On the occasion of #IndependenceDay let's remember our unsung heroes

Rani Abbakka Chowta a fearless Jain queen of ullal.
Only person in history to defeat mighty Portuguese for over 4 decades & defend our motherland

Perhaps one of the first freedom fighter whom India forgot.

She was known as the "Abhaya Rani" ,for her fearlessness & is considered the first Indian woman freedom fighter against European colonialism

Rani abbakka belonged to the chowta dynasty which ruled over a fertile part of coastal canara called ullal.

The Portuguese made several attempts to capture Ullal as it was strategically placed. But Rani Abbakka repulsed each of their attacks for over four decades.

Her legacy now lives on through memory in Dakshin Karnataka in the form of folk songs and performances of "Yakshagana"

Portuguese attempt at capturing Ullal was a failure,as the Portuguese didn’t think much of a thirty-something-year-old queen being able to drive out their highly skilled soldiers.However, she skillfully deflected the attack and won the first of many battles against the Portuguese

The major attack against her took place in 1556 when the Portuguese sent a large fleet commanded by Admiral Don Alvaro de Silveira to capture Ullal, she once again fought valiantly and ended up beating them.

The Portuguese came back defeated and embarrassed.

Battles between the two only kept on intensifying after that period. The Portuguese,however, could never win a battle against her.

She was however betrayed by her husband (legend has it that they were estranged) who conspired with the Portuguese to topple her from power.

Kannada’s Bantwal Taluk has a museum in her name, known as the Tulu Baduku Museum.

The Indian navy, in order to honour her, named an Inshore Patrol Vessel after her.

Her memory is cherished in her hometown of Ullal and the Veera Rani Abbakka Utsava is an annual celebration