Onake Obavva(Kannada:ಒನಕೆ ಓಬವ್ವ,18th Century) was aKarnatakawarrior who fought the forces ofHyder Alisingle-handedly with apestle(Onake)[1]in the kingdom ofChitradurgaof Karnataka,India.[2]Her husband was a guard of a watchtower in the rocky fort of Chitradurga.[3]In the state of Karnataka, she is celebrated along withAbbakka Rani,Keladi ChennammaandKittur Chennamma,as the foremost women warriors and patriots. She belonged to theHolaya(Chalavadi) community.[4]Government of Karnataka has taken up initiative to celebrate November 11 as Onake Obavva Jayanti since 2021.
Heroics of Obavva
editDuring the reign ofMadakari Nayaka,the city of Chitradurga was besieged by the troops ofHyder Ali(1754-1779). A chance sighting of a man entering the Chitradurga fort through a hole in the rocks led to a plan by Hyder Ali to send his soldiers through that hole. The Guard (Kahale Mudda Hanuma, who was on duty near that hole) had gone home to have his lunch. During his meal he needed some water to drink, so his wife Obavva went to collect water in a pot[3]from a pond which was near the hole in the rocks, halfway up the hill.[5]She noticed the army trying to enter the fort through the hole. She used theOnakeorpestleto kill the soldiers one by one by hitting them on the head and then quietly moving each corpse without raising the suspicions of the rest of the troops. Mudda Hanuma returned from lunch and was shocked to see Obavva standing with a blood stainedOnakeand several of the enemies' dead bodies around her. Later, the same day, she was found dead either due to shock or having been killed by the enemy soldiers.[1]Though her brave attempt saved the fort this time, Madakari could not resist the attack by Hyder Ali during 1779, when the fort of Chitradurga was lost to Hyder Ali.[6]
Legacy
editShe is considered to be the epitome ofKannadafemale pride. The hole through which Hyder Ali's soldiers snuck in is called Onake ObavvanaKindi(kindi=hole) orOnake kindi.[4]Her heroic effort is depicted in a famous song-sequence in the filmNagarahavu,directed byPuttanna Kanagal.A sports stadium in Chitradurga,Veera Vanithe Onake Obavva Stadium,is named after her,[7]and she is commemorated with a statue sculpted byAshok Gudigar,erected in front of the District Commissioner’s office in Chittradurga.[8]
In popular culture
editThe 2019Kannadalanguage historical drama filmChitradurgada Onake Obavvastars Kannada actress Tara as Onake Obavva.[9]
ActressJayanthiplayed the role of Onake Obavva in the movieNagarahaavu.
She was played by Ms Neha Gokhale, the younger daughter of veteran actorVikram Gokhaleduring Art of Living's Kala Arpan 2023 festival at Bangalore, India in a play called Adnyaat Shalaka directed by Sheetal Talpade which showcases unknown female warriors of India lost to annals of history.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abCathy Spagnoli, Paramasivam Samanna (1999).Jasmine and Coconuts: South Indian Tales(1999 ed.). Englewood, USA: Greenwood Publishing Group.ISBN9781563085765.Retrieved10 September2012.
- ^"Why is BJP against Tipu Sultan, and was this always the case?".7 November 2017.
- ^abMarch of Mysore Vol.3(1966 ed.). 1966.Retrieved10 September2012.
- ^abB.N, Sri Sathyan, ed. (1967).Mysore State Gazetteer - Chitradurga District.Vol. 4. Bangalore: Govt. of Mysore. p. 393.Retrieved10 September2012.
- ^Hayavadana Rao, Conjeevaram (1943).History of Mysore (1399-1799 AD) 1766-1799.Vol. 3. Bangalore: Govt. of Mysore. p. 260.Retrieved10 September2012.
- ^Sarojini Shintri; Kurukundi Raghavendra Rao (1983).Women freedom fighters in Karnataka.Prasaranga, Karnatak University. p. 151.Retrieved17 June2009.
- ^John, Jijo K.Studies in South.Vol. 2 (2005 ed.). Bangalore: Printnet Info Services Pvt Ltd. p. 24.Retrieved10 September2012.
- ^Lewis, Barry (2007)."An Informal History of the Chitradurga Nayakas".Barry Lewis UIUC Department of Anthropology.Archived fromthe originalon 15 May 2011.Retrieved25 April2018.
- ^"Chitradurgada Onake Obavva (2019)".Movie Buff. 21 June 2019.
