Jhansi Rani Laxmi Bai - Original Picture - The Real Story

Few Months back one of a member in Jhansi Group posted this photograph of Rani Jhansi and claimed it to be the original and the only available picture of Rani Jhansi Lakshmi Bai. 

A Hindi website, which has uploaded the photograph of the Queen, claims it is her only picture available in the world . The website has also uploaded rare and ‘original’ letters written by Rani Lakshmibai — one of the leading figures of the 1857 rebellion against the British.

But a freedom fighter from Belgaum claims that he is in possession of the Original photograph of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. “The photograph was taken by Halfman, a British photographer, when the Rani was 15yrs old….”..says Vithal Rao Yalgi, an 86 yr old freedom fighter from Belgaum, Karnataka. Laxmibai was born in the year 1835 and the photograph was taken at the Jhansi palace in 1850. The photograph shows Laxmibai, with her traditional ornaments, which were given to her by Nanasaheb Peshwa of Pune, who also joined her in the freedom struggle against the British.The Rani’s photo was? exhibited in Bhopal on August 19th and the Academicians of the History department of Bhopal University.Vithalrao Yalgi told Indian Express that he received the photograph from a person called Thakur, whose father and grandfather took part in the freedom struggle.

Analysis

Picture below shows the real Rani Laxmibai

“The authenticity of this photograph is true as per our research,” reads a note on ths website. It also states that those having doubts could consult the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)"

The story shows a photograph of a woman claiming it to be that of the legendary Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. It also comes with an explanation of how and when the picture is taken and discovered later. The facts of this story are however mixed. Firstly, the picture can not be that of original Rani Laxmibai, because such a photograph technology was not prevalent in those days. Experts and those familiar with the history of the 1857 mutiny also have their reservations over its genuineness.

“I have seen the photograph… I can’t say it’s a fake, but I have my doubts about its originality,” senior Congress leader and scion of the erstwhile Samthar estate near Jhansi, Raja Ranjit Singh Judeo, said. “The Rani is seen sitting on the throne in regal attire. This seems improbable as Raja Ganga Rao was the ruler at that time (in 1850)… he died in 1853.” Judeo also said that the use of cameras was very rare in that era. “Even the British rarely had cameras,” he explained.

Amaresh Misra, author of The War of 1857, said he neither saw the photograph, nor heard of it during the research for his book. He also said he had never come across any reference about Hoffman.

“If it’s an original, it is a national treasure,” Rajesh Tope, descendant of Tatya Tope, who fought the British alongside the Rani of Jhansi, said. A similar controversy had erupted over a supposedly rare photograph of Tatya Tope, which turned out to be fake.

I am also embedding a Video link from ABP News about this story 

If we leave this photograph  by Hoffman aside, not much is known about the appearance of Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai. However, a rare account about her looks is available from the contemporary Australian novelist and journalist John Lang who met the Queen in 1854. Later Lang wrote about her in his newspaper, The Mofussilite:

Her face must have been handsome when she was younger (the Rani was about 19 years old when Lang met her), and even now it had many charms. The expression also was very good, and very intelligent. The eyes were particularly fine, and the nose very delicately shaped. She was not very fair, though she was far from black. She had no ornaments, except a pair of gold earrings. Her dress was plain white muslin, so fine in texture, and drawn about her in such a way, and so tightly, that the outline of her figure was plainly discernible – and a remarkably fine figure she had.

This article is based on the facts known insofar. I do not claim that I have verified the veracity of the real photograph of Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai. The primary aim of this article is to hope that the readers will stop circulating the fake photograph of Jhansi Ki Rani published in newspaper.