for independence in the 1940s. It was called the Rani of Jhansi Regiment.

There are 2 famous temples inside the fort dedicated to Lord Shiva temple and Lord Ganesha. During the time of Lord Shiva’s Birthday, the fort is filled with thousands of devotees from far and wide as the temple has gained a lot of significance over the years.

There is a flag of India at the peak point of the fort and it was waved off after India gained Independence in 1947. On every Independence Day, the whole fort gets lit up and everyone at Jhansi celebrates with a sense of pride for the great history and the great warriors born on the soil of this land.

The Jhansi fort stands as a mute witness to the bravery of Queen Rani Laxmi Bai (Jhansi ki rani) in the first freedom struggle of India. Today, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi has been immortalized in our nationalist narrative. There are movies, TV shows, books, and even nursery rhymes about her. Streets, colleges, and universities are named after her.  Statues of her on horseback, with her son tied to her back, have been erected in many cities throughout India.

The fort also hosts a sound and light, which is an eloquent rendition of the great spine-chilling escape of the brave Rani Lakshmibai, who is said to have tied her son to her back, jumped on a horse and galloped to safety, when the sprawling Jhansi Fort fell into the hands of the British. truly spine-chilling to watch the story unfold and slowly move into an action-packed battle

I would recommend at least 2 hours at Jhansi Fort. Time for me flew by watching the dilapidated walls that stood testimony to the history of this land. The city around the Fort has grown by leaps and bound and yet it is fascinating to see how old and modern Jhansi co-exist in complete harmony

Rani Mahal

I hired an auto from the Jhansi Fort to the Rani Museum as finding Parking near this premise can be a challenge. It is approximately 900 meters from the Fort entrance and 2 to and fro Ride was just ₹100/- The driver was so gracious that he asked me not to hurry up and take my time looking at my curiosity. Such people are what makes this country so great. All over the world, the human race continues to get self-centered and this low-earning gentleman has no qualms of losing time and a few rides because a visitor is fascinated with the history of the land. I salute the citizen of Jhansi who continues to be selfless even in modern times.

The architecture of Rani Mahal is utterly alluring. The former residence of the Royal Palace of Rani Lakshmibai was built in the latter half of the 19th Century. It is a flat-roofed, two-storeyed building having a quadrangular courtyard with a small Well and one fountain on opposite sides. The palace consists of six halls and parallel corridors with multi-foiled arches and a number of small rooms. It is a two-tiered building with six halls which also includes the famous Durbar hall. It gives an elaborate picture of the history of India, the rulers, their traditions, and the events that took place during the medieval times.

The Darbar Hall, approached by a flight of steps, is beautifully decorated with paintings in bright colors exhibiting various floral, faunal, and geometrical motifs. The arches are embellished with peacock and rosette patterns. A major part of it was damaged by British bombardment during the siege of Jhansi in 1858.

The ground floor of the palace is now an archaeological museum an archaeological museum some statues date back to the period of the Imperial Guptas, and others are from the time when the  Pratiharas, Kalchuris, and Chandelas ruled this region. These objects bear testimony to the fact that Jhansi was situated at the crossroads of a historic trade route connecting North with South.

With this, I ended my trip to Jhansi and decided to drive further to the magical Orchcha.