“She fought valiantly like a man, she was the queen of Jhansi.” – Hindi poem Jhansi ki Rani written by Subhadra Kumari

Rani Lakshmi Bai was an Indian queen of the Jhansi region. She led her people against the occupying British who refused to recognise her status as queen and treat her people with respect.

She is most famous for her escape from a besieged fort in her capital, Jhansi. According to folklore, she jumped from the fort’s walls on her horse Badal, with Damodar Rao, her adopted infant son, on her back; they survived but the horse died. Our figure features her carrying her son.

She continued to be a major figure during the First War of Indian Independence (Indian Mutiny) and died fighting the British at the Battle of Gwalior.