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The [[Indian independence movement]] was a series of events aimed at ending the [[British Raj|British rule in India]], which lasted till 1947. Women played a significant and prominent role in the Indian independence movement. The participation of women in the movement started as early as the eighteenth century.

==Prominent women==
* [[Velu Nachiyar|Rani Velu Nachiya]] – The First Indian Queen to Fight the British. Rani Velu Nachiyar (3 January 1730 – 25 December 1796) was the queen of the Sivaganga estate in Tamil Nadu, ruling from around 1780 to 1790. She holds the historic distinction of being one of the earliest Indian monarchs to launch an armed resistance against the British East India Company, long before the Revolt of 1857.One of the most dramatic events during her campaign was when her commander '''Kuyili''', a close aide, '''performed a suicide attack''' by setting herself ablaze and destroying the British ammunition store. This act is believed to be '''the earliest known instance of a human bomb''' in recorded history. She is affectionately and reverently known in Tamil as '''"Veeramangai"''' (வீரமங்கை) — meaning '''"brave woman"'''.

* [[Anjana Devi Chaudhary]] (1897 – 27 April 1981) was an Indian [[freedom fighter]], [[writer]], and [[Activism|social activist]] from [[Sikar|Sikar, Rajasthan]]. She is recognised as the first woman from [[Rajasthan]] to be arrested by the britishers during the [[Indian independence movement]]. Her contributions to the independence movement and [[Women's empowerment|women’s empowerment]] remain significant in Indian history.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anjanadevi Chaudhary |url=https://www.ramnarayanchaudhary.org/books/anjanadevi-chaudhary-2/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=Shri Ram Narayan Chaudhary - Indian Freedom Fighter, Social Worker and AuthorShri Ram Narayan Chaudhary - Indian Freedom Fighter, Social Worker and Author |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>नागोरी, डॉ. एस.एल. "खण्ड 3", ''स्वतंत्रता सेनानी कोश (गाँधीयुगीन)'', 2011 '''([[Hindi|हिन्दी]])''', भारतडिस्कवरी पुस्तकालय: गीतांजलि प्रकाशन, जयपुर, पृष्ठ सं 1।</ref> She was deeply involved with the [[Indian National Congress]] and became a key figure in the [[Civil disobedience|Civil Disobedience Movement]]. Between 1921 and 1924, she worked to raise political awareness among women. In 1930, she was jailed twice for her participation in the movement.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bharatvarsh |first=TV9 |date=2022-06-12 |title=Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav : राजस्थान में 500 महिलाओं के साथ मिलकर अंग्रेजों से किसानों को छुड़ा लाईं थीं अंजना देवी |url=https://www.tv9hindi.com/india/anjana-devi-along-with-500-women-had-rescued-the-farmers-from-the-british-jail-au464-1263603.html |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=TV9 Bharatvarsh |language=hi}}</ref>
*[[Annie Besant]] (1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British born [[socialist]], [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|theosophist]], [[women's rights]] activist and campaigner for Indian nationalism.<ref>{{cite web|title=BBC - History - Annie Besant|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/besant_annie.shtml|access-date=1 January 2023|work=BBC}}</ref> She was an ardent supporter of the Indian [[Self-governance|self-rule]] and became the first female president of the [[Indian National Congress]] in 1917.<ref>{{cite web|title=Annie Besant, Making Britain|url=https://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/annie-besant|access-date=1 January 2023|work=open.ac.uk|archive-date=3 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203222839/https://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/annie-besant|url-status=dead}}</ref> She and [[Henry Steel Olcott]] led the [[Theosophical Society Adyar]] based in [[Chennai]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Ramakrishnan|first=Venkatesh|date=19 May 2019|title=Annie Besant: Firebrand Marxist to 'Devi Vasanthe' of Theosophists|url=https://www.dtnext.in/News/City/2019/05/19072935/1118897/Annie-Besant-Firebrand-Marxist-to-Devi-Vasanthe-of-.vpf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031073801/https://www.dtnext.in/News/City/2019/05/19072935/1118897/Annie-Besant-Firebrand-Marxist-to-Devi-Vasanthe-of-.vpf|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 October 2020|access-date=28 October 2020|work=dtNext.in}}</ref>

*[[Aruna Asaf Ali]] (16 July 1909 – 29 July 1996) was an educator, political activist, and publisher. An active participant in the [[Indian independence movement]], she is widely remembered for hoisting the [[Flag of India#History|Indian National flag]] at the [[Gowalia Tank|Gowalia Tank maidan]], [[Bombay]] during the [[Quit India Movement]] in 1942. Post-independence, she remained active in politics, becoming [[Delhi]]'s first Mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Remembering the fearless freedom fighter|url=https://newsonair.com/2022/07/29/remembering-the-fearless-freedom-fighter-aruna-asaf-ali-on-her-death-anniversary/|access-date=1 December 2023|date=29 July 2022}}</ref>

*[[Avantibai]] (16 August 1831 – 20 March 1858) was a queen of the Ramgarh. An opponent of the [[British East India Company]] during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], Avantibai led an army against the British in the battle near the village of Khairi near [[Mandla district|Mandla]], where she was able to defeat the British. However, following renewed attacks on Ramgarh, she moved to the hills of Devharigarh from where she fought a guerilla warfare later.<ref>{{cite web|title=India 'Mutiny' and 'Revolution,' 1857-1858|first=Biswamoy|last=Pati|date=29 September 2017|doi=10.1093/obo/9780199791279-0040|publisher=Oxford Bibliographies|url=https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199791279/obo-9780199791279-0040.xml#obo-9780199791279-0040-bibItem-0065}}</ref>

*[[Jhalkaribai]] (22 November 1830 – 5 April 1858) was a woman soldier who played an important role in the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]. She served in the women's army of [[Rani Lakshmibai]] of [[Jhansi State|Jhansi]] and eventually rose to a position of a prominent advisor to the queen, Rani of Jhansi.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sarala|first=Srikrishna|title=Indian revolutionaries: a comprehensive study, 1757–1961|publisher=Prabhat Prakashan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1UggIjEuBaAC&pg=PT150|year=1999|volume=I|isbn=978-81-87100-16-4 }}</ref> At the height of the [[Rani of Jhansi#Siege of Jhansi|Siege of Jhansi]], she disguised herself as the queen and fought on her behalf, on the front, allowing the queen to escape safely out of the fort.<ref>{{cite book|last=Badri Narayan|title=Women heroes and Dalit assertion in north India: culture, identity and politics|publisher=SAGE|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iAQrpDW4-_YC&pg=PP1|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7619-3537-7 }}</ref> She died during the battle.<ref>{{cite book|title=Feminism and Literature: Text and Context|last=Vishwakarma|first=Sanjeev Kumar|publisher=Takhtotaaz|isbn=978-81-922645-6-1|location=Allahabad (India)|pages=132–139}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gupta|first=Charu|date=2007|title=Dalit 'Viranganas' and Reinvention of 1857|jstor=4419579|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=42|issue=19|pages=1739–1745}}</ref>

*[[Kasturba Gandhi]] (11 April 1869 – 22 February 1944) was a social activist who often fought alongside her husband [[Gandhi]].<ref name="Gandhi">{{Cite web|title=Kasturba Gandhi {{!}} Indian political activist|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kasturba-Gandhi|access-date=1 May 2021|publisher=Britannica|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612153754/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kasturba-Gandhi|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1904, Kasturba Gandhi began her work in politics and social activism in [[South Africa]] where she helped establish a settlement near [[Durban]], a cooperative village where residents shared chores and grew their own food. In 1913, she was arrested and sentenced to three months in prison for participating in a protest against the treatment of Indian immigrants in South Africa.<ref name="Gandhi"/> Upon return to India, Kasturba participated in numerous civil actions and protests, often taking her husband's place when he was in prison. In 1917, Kasturba worked to empower the lives of farmers in [[Champaran]], [[Bihar]]. In 1922, she participated in a nonviolent civil disobedience (''satyagraha'') movement in [[Gujarat]]. She participated in a number of civil disobedience campaigns in the early 1930s and was arrested and jailed several times.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Tarlo|first=Emma|date=1 December 1997|title=Married to the Mahatma: The predicament of Kasturba Gandhi|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/09574049708578316|journal=Women: A Cultural Review|volume=8|issue=3|pages=264–277|doi=10.1080/09574049708578316|issn=0957-4042|access-date=1 May 2021|archive-date=6 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806070536/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09574049708578316|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In early 1939, she participated in nonviolent protests against the British in [[Rajkot]] after which she was arrested and kept in solitary confinement, during which her health further deteriorated. In 1942, she was arrested again for participating in the [[Quit India Movement|Quit India movement]] and was imprisoned in [[Pune]]. While in prison her chronic [[bronchitis]] worsened and she contracted [[pneumonia]] which led to her death in early 1944.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schraff|first=Anne|title=Mahatma Gandhi|publisher=Saddleback|year=2008|isbn=978-1-59905-248-9}}</ref>

*[[Kittur Chennamma]] (23 October 1778 – 21 February 1829) was a queen of [[Kittur]], a former princely state in present-day Karnataka.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/printrelease.aspx?relid=148944|title=Rani Chennamma of Kitturu|publisher=[[Government of India]]|access-date=17 April 2022}}</ref> In 1823-29, she led an [[armed resistance]] against the [[British East India Company]], in defiance of the [[Paramountcy]], in an attempt to retain control over her [[dominion]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Asiatic Journal Vol.3|title=The Occurrences at Kittur in 1824|year=1830|publisher=Parbury, Allen, and Co|location=London|pages=218–222|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7hELAQAAMAAJ&q=St+John+Thackeray+collector&pg=PA218}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=O'Malley|first=Lewis Sydney Steward|title=Indian civil service, 1601–1930.|year=1985|publisher=Frank Cass|location=London|isbn=978-0-714-62023-7|pages=76|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qI1gUGPKZGsC&q=St+John+Thackeray+Collector&pg=PA76}}</ref> She defeated the company forces in the first war in 1824 but died as a [[prisoner of war]] after the second rebellion in 1829.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gopalakrishnan|first=Subramanian (Ed.)|title=The South Indian rebellions : before and after 1800|year=2007|publisher=Palaniappa Brothers|location=Chennai|isbn=978-8-183-79500-5|pages=102–103|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i81mLhBEBgQC&q=Kittur+Rani+Chennamma&pg=PA103|edition=1st}}</ref>

*[[Pritilata Waddedar]] (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932) was an independence activist from [[East Bengal]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pandey|first1=Jhimli Mukherjee|date=22 March 2012|title=After 80 yrs, posthumous degrees for revolutionaries|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/after-80-yrs-posthumous-degrees-for-revolutionaries/articleshow/12364819.cms|access-date=1 May 2021|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|archive-date=5 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205175613/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/after-80-yrs-posthumous-degrees-for-revolutionaries/articleshow/12364819.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Pandey|first1=Jhimli Mukherjee|date=22 March 2012|agency=TNN|title=After 80 yrs, posthumous degrees for revolutionaries|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/after-80-yrs-posthumous-degrees-for-revolutionaries/articleshow/12364819.cms|access-date=1 May 2021|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|archive-date=5 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205175613/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/after-80-yrs-posthumous-degrees-for-revolutionaries/articleshow/12364819.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1932, she was part of a group of activists led by [[Surya Sen]] who went on an assault on the Pahartali European club at [[Chittagong]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Roy Sanyal|first=Ratna|date=March 2012|title=Remembering Pritilata Waddedar : A Centenary Tribute|url=https://ir.nbu.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/3813/1/Karatoya%20vol%204%20Article%20No%203.pdf|journal=North Bengal University Journal of History|volume=5|pages=19–24|access-date=1 May 2021|archive-date=4 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204223348/https://ir.nbu.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/3813/1/Karatoya%20vol%204%20Article%20No%203.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In the assault, she was shot and she committed suicide later to avoid getting captured.<ref>{{cite book|last=Forbes|first=Geraldine|title=Women in Modern India|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0-521-65377-0|location=Cambridge, England}}</ref>

*[[Rani of Jhansi|Rani Lakshmibai]] (19 November 1828 — 18 June 1858) was the queen consort of [[Jhansi State]], a princely state of Jhansi in the [[Maratha Empire]].<ref name="Jhansi">{{cite web|title=Lakshmi Bai|publisher=Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lakshmi-Bai|access-date=5 December 2021|archive-date=27 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127185408/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lakshmi-Bai|url-status=live}}</ref> When her husband [[Maharaja]] [[Gangadhar Rao]] died in 1853, the [[East India Company|British East India Company]] under Governor-General [[James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie|Dalhousie]] refused to recognize the claim of his adopted heir and annexed Jhansi under the [[Doctrine of Lapse]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Deshpande|first=Prachi|date=August 2008|title=The Making of an Indian Nationalist Archive: Lakshmibai, Jhansi, and 1857|journal=The Journal of Asian Studies|volume=67|issue=3|pages=855–879|doi=10.1017/S0021911808001186|s2cid=146225979|issn=1752-0401|doi-access=free}}</ref> Lakshmibai was unwilling to cede control of the territory and joined the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|rebellion against the British]] in 1857. She was proclaimed as the regent of Jhansi on behalf of her minor son and led the successful defense of Jhansi against the company and its allies.<ref name="Jhansi"/> She fought along with another rebel leader [[Tantia Tope]] before Jhansi fell to British forces under the command of Hugh Rose in early 1858. She managed to escape on a horseback and joined the rebel forces to attack and capture [[Gwalior]], where they proclaimed [[Nana Saheb]] as ''Peshwa'' of the revived Maratha Empire. She died in June 1858 after being mortally wounded during the British counterattack at Gwalior.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lebra-Chapman|first=Joyce|title=The Rani of Jhansi: A Study of Female Heroism in India|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|year=1986|isbn=0-8248-0984-X|location=Honolulu, Hawaii|pages=1–4}}</ref>

*[[Rukmini Lakshmipathi]] (6 December 1892 – 6 August 1951) was an independence activist belonging to the Indian National Congress.<ref>{{cite book|title=Seminar on Uplift of Women in South India in 20th Century and Suggestions for 2000 A.D.|publisher=Mother Teresa Women's University, Dept. of Historical Studies|year=1987|series=Conferences, seminars, and workshops series|volume=5|pages=83|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D0AqAAAAYAAJ&q=rukmini+lakshmipathi}}</ref> For her participation in the [[Vedaranyam march|Salt Satyagraha in Vedaranyam]] in 1930, she was jailed for a year, becoming the first female prisoner in the salt satyagraha movement.<ref>{{cite book|last= Roy|first=Kalpana|title=Encyclopaedia of violence against women and dowry death in India|publisher=Anmol Publications|year=1999|volume=1|pages=30|isbn=978-81-261-0343-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0uFJjf6iVQwC&dq=rukmini+lakshmipathi&pg=PA30}}</ref> She was the first woman to be elected to the Madras Legislature in 1937 and the first woman to serve as a minister in the [[Madras Presidency]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/article244000.ece|title=Historic moments, historic personalities|last=Ramakrishnan|first=T|date=13 March 2010|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=8 April 2010}}</ref>

*[[Sarojini Naidu]] (13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was a poet and an independence activist.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sarojini Naidu|publisher=Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sarojini-Naidu|access-date=5 May 2021|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108003355/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sarojini-Naidu|url-status=live}}</ref> She was hailed as the "Nightingale of India" for her lyrical and oratory prowess.<ref name="Naidu">{{cite journal|last=Reddy|first=Sheshalatha|title=The Cosmopolitan Nationalism of Sarojini Naidu, Nightingale of India|date=September 2010|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/victorian-literature-and-culture/article/abs/cosmopolitan-nationalism-of-sarojini-naidu-nightingale-of-india/908743DE668F776BC9726BDB6BAA0798|journal=Victorian Literature and Culture|volume=38|issue=2|pages=571–589|doi=10.1017/S1060150310000173|s2cid=162597244|issn=1470-1553|access-date=4 May 2021|archive-date=4 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204223344/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/victorian-literature-and-culture/article/abs/cosmopolitan-nationalism-of-sarojini-naidu-nightingale-of-india/908743DE668F776BC9726BDB6BAA0798|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Naidu wrote poetry predominantly in English, which usually took the form of [[lyric poetry]] and known for her use of the depictions of India in her writings.<ref>{{cite book|last=Iyer|first=Sharada|title=Musings on Indian Writing in English: Poetry|publisher=Sarup & Sons|year=2005|isbn=978-8-176-25574-5|location=India|pages=135}}</ref> After a three-year stint in England from 1895 to 1898, Naidu became involved in the Indian Independence movement and various women’s causes tied to the nationalist movement, such as women’s suffrage.<ref>{{cite news|author=Syed Akbar|date=7 January 2019|title=Nizam's kin pulls out 'firmans' showing last ruler's generosity|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/nizams-kin-pulls-out-firmans-showing-last-rulers-generosity/articleshow/67416257.cms|access-date=5 May 2022|archive-date=6 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806070519/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/nizams-kin-pulls-out-firmans-showing-last-rulers-generosity/articleshow/67416257.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> She spoke on its behalf in public forums around the world as an ambassador and spokeswoman of Indian nationalism.<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Brien|first=Jodi|title=Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949), Encyclopedia of Gender and Society|date=2009|url=https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/gender/n292.xml|page=589|place=Thousand Oaks|publisher=SAGE Publications, Inc.|doi=10.4135/9781412964517.n292|isbn=978-1-412-90916-7|access-date=5 December 2021|archive-date=5 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205175602/https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/gender/n292.xml|url-status=live}}</ref> Naidu also acted in an official capacity as the first female Indian president of the [[Indian National Congress]] in 1925 and the appointed governor of the [[United Provinces (1937–1950)|United Provinces]] in 1947.<ref name="Naidu"/>

*[[Sucheta Kripalani]] (25 June 1908 – 1 December 1974) was a freedom fighter and politician, who was India's first female Chief Minister, serving as the head of the [[Government of Uttar Pradesh]] from 1963 to 1967.<ref>{{cite book| year=2004| title = Eminent Indian Freedom Fighters| author=S K Sharma| publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD.| isbn=978-81-261-1890-8| page=560| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pMfpg66gIREC&pg=PA560}}</ref> She came to the forefront during the [[Quit India Movement]] and was arrested by British. On 14 August 1947, she sang ''[[Vande Mataram]]'' in the Independence Session of the Constituent Assembly a few minutes before [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]] delivered his famous "[[Tryst with Destiny]]" speech.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/vol5p1.htm| title=Constituent Assembly of India - Volume-V| date=14 August 1947| publisher=Parliament of India| access-date=18 January 2016| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904092038/http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/vol5p1.htm| archive-date=4 September 2013| df=dmy-all }}</ref>

*[[Usha Mehta]] (25 March 1920 – 11 August 2000) was a [[Gandhism|Gandhian]] and [[Freedom fighters of India|freedom fighter]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Abdul|first=Geneva|date=2021-05-13|title=Overlooked No More: Usha Mehta, Freedom Fighter Against British Rule in India|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/obituaries/usha-mehta-overlooked.html|access-date=5 June 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> She is known for organizing the [[Congress Radio]], an underground [[radio station]], which functioned during the [[Quit India Movement]] of 1942.<ref>{{cite news|last1=BBC News|title=The fiery Indian student who ran a secret radio station for independence|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53775313|access-date=3 October 2021|date=14 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003175038/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53775313|archive-date=3 October 2021}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Indian independence movement]]

Women of the Indian independence movement - Revision history

Khalek Rahaman: made data...