Keladi Chennamma
| Keladi Chennamma | |
|---|---|
| Rani | |
| Queen regnant of Keladi | |
| Reign | 1672 - 1697 |
| Predecessor | Somashekara Nayaka I |
| Successor | Basavappa Nayaka |
| Born | Chennamma Keladi |
| Died | 1697 Keladi |
| Spouse | Somashekhara Nayaka I |
| Dynasty | Nayakas of Keladi |
Keladi Chennamma (died 1696) was queen regnant of the Keladi Nayaka Kingdom also called 'Ikkeri Nayakas' in Karnataka between 1672 and 1697.
Early Life
Chennamma was born in the household of a man called Siddappa Shetty, who was a native merchant in the region of Kundapur, Karnataka. She married King Somashekara Nayaka in 1667 CE.[1]
Reign
After Somashekhara Nayaka's death in 1672, Chennamma efficiently handled the administration of the Keladi Nayaka dynasty. During her reign of 25 years, she repelled the advance of the Mughal Army led by Aurangzeb from her military base in the kingdom of Keladi located in Sagara, Karnataka, India. She adopted Basavappa Nayaka, one of her close relatives who succeeded as Hiriya Basappa Nayaka. Channagiri is named after her.[1]
Administration and Governance
The reign of Rani Chennamma is regarded as a period of significant administrative consolidation and economic stability for the Keladi Nayaka kingdom. She continued the Shist land revenue system established by Shivappa Nayaka, but introduced "tax holidays" for farmers clearing new forest lands in the Malnad region to expand the agrarian base.[1]
Economic Policy and Trade
Chennamma maintained a state-controlled monopoly on the black pepper trade, which was the kingdom's primary export. She also rendered a trade agreement with the Portuguese involving commodities like pepper and rice. She skillfully balanced relations with European powers, signing the Treaty of Barkur in 1678 with the Portuguese, which ensured that the Keladi state retained sovereignty over coastal ports while collecting fixed customs duties (Sulkas).[2]
Religious Endowments
Despite being a devout Veerashaiva, her administration practiced religious pluralism. In 1691, she issued a series of copper-plate grants to the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, granting the village of Kuduvalli as Sarvamanya (tax-free) land.[3]
She also permitted the Portuguese to establish churches at Mirjan, Honnavara, Chandavara and Kalyanpura.[4]
Military exploits
Fortifications and Military Logistics
In anticipation of Mughal incursions, Chennamma overhauled the kingdom's defensive infrastructure. She moved the primary treasury and administrative records to the mountain fortress of Bidanur (Nagara). The fort was upgraded with a three-tier defense system, including stone-lined water channels and a network of granaries (Kothis) to withstand long sieges.[5]
War with Mysore
Chikka Devaraja, the ruler of Mysore, launched a campaign in which he conquered several territories in the north of Mysore, including Chikkatottagere, Magadi, Laddagiri, Kadur, Virannedurga, Channarayadurga, Bijjavara, Gunduma ledurga, and Bhutipura, all of which were part of the Ikkeri kingdom. However, the Ikkeri kingdom, under the regency of Queen Chennamma who ruled on behalf of her adopted minor son Basava Raja, mounted a formidable defense. The Ikkeri forces successfully defeated the Mysore army at Vasudhare[6] and reclaimed the territories of Kadur, Banavara, Hassan, and Belur, thereby bolstering their defenses against further incursions by Chikka Devaraja.[7]
Keladi - Mughal war
Following the execution of the Maratha King Sambhaji by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Sambhaji's half-brother, Chhatrapati Rajaram I, fled Raigad in disguise to seek refuge in the south at Gingee Fort (Jinji).[8]
While traversing the Karnataka region, Rajaram was pursued by a Mughal army led by General Kasim Khan. In late 1689, Rajaram reached the Keladi capital at Bidanur and requested sanctuary. Despite the threat of a full-scale Mughal invasion, Rani Chennamma granted him refuge, providing him with supplies and a safe military escort through the dense Malnad forests toward Jinji.[9]
Infuriated by the defiance of the Keladi Queen, Aurangzeb dispatched a massive force under Kasim Khan to besiege Bidanur. The Mughal cavalry struggled with the rugged, monsoon-drenched terrain of the Western Ghats, which was unfamiliar to them. Rani Chennamma utilized guerrilla warfare tactics, deploying her "Bedar" (Valmiki) infantry to harass Mughal supply lines and conduct night raids.[1]
After suffering heavy casualties and facing a stalemate in the dense jungles, the Mughal forces were compelled to withdraw. A treaty was subsequently signed in 1690, where the Mughals recognized the autonomy of the Keladi Kingdom. By this time, Rajaram had successfully reached Jinji, allowing the Maratha resistance against the Mughals to continue for another decade.[9][8]
Her cabinet was headed by Timmanna Naik, who was the descendant of a commander of Vijayanagara.
Legacy
She is considered as the epitome of the Kannada women's valor along with Rani Chennabhairadevi, Abbakka Rani, Kittur Chennamma, Belawadi Mallamma and Onake Obavva, as the foremost women warriors and patriots.[10]
Chennamma built a fort on the hill, and later the town was renamed Channagiri, after her.
Chennamma was known to be a very virtuous and pious woman, and a pragmatic administrator of her times.
In popular culture
- Keladi Chennamma (TV series), a Kannada language historical series broadcast on Suvarna TV.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d Chitnis, K.N. (1974). Keladi Polity. Karnatak University. pp. 17–18.
- ^ Shastry, B. S. (2000). Goa-Kanara Portuguese Relations, 1498–1763. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. pp. 180–185. ISBN 978-8170228622.
- ^ Rice, B. Lewis (1897). Mysore: A Gazetteer Compiled for Government. Vol. 2. London: Archibald Constable & Co. pp. 430–435.
- ^ Kudva, Venkataraya Narayan (1972). History of the Dakshinatya Saraswats. Madras: Samyukta Gowda Saraswata Sabha. p. 112.
- ^ Swaminathan, K. D. (1957). The Nayakas of Ikkeri. Madras: P. Varadachary & Co. pp. 112–115.
- ^ Muddachari, B. (1965). The Mysore_Maratha Relations In The 17th Century (in Kannada). University of Mysore. p. 152.
- ^ Pandit Shankar Joshi (1976). Chhatrapati Sambhaji (1657-1689). p. 339-340.
- ^ a b Sardesai, G.S. (1946). New History of the Marathas: Vol. 1. Phoenix Publications. pp. 325–330.
- ^ a b Kamath, Suryanath U. (2001). A Concise History of Karnataka from Pre-historic Times to the Present. Jupiter Books. p. 222.
- ^ M G Agrawal (2008). Freedom Fighters of India (in Four Volumes). Isha Books. p. 192. ISBN 9788182054684.
- ^ "Kannada Tv Serials Keladi Chennamma". nettv4u. Retrieved 10 December 2020.