Rani Keladi Chennamma : A Queen who fought like Durga

Rani Keladi Chennamma of Keladi was unfortunately widowed when she least expected it. Yet, she fought many foes singlehandedly and kept the kingdom of Keladi free from the terror of both the Adil Shahis and the Mughals. Like an immortal hero, she not only faced the threat head on, but also emerged victorious, and forced even tyrants like Aurangzeb to beg for mercy.

The kingdom of Keladi was founded by Chowdappa Nayaka, who had ascended the throne in AD 1500. Keladi Chennamma ruled the kingdom of Keladi for 25 years. Keladi Chennamma was bestowed with many qualities. Beauty, valour, piety and generosity, all blended beautifully in this great queen. Keladi was a kingdom in the Maland area of Karnataka. By the time Princess Chennamma entered Keladi as the wife of the would be King Somashekhara Nayaka, the kingdom was already under siege from both the Adil Shahis and the Mughals. To make matters worse, her husband, Raja Somashekhara Nayaka had been murdered at the hands of a scheming court dancer and her father, who claimed to be an expert in black magic.

Keladi Chennamma : A great Indian Queen

This was nothing less than a golden opportunity for the Sultan of Bijapur, who was more than willing to usurp the kingdom of Keladi. He representative by the name of Jannopant to the widowed queen for negotiations, and at the same time, he prepared a huge army to invade Keladi under the command of Muzaffar Khan. The moment Rani Chennamma understood the intentions of the Sultan, she was livid, but she decided to beat him at his own game. She claimed that she was not in the position of war and she gave 3 lakh rupees to Jannopant and forged an agreement with the Sultan of Bijapur. At that moment, she learnt that the Sultan’s forces were nearing Keladi.

Keladi Chennamma summoned her subjects and said, “My beloved heroes of the land of the Kannadigas, you are great warriors. The fate of your kingdom lies in your hands. Remember, victory gives us this kingdom and death will give us Heaven. There is no other way”.
The soldiers were ready to give up their all for Keladi and the Queen. To her own surprise, she got assistance from an unexpected source – Thimmanna Nayaka. An able warrior, he had his own differences with Queen Chennamma.

Keladi Chennamma : Great Leader and Warrior

But devastated by the death of his king, he decided to make amends and came to the rescue of Bhuvanagiri by uniting all the chieftains and the brave soldiers from all parts of Keladi. In the midst of the thick forest and in a narrow pass, The Sultan’s soldiers fell into the hands of the heroic Kannada warriors. The men of Keladi knew the terrain quite well; they destroyed the Bijapur army and went to Bidanur. The people there were overjoyed at the arrival of the Kannada soldiers.

With this huge victory, the people of Keladi unanimously accepted Queen Chennamma as their ruler in 1671. However, her greatest moment of glory was yet to come. Years later, when Rajaram Chhatrapati, the younger son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj sought refuge after the murder of his brother Sambhaji Maharaj, it was Keladi Chennamma who boldly accepted him, knowing very well that she would invoke the ire of Aurangzeb, who promptly sent a huge force to teach Rani Keladi Chennamma a lesson for her defiance.

However, to everyone’s shock, Rani Chennamma’s forces, under the able leadership of Thimmanna Nayaka, whacked the Mughals black and blue, forcing Aurangzeb to beg the warrior queen for a treaty. In this way, not only did Keladi Chennamma maintain the pride of Sanatan civilization, but also she played an important role in the liberation of Bharat from Mughal rule.

Keladi Chennamma T-shirts collection:

The most widely used piece of clothing today is a T-shirt that forms an integral part of your wardrobe – be it for your morning run, Gym, Friday dressing at office, a campout with friends or maybe getting to bed! tfi-store offers a wide range of Indian warriors t-shirts featuring Devbhasha Sanskrit Collection in the form of various quotes and graphics and historical warriors like Rani Lakshmibai and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from every corner of India, catering to Men, Women, Kids and Toddlers. Checkout our Rani Keladi Chennamma collection.

TFIStore from the house of The Frustrated Indian is trying to make Indian culture cool with its unique Historical Heroes and Sanskrit apparel collection. Now wear your History with pride and flaunt Devbhasha Sanskrit on your half sleeves t-shirt.

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TFIStore from the house of The Frustrated Indian is trying to make Indian Culture cool with its unique historical Heroes and Sanskrit apparel collection.

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