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{{Short description|Indian soldier and historical figure}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jhalkari Bai
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=no|1830|11|22}}<ref name="Sarala1">{{harvnb|Sarala|1999|p=111}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Jhansi state]] Bundelkhand
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1858|4|4|1830|11|22}}<ref name="deathdispute">{{cite web|title=When Jhalkari Bai fought as Rani Lakshmi Bai |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020908/herworld.htm#2 |access-date=26 March 2010 |publisher=Tribune India |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511143106/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020908/herworld.htm |archive-date=11 May 2008 }}, which quotes Mr. Nareshchandra Koli stating her date of death as 4 April 1858. {{harvtxt|Sarala|1999|pages=113–114}} notes that she died in 1881. {{harvtxt|Varma|Sahaya|2001|page=305}} notes that she died as a very old woman without giving any exact date of death.</ref>
| death_place = [[Jhansi]], [[Jhansi state]]
| death_cause = Battle of Jhansi
| spouse = Puran Singh (an artilleryman from the artillery unit of Rani Lakshmibai)
| mother = Jamuna Devi
| occupation = Warrior/Army personnel
| image = Jhalkaribai_Statue_at_Gwalior.jpg
| caption = Statue of Jhalkaribai in [[Gwalior]]
| movement = [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
| known_for = Being the most prominent advisor to Rani Lakshmibai
| monuments =
| father = Sadowar Singh
| honours = [[File:Jhalkaribai-Postal-Stamp.jpg|thumb|Jhalkari Bai Postal Stamp]]
}}
'''Jhalkaribai''' (22 November 1830 – 4 April 1858)<ref name="deathdispute"/> was a legendary woman soldier who played an important role in the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]. As per folk narrative, she served in the women's army of [[Rani Lakshmibai]] of [[Jhansi State|Jhansi]]. She eventually rose to a position of a prominent advisor to the queen, Rani of Jhansi.<ref name="Sarala">{{harvnb|Sarala|1999|pages=112–113}}</ref> At the height of the [[Rani of Jhansi#Siege of Jhansi|Siege of Jhansi]], she disguised herself as the queen and fought on her behalf, on the front, allowing the queen to escape safely out of the fort.<ref name="Sarala"/><ref name="Varma1951">Varma, B. L. (1951), ''Jhansi Ki Rani'', p. 255, as quoted in {{harvnb|Badri Narayan|2006|pages=119–120}}</ref> She is however not mentioned in most contemporary records, with first written account of her coming from the 1907 Marathi language work ''Majha Pravas'' by Vishnu Rao Godse where he she is only mentioned as Lakshmibai's maid.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Chauhan | first=Vibha | title=Lakshmibai and Jhalkaribai: Women Heroes and Contesting Caste and Gender Paradigms and Histories | journal=South Asian Review | volume=37 | issue=2 | date=2016 | issn=0275-9527 | doi=10.1080/02759527.2016.11933063 | pages=81–96 | url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02759527.2016.11933063 | access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Jhalakaribai was born to Sadova Singh, a farmer, and his wife Jamunadevi on 22 November 1830 in Bhojla village, near Jhansi.<ref name="Sarala1"/> It has been claimed that in her youth she stood her ground when attacked by a tiger and killed it with an axe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/freedom/09jhalk.htm|title=Rediff On The NeT: Jhalkari Bai, a little known chapter on a woman's courage in colonial India|website=www.rediff.com|access-date=6 June 2017}}</ref> She reportedly once killed a leopard in the forest with a stick she used to herd cattle.<ref>{{harvnb|Sarala|1999|page=112}}</ref>

Jhalkaribai bore an uncanny resemblance to Laxmibai and because of this she was inducted into the women's regiment of the Jhansi army.<ref name="stamp">{{cite web |title=Commemorative Postage Stamp on Jhalkari Bai – Latest Releases |url=http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2001/rjul2001/20072001/r200720016.html |access-date=9 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209122313/http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2001/rjul2001/20072001/r200720016.html |archive-date=9 December 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Sarala" />

== Military service ==
In the queen's army, she quickly rose in the ranks and began commanding her own army.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7feHAwAAQBAJ&q=dalit+virangana&pg=PP1|title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics|last=Narayan|first=Badri|date=7 November 2006|publisher=SAGE Publications India|isbn=9788132102809}}</ref> During the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Rebellion of 1857]], [[Hugh Rose, 1st Baron Strathnairn|General Hugh Rose]] attacked Jhansi with a large army. The queen faced the army with 14,000 of her troops. She waited for relief from [[Peshwa]] [[Nana Saheb Peshwa II|Nana Sahib's]] army camping at [[Kalpi]] that did not come because [[Tantia Tope]] had already been defeated by General Rose. Meanwhile, Dulhaji from Thakur community, in charge of one of the gates of the fort, had made a pact with the assailants and opened the doors of Jhansi for the British forces. When the British rushed the fort, Laxmibai, on advice of her courtier, escaped through Bhanderi gate with her son and attendants to Kalpi. Upon hearing of Laxmibai's escape, Jhalkaribai set out for General Rose's camp in disguise and declared herself to be the queen. This led to a confusion that continued for a whole day and gave the Rani's army renewed advantage.<ref name="Varma1951" />

In addition, she was a close confidante and advisor to the queen playing a key role in the analysis of the battle, alongside Laxmibai.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Feminism and Literature: Text and Context|last=Vishwakarma|first=Sanjeev Kumar|publisher=Takhtotaaz|isbn=978-81-922645-6-1|location=Allahabad (India)|pages=132–139}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gupta|first=Charu|date=2007|title=Dalit 'Viranganas' and Reinvention of 1857|jstor=4419579|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=42|issue=19|pages=1739–1745}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
[[File:Statue of Jhalkaribai in Jhansi 07.jpg|thumb|Statue of Jhalkaribai in Jhansi]]
The death anniversary of Jhalkaribai is celebrated as ''Shahid Diwas'' (Martyr Day) by various [[Koli people|Koli]]/Kori organizations.<ref>{{harvnb|Badri Narayan|2006|page=125}}</ref> The movement to establish [[Bundelkhand]] as a separate state has also used the legend of Jhalkaribai to create the Bundeli identity.<ref name="BN2">{{harvnb|Badri Narayan|2006|page=129}}</ref> The Government of India's Post and Telegraph department has issued a postal stamp depicting Jhalkaribai.<ref>{{harvtxt|Badri Narayan|2006|page=119}} mentions "Today, the Koris, like other Dalit castes, use the myth of Jhalkaribai for the glorification of their community. They also celebrate ''Jhalkaribai Jayanti'' each year to enhance their self respect and elevate the status of their caste. It is a matter of great pride that she was a ''Dalit Virangana'' (brave woman warrior) born in the Kori caste and they highlight this dimension while recounting her brave deeds."</ref>

The [[Archaeological Survey of India]] is setting up a museum at Panch Mahal, a five-storey building located inside the Jhansi Fort in remembrance of Jhalkaribai.<ref>Tankha, Madhur (28 February 2014) [http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/asi-to-set-up-jhalkari-bai-museum-at-jhansi-fort/article5734722.ece ASI to set up Jhalkari Bai museum at Jhansi Fort – NEW DELHI]. The Hindu. Retrieved on 21 November 2018.</ref>

She is referred to in the novel ''Jhansi ki Rani'' written in 1951 by B. L. Varma, who created a subplot in his novel about Jhalkaribai. He addressed Jhalkaribai as Korin and an extraordinary soldier in Laxmibai's army. Ram Chandra Heran [[Bundeli]] novel ''Maati,'' published in the same year, depicted her as "chivalrous and a valiant martyr". The first biography of Jhalkaribai was written in 1964 by Bhawani Shankar Visharad, with the help of Varma's novel and his research from the oral narratives of Kori communities living in the vicinity of Jhansi.<ref name="BN1">{{harvnb|Badri Narayan|2006|page=119}}</ref>

Writers narrating the story of Jhalkaribai. Efforts have been made to place Jhalkaribai at an equal footing of Laxmibai.<ref name="BN1" /> Since the 1990s, the story of Jhalkaribai has begun to model a fierce form of Koli womanhood, has acquired a political dimension, and her image is being reconstructed with the demands of social situation.<ref name="BN2" />

President [[Ram Nath Kovind|Ramnath Kovind]] unveiled the statue of Jhalkari Bai at Guru Tegh Bahadur Complex in Bhopal on 10 November 2017.<ref>[http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhopal/prez-unveils-jhalkari-bais-statue.html Prez unveils Jhalkari Bai's statue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121203747/https://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhopal/prez-unveils-jhalkari-bais-statue.html |date=21 November 2018 }}. ''Daily Pioneer'' (11 November 2017)</ref>

===Depiction in film===
''[[Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi|Manikarnika]]'' (2019), a Hindi film starring [[Ankita Lokhande]] as Jhalkaribai has been made.

[[Auroshikha Dey]] played Jhalkaribai in the British [[period drama]] [[The Warrior Queen of Jhansi|''The Warrior Queen of Jhans''i]] (2019).

== See also ==
* [[Tanaji Malusare]]
* [[Rooplo Kolhi]]
* [[Uda Devi]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==

* {{cite book |last=Sarala |first=Srikrishna |title=Indian Revolutionaries: a comprehensive study, 1757–1961 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1UggIjEuBaAC&pg=PT150 |year=1999 |volume=I |isbn=978-81-87100-16-4 }}
* {{cite book |last= Narayan |first=Badri|title=Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: culture, identity and politics |publisher=Sage |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAQrpDW4-_YC&pg=PP1 |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7619-3537-7 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Varma |first=Vrindavanlala |last2=Sahaya |first2=Amita |title=Lakshmi Bai, the rani of Jhansi |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_-HVBdF_YLsC&q=jhalkari |year=2001 |isbn= 978-81-87100-54-6 }}
* {{cite book |last=Sauquet |first=Michel |title= L'idiot du village mondial: Les citoyens de la planète face à l'explosion des outils de communication : subir ou maîtriser |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C8CAR1gA4VMC&q=jhalkari |publisher=ECLM |year=2004 |isbn=978-2-84377-094-4 |language=fr }}
* {{cite book |last1=Majumdar |first1=RC |last2=Raychaudhuri |first2=HC |last3=Datta |first3=Kalikinkar |title=[[An Advanced History of India]] |year=1990 |publisher=MacMillan India Limited |isbn=0-333-90298-X }}
* {{cite book |last=Thakur |first=Harinarayan |title=Dalit Sahitya Ka Samajshastra |language=hi |publisher=Bhartiya Jnanpith |year=2009 |isbn=978-81-263-1734-9 }}
* "Bhojla ki beti" Bundeli mahakavya (Dalchand Anuragi, Rajendra Nagar, ORAI) (2010)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jhalkaribai}}
[[Category:1830 births]]
[[Category:1858 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Indian women warriors]]
[[Category:Revolutionaries of the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Bundelkhand]]
[[Category:People from Jhansi]]
[[Category:Women in the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[Category:Women Indian independence activists]]

Jhalkaribai - Revision history

Wikimelo at 10:43, 20 March 2026