Bengaluru :

Stories of kings and queens always attract the young and the old alike. Indian history is abundant with interesting tales of brave queens. In India, where women strive to emulate Sita, and are often docile and meekly submit without resisting , there were valiant women taking up arms against enemies and often succeeded in their attempts. One such brave ruler was Rani Chennabhairadevi, the queen of Gerusoppa, who ruled for 54 years — the longest reign by any Indian woman ruler.

Gerusoppa, situated on the banks of the river Sharavathi in Uttara Kannada, was under the control of the Vijayanagara kings. In the decentralised Vijayanagara empire, various regions were ruled by royal families known as Mahamandaleshwaras. By the early 1550s, Chennabhairadevi, who belonged to the Saluva dynasty, became the queen. As per the inscriptions, her kingdom extended from south of Goa to Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Malabar. This region is known not only for harbours like Bhatkala, Honnavar, Mirjan, Ankola and Baindur but also for pepper.

Honnavar and Bhatkala served as internal and international, flourishing trading centres. Arabian horses and weapons were imported from the West. Pepper, betel nut and nutmeg were exported to European and Arab countries. Chennabhairadevi found herself at confrontation with the neighbouring rival kingdoms as well as the Portuguese. The attempts of the Keladi kings and Bilgi chieftains to pull the queen down proved futile.

The queen had to resist the Portuguese who tried to grab the ports and take over the trade. She was at war with the Portuguese in 1559 and again in 1570. She crushed the Portuguese army with her intelligent battle strategy. One of the Portuguese chronicles states that during the war of 1570, the Portuguese attacked Honnavar and burnt it to the ground. After the decline of Vijayanagar, Chennabhairadevi dealt with the Portuguese diplomatically, who nicknamed her ‘Raina de Pimenta’ — the Pepper Queen.

A letter sheds more light on the importance of pepper trade with the Portuguese. Affonso Mexia, the Portuguese Captain of Cochin, writes to the King of Portugal: “Between Baticala and Goa there are certain places called Onor, Mergen and Ancola, from which I hear 5,000 crusados worth of pepper are annually shipped… These places are under the dominion of Queen of Guarcopa… This pepper is larger than that in Cochin, but is lighter and not so hot. It appears to me that we ought to secure…”

Queen Chennabhairadvi was a Jain. The Chaturmukha Basadi of Gerusoppa is attributed to her. She gave grants to Shaiva and Vaishnava temples too. Saraswath Brahmin businessmen and skilled Konkani craftsmen took shelter in her kingdom to escape Portuguese persecution. Jain scholars Akalanka and Bhattakalaka were under the Queen’s patronage. She is credited with building the Mirjan Fort and is believed to have lived there for several years.

The Keladi and Bilgi chiefs adopted ‘Unity is Strength’ formula. Matrimonial alliances brought these two families together. The combined forces of Keladi and Bilgi attacked Gerusoppa, finally defeating the Queen. Gerusoppa came under the control of Keladi. The ageing queen was taken prisoner to Keladi and she breathed her last in prison. If the strategy of unity was adopted against the foreign intruders, India’s history could have been different.

Queen Chennabhairadevi projects herself as a powerful woman, when other women stayed indoors under submission. She was the contemporary of the Queen Elizabeth I of England and succeeded in ruling for the longest period against all odds.