Born: 22 November 1830, India
Died: 4 April 1858
Country most active: India
Also known as: NA
Jhalkaribai was a soldier who served in the Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi’s women’s army and eventually rose to a position of a prominent advisor to the queen herself, including analysing and strategising battle tactics. At the height of the Siege of Jhansi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, she disguised herself as the queen and fought on her behalf, at the front, allowing the queen to escape with her son.
The legend of Jhalkaribai remains in the popular memory of the people of Bundelkhand over centuries. Her life, especially her heroism fighting the East India Company army to protect the queen, continues to be praised in various Bundeli folklores and the anniversaries of her birth and death are celebrated by different groups.