In the Uprising of 1857 First Independence Struggle of India, this princess of Holkar dynasty played as brave role as Rani of Jhansi had done. There were remarkable similarities between the two. In 1857 both of them were 22 years old and both had become widows. Both were Marathas and born battlers. Rani Laxmibai had waged a battle to save her kingdom of Jhansi. Holkar princess Bheemabai had joined her brother Malhar Rao Holkar and fought fiercely to defend Indore city. Inspite of getting vanquished she got her terms accepted by the British.
In Madhya Pradesh Holkars hold the same esteemed position as Maharanas did in Rajasthan. Indore was the principal city of Holkars. Even today Indore is a big flourishing city, a trade, commerce and educational centre. Bheemabai was the daughter of Jaswant Rao Holkar. Her mother Kesaribai was a religious minded woman. Alongside her Bheemabai also read and recited holy books, Ramayana and Mahabharata. She considered Gita an ideal guide book of one’s life.
She used to say—”One should follow the preachings of Gita in life. The soul is immortal and the body is like a dress that soul keeps changing. One must not fear death and keep doing one, duty dedicatedly.”
From her mother, Bheemabai inculcated religious values and accepted the message of Lord Krishna as spiritual guide. Her father had left no less impression on her.
Like a true royal offspring she crafted herself in soldierly mould. After all Lord Krishna had revealed his sublime message of Gita in the battlefield. Like Laxmibai, she too practised use of weapons, battlecraft and horse riding with her brothers. Bheemabai was a skilled horse rider. She loved horse riding, fencing and arrow shooting dressed as a soldier. It was her daily routine. She was a good artist as well. She used to paint pictures of Shivaji, Rana Pratap and battle scenes of Mahabharata. In private life she was a calm girl but in battle dress she was an indomitable character.
Raja Jaswant Rao Holkar got her married to a brave and suitable prince as soon as she attained marriageable age. Like Laxmibai she too became a widow a few years after her marriage. But she did not stay with marital family as a widow. Bheemabai returned to her paternal home. She did not try to adopt any son.
She now lived with her father and brother. Indore was then a very prosperous state and big in size in the central Malva region. As long as Jaswant Rao Holkar remained alive, the British dared not cast an evil eye on Indore. He was young but a veteran like warrior and an efficient administrator. But he died young. His minor son Malhar Rao Holkar descended on the throne. British thought it to be an opportune moment to intervene and they started interfering with the affairs of the state. Even after occupying the throne Malhar Rao ran the state under the guidance of his sister Bhimabai. The fact was that it was Bheemabai who was running the show. She was analysing the situation and watching the British moves with alarm. At last she advised his brother, “The intentions of the British are not good. It is about time that they should be taught a lesson. The only way open to us is open defiance of the British even at the cost of a war.”
After advising her brother for battle Bhimabai got down to the business of rallying the army and spreading awareness against British designs amongst the masses. In battle dress Bheemabai would visit villages and towns on the horseback to address people. She would exhort, “You must gird up your loins to fight against the white aliens. They have destroyed our freedom and want to keep us as slaves for ever. They have subjected us all to injustices and tyranny. We must not tolerate it any more. We shall teach such a lesson to them that they would dare not subjugate a few of us who are not totally under their misrule.”
Her speeches had the desired effect. Thousands of angry youths joined the Holkar army. It was now a big force at least in numbers. But adequate training and equipping them was not easy. It was a long process and Holkars were on short notice.
The Holkar army had 10,000 infantry, 15,000 cavalry soldiers and 100 cannons. Bheemabai herself took charge of the command of the cavalry. With sister Bheemabai king Malhar Rao reached Muheedpur for the battle with the army. British Commander Hislip was there already ready to battle. The Briton was a veteran soldier and a crafty warrior. His mighty force was made up of 20,000 native soldiers, a few thousand white officers and heavy artillery that could pulverise any enemy. He had rushed his force to the battle field as soon as he heard about the declaration of war by Malhar Rao.
Commander Hislip scowled when he learnt the 15,000 strong Holkar cavalry was being commanded by Bheemabai herself. He gave charge of his cavalry to experienced and brave soldier, captain Hunt. Physically Hunt was of average height and had a lean body. But he was agile and swift. The charges of his sword were fatal. He had won many battles and had scored victories over his rivals in sword fights. Captain Hunt prided over his fencing skills. About Bheemabai he commented, “That woman can prove no match to me. In a jiffy I shall banish her from the battlefield.” With his soldiers Captain Hunt took position in the battlefield.
Captain was wondering about why a native woman was in the battlefield to try her hand at the sword? What did she hope to achieve by making a fool of herself? Hunt sat on his horse, sword in hand in a bemused mood speculating about the motives of his feminine opponent and the likelihood of her not showing up at all.
Suddenly Bheemabai materialised on the scene in a battling mood. She screamed challengingly. “White man! Come on, let us battle!” And she swung her sword belligently catching surprised Hunt in its arc of flight. He was badly hurt. Bheemabai said to him, “We do not attack the injured enemy. Go and get yourself medically treated, Whiteman!”
She let captain Hunt escorted away.
Then, another enemy force arrived there to engage Bheemabai. The ensuing battle took Bheemabai quite a distance away. She took shelter in the house of a farmer. Meanwhile her brother Malhar Rao fell into the trap of enemy. He was getting pressurised to get his state merged in British empire and accept Rs 5000 a month as pension. Another condition of the British was that Malhar Rao and Bheemabai would not stay in the capital of the state. Malhar Rao consulted his sister. Bheemabai rejected the conditions. The British declared war against Holkars.
Again captain Hunt came to the battlefield to confront Bheemabai. He was impressed with her battle skills and was fully alert. He swiftly charged with his sword with full force. Bheemabai blocked the charge with her sword. She was not hurt but her sword had got forced off her hand. It clattered down. Hunt remembered well that last time Bheemabai had let him off when he was hurt. He had a debt to pay.
Captain Hunt was a soldier with principles. He was not cunning like other White Men. He said, “At present you are unarmed. I won’t attack you. I will get your sword for you. I admire your bravery and don’t want to hurt you.”
Bheemabai said, “We are not fighting just for sport. We have a cause to fight for. Promise that you will allow Indore to remain free and won’t raise any British cantonment in Indore.”
Captain Hunt said, “Although it is not in my power yet I will try.”
Thus they patched up. Hunt talked to his commander about it and wrote a letter to the Governor General. Strangely Indore was allowed to stay independent and the British raised a cantonment at Mhow instead of Indore. It is true that Bheemabai did not get the same position as Laxmibai in the list of the glorious ones. But as far as practical evaluation is concerned Bheemabai was no lesser battler, courageous, skilful and administrator than Laxmibai.
