A black and white drawing of Gangadhar Rao and another person. Gangadhar Rao sits while the other person stands with a sword held out.
Content warning for colonization
In history, some people are more distinguishable than others, having left deeper and longer-lasting marks on the world's outcome. The names we remember most tend to be leaders of rebellions, famous writers, those advocating for change, and those impacting the communities around them. Then, there are the names that often come connected to periods of change, mentioned in the footnotes but rarely given their counterparts' full attention.
Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar was one of these people, often given only a couple of sentences in the stories told about his wife, Rani Lakshmibai. While Gangadhar himself was the Raja of Jhansi in Northern India, Lakshmibai is famous for her participation in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and her breaking of gender roles and stereotypes. Still, Gangadhar was known for breaking gender roles in his own right, and the two had a relationship based on mutual respect.
Born in 1797, Gangadhar was unsure whether or not he would ever hold the throne of Jhansi. The ongoing British colonization of India impacted Jhansi, especially after the rough rule of several kings, including Gangadhar's nephew Ramchandra Rao and his brother Raghunath Rao. After Raghunath died without an heir, several people aimed to become the new ruler. With uprisings taking place all over the state, the British entered the conflict. They chose Gangadhar to rule but still held power for five years, handing him a monthly allowance and not permitting him to live in his own castle. Despite all of this, Gangadhar was said to be a good ruler: strict, punctual, and a man of principle, even as he was only Raja in name and not in power.
Gangadhar was a lover of the arts, particularly the theatre and literature. He built an extensive library opposite the palace. He would collect everything from classic literature and poetry to ancient spiritual texts on Tantra, astrology, and Ayurveda. He would often take part in plays, acting in women's roles, as it was unusual for women to be actors at the time. Dressing up in feminine attire was something he did outside of the theatre too. He would go to the roof of the palace to undress and return wearing a zari choli and sari, with pearls around his neck, jingling anklets, a nose ring, and bangles around his wrists. He would spend days exclusively in the company of women, shunning men altogether. Every month, he would participate in the traditional days of untouchability that came with menstruation, only returning to the court after performing the ritual cleansing bath. While a man behaving like a woman was frowned upon in India at the time, the fact that Gangadhar was a good king allowed him more freedom to behave as he liked. His femininity was often placed alongside his love for theatre as merely one of his quirks.
Gangadhar often worried about a possible repetition of the circumstances of his path to the throne, and the political unrest that had taken place after the death of his brother made him question what would happen after his own death. Alongside the anxiety of not being fully allowed the rule of his own kingdom, this made him extremely focused on getting a male heir to continue his line, especially as the political distancing of his own rule from the British was important to him and his pride. His first wife, Ramibai, gave birth to a son who unfortunately died shortly after. When Ramibai herself also died, Gangadhar looked for a new wife.
He found Manikarna, a young girl of 15, who had been raised by her father. According to her star chart, finding a match for her would be difficult, considering her stubborn nature, her fondness for traditionally masculine activities such as riding, fencing, and archery, and her habit of often wearing men's clothing. However, as Gangadhar's star chart had similar messages concerning his penchant for femininity, the two found a balance together. Manikarna took the name Lakshmibai after becoming queen. While she was a lot younger than her husband and felt restricted by his sternness, she was quick-witted and clever. He soon came to respect her opinions and ask for her advice. They married in 1842, and the same year, the British restored the rule of Jhansi to Gangadhar. Together, Gangadhar and Lakshmibai turned the kingdom of Jhansi into a peaceful and wealthy place, both being well respected and loved by their people.
In 1851, Lakshmibai gave birth to a son, who unfortunately died only a few months later. His second child's death took its toll on Gangadhar. He became depressed, losing interest in things that generally brought him joy, and he ate and slept little. Nevertheless, he refused to let this affect his role as a ruler. It was customary for the king and queen to walk to a nearby temple after a day of fasting to celebrate the autumnal Navratri festival. Even as Lakshmibai tried to talk him out of it, Gangadhar was adamant about completing the ritual. The exertion proved to be too much for him, and he was bedridden for the months before his death.
As he knew he was close to dying, Gangadhar set out to find an adoptive son who could take over the rule after him. He chose Damodar Rao, the son of one of his cousins. To avoid the kingdom falling back under British power, he sent a letter to a British officer, Major R. W. W. Ellis, that the five-year-old was to inherit the throne. Lakshmibai would be ruler until the boy was of age. However, the adoption did not go through before Gangadhar's death on November 21, 1843. Because there was no male heir on paper, the region was taken over by the British, following the orders of the Governor-General of India. Even as Lakshmibai tried to regain power of her kingdom in any peaceful way possible, the British refused. In the end, as civil unrest and the possibility for an uprising grew after several other kingdoms were overtaken by the British, Gordon turned to Lakshimibai. He asked her to calm down the masses. While she initially agreed, she later chose to join the uprising, valuing her country and her people over the colonizers' rule. She died in battle on June 18, 1858.
It is often said of Gangadhar that he was a gay man. While this is entirely possible, there is no proof of his romantic or sexual interest in men. It could be a rumour spread as a result of his fondness for femininity, or it could be entirely truthful, and the proof is very well hidden or unmentioned. It is well-known that he had lovers outside of his marriage, though little mention of what genders these lovers were. What is just as likely as Gangadhar being gay, is that he was bisexual or somewhere under the umbrella the transgender community. With historical revisions and the lack of first-hand accounts from Gangadhar himself, it is difficult to say precisely how his identity could be described. The same can be said of Lakshmibai. While there is little proof of her having any specific queer identity, she, like her husband, had little regard for traditional gender roles and rather embraced the fluidity of her own identity and abilities. They both found peace in having their spouse be similar to themselves, and that is part of the beauty of queer relationships of any kind. Even as people's identities cannot be pinpointed, they still find ways to surround themselves with similar people, and that has been at the heart of the queer community for ages.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
Disclaimer: some of the sources may contain triggering material
History of India. (n.d.). Indian Saga. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from http://indiansaga.com/history/mutiny_jhansi.html
Pandey, M. (2011, January 27). The Crossdressing Raja and Rani of Jhansi. Open The Magazine. https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/the-crossdressing-raja-and-rani-of-jhansi/
Roy, T. (2006). Raj of the Rani. Penguin Books India.
Sir John Kaye. (1914). Chapter 2. In Colonel G. B. Malleson (Ed.), History of the Indian Mutiny of 1857-8 (Vol. 1). https://www.ibiblio.org/britishraj/KayeMalleson1/bk01ch02.html
The Crossdressing Raja and Rani of Jhansi—Open The Magazine. (2011, January 27). https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/the-crossdressing-raja-and-rani-of-jhansi/
Toler, P. D. (2006, September). Who is Manikarnika? The Real Story of the Legendary Hindu Queen Lakshmi Bai. History Net. https://www.historynet.com/who-is-marnikarnika-legendary-hindu-queen-lakshmi-bai.htm