Onake Obavva birth anniversary
- From this year, the Karnataka government has decided to celebrate ‘Onake Obavva Jayanti’ on November 11 throughout the state.
- Onake Obavva was the woman warrior who fought the forces of Hyder Ali single-handedly with a pestle (‘onake’ in Kannada) in Chitradurga in the 18th century.
About Obavva
- Hyder Ali, a ruler of the Mysore Kingdom and father of Tipu Sultan invaded the Chitradurga Fort, which was ruled by Madakari Nayaka in the 18th century.
- Chitradurga Fort, locally known as Elusuttina Kote, (the fort of seven circles in Kannada), is situated in Chitradurga, 200 km northwest of Bengaluru.
- Onake Obavva was the wife of soldier Kahale Mudda Hanuma, who was the guard of the fort.
- Onake Obavva died fighting the troops of Hyder Ali when he invaded the Chitradurga Fort, which was ruled by Madakari Nayaka in the 18th century.
Legacy of Obavva:
- Obavva is considered to be the epitome of Kannada pride and celebrated along with other women warriors of Karnataka state like:
- Abbakka Rani: first Tuluva Queen of Ullal in coastal Karnataka who fought the Portuguese
- Keladi Chennamma: the queen of the Keladi Kingdom who is known for fighting against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb
- Kittur Chennamma (Queen of Kittur known for the 1824 revolt against the British East India Company).
- Onake Obavva’s courage and quick thinking have been praised by the people of Karnataka, especially in the Chitradurga region, where a stadium is named after her.
- Her sculpture is installed by the government near the district commissioner’s office in Chitradurga.
- Inspired by Onake Obavva, in 2018, the Chitradurga police started ‘Obavva Pade’, a squad of women police constables to protect and educate women in the district.