Rani Gaidinliu

Rani Gaidinliu

Subject – History

Context – Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday virtually laid the foundation stone for the ‘Rani Gaidinliu Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum’ in Manipur’s Tamenglong district.

Concept –

• A spiritual and political leader, Rani Gaidinliu, belonged to the Rongmei tribe.
• At 13, she became associated with freedom fighter and religious leader, HaipouJadonang, and became his lieutenant in his social, religious and political movement.
  • Jadonang, who was also a Rongmei, started the ‘Heraka movement’, based on ancestral Naga religion, and envisioned an independent Naga kingdom (or Naga-Raja).
• Rani Gandiliu’s association with Jadonang prepared her to fight the British. After the execution of Jadonang, she took up the leadership of the movement — which slowly turned political from religious.
• Rani started a serious revolt against the British and was eventually imprisoned for life. She was released after 14 years, in 1947.
• Acknowledging her role in the struggle against the British, Jawaharlal Nehru called her the “Daughter of the Hills” and gave her the title “Rani” or queen.
• But before that, she was bestowed a number of honours including the Tamrapatra in 1972, Padma Bhushan in 1982, Vivekananda SewaSumman in 1983, and Stree Shakti Puraskar in 1991.
  • She posthumously was awarded the BhagwanBirsa Munda Puraskar in 1996.
  • The Government of India also issued a commemorative stamp in her honour in the same year.
  • The Indian Coast Guard commissioned a Fast Patrol Vessel “ICGS Rani Gaidinliu” in 2016.
  • In 2015, the Centre, on her birth anniversary, issued commemorative coins of Rs 100 and a circulation coin of Rs 5 in her honour.