robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page. |
EggleFreggle (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{short description|Folk heroine-warrior of Chitradurga fort}} | {{short description|Folk heroine-warrior of Chitradurga fort}} | ||
<!--{{Expert-subject-multiple|Biography|India|date=June 2008}}--> | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}} | {{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}} | ||
[[File:Obavvana Kindi.JPG|thumb|Onake Obavvana ''kindi'' inside Chitradurga Fort]] | [[File:Obavvana Kindi.JPG|thumb|Onake Obavvana ''kindi'' inside Chitradurga Fort]] | ||
'''Onake Obavva''' | '''Onake Obavva''' was a [[Karnataka]] warrior who fought the forces of [[Hyder Ali]] single-handedly with a [[pestle]] in the kingdom of [[Chitradurga]] of Karnataka, [[India]]. Her husband was a guard of a watchtower in the rocky fort of Chitradurga. In the state of Karnataka, she is celebrated along with [[Abbakka Rani]], [[Keladi Chennamma]] and [[Kittur Chennamma]], as the foremost women warriors and patriots. She belonged to the [[Holeya|Holaya]] community. The Government of Karnataka has taken up the initiative to celebrate November 11 as Onake Obavva Jayanti since 2021. | ||
==Heroics of Obavva== | ==Heroics of Obavva== | ||
During the reign of [[Madakari Nayaka]], the city of Chitradurga was besieged by the troops of [[Hyder 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 | During the reign of [[Madakari Nayaka]], the city of Chitradurga was besieged by the troops of [[Hyder 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<ref name="Mysore">{{cite book |title=March of Mysore Vol.3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97YeAQAAIAAJ&q=obavva |access-date=10 September 2012 |edition=1966 |year= 1966}}</ref> from a pond which was near the hole in the rocks, halfway up the hill.<ref name="history">{{cite book |last1=Hayavadana Rao |first1=Conjeevaram |title=History of Mysore (1399-1799 AD) 1766-1799 |year=1943 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZ4D3zfzbKgC&q=obavva |access-date=10 September 2012 |volume= 3 |publisher=Govt. of Mysore |location=Bangalore |page=260 }}</ref> She noticed the army trying to enter the fort through the hole. She used the ''Onake'' or [[Mortar and pestle|pestle]] to 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 stained ''Onake'' and 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.<ref name="jasmine">{{cite book |last1=Cathy Spagnoli |first1=Paramasivam Samanna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6_Aci8KA7JEC&q=obavva&pg=PA112 |title=Jasmine and Coconuts: South Indian Tales |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1999 |isbn=9781563085765 |edition=1999 |location=Englewood, USA |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref name=shintri>{{Cite book|author= Sarojini Shintri|author2=Kurukundi Raghavendra Rao|pages=151|title= Women freedom fighters in Karnataka|access-date=2009-06-17|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HwEtAAAAIAAJ&q=Chitradurg+fort|publisher= Prasaranga, Karnatak University|year=1983}}</ref> | ||
== Legacy == | == Legacy == | ||
She is considered to be the epitome of [[Kannada]] female pride. The hole through which Hyder Ali's soldiers | She is considered to be the epitome of [[Kannada]] female pride. The hole through which Hyder Ali's soldiers snuck in is called Onake Obavvana ''Kindi'' (kindi=hole) or ''Onake kindi''.<ref name="gazetteer">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=66q1AAAAIAAJ&q=obavva |title=Mysore State Gazetteer - Chitradurga District |publisher=Govt. of Mysore |year=1967 |editor1-last=B.N |editor1-first=Sri Sathyan |volume=4 |location=Bangalore |page=393 |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref> Her heroic effort is depicted in a famous song-sequence in the film [[Nagarahavu]], directed by [[Puttanna Kanagal]]. A sports stadium in Chitradurga, Veera Vanithe Onake Obavva Stadium, is named after her,<ref>{{cite book |last1= John|first1= Jijo K.|title=Studies in South |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qSRo4_35T78C&q=obavva&pg=PA24 |access-date=10 September 2012 |edition=2005 |volume=2 |issue=1 |publisher=Printnet Info Services Pvt Ltd. |location=Bangalore |page=24 }}</ref> and she is commemorated with a statue sculpted by [[Ashok Gudigar]], erected in front of the District Commissioner’s office in Chittradurga.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/blewis/www/chitradurga.htm|title=An Informal History of the Chitradurga Nayakas|last=Lewis|first=Barry|date=2007|website=Barry Lewis UIUC Department of Anthropology|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515154647/https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/blewis/www/chitradurga.htm|archive-date=15 May 2011|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref> | ||
== In popular culture == | == In popular culture == | ||
The 2019 [[Kannada]] language historical drama film ''Chitradurgada Onake Obavva'' | The 2019 [[Kannada]] language historical drama film ''Chitradurgada Onake Obavva'' stars Kannada actress Tara as Onake Obavva.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chitradurgada Onake Obavva (2019)|url=https://www.moviebuff.com/chitradurgada-onake-obavva|publisher=Movie Buff|date=21 June 2019}}</ref> | ||
Actress [[Jayanthi (actress)|Jayanthi]] played the role of Onake Obavva in the movie [[Naagarahaavu|Nagarahaavu]]. | Actress [[Jayanthi (actress)|Jayanthi]] played the role of Onake Obavva in the movie [[Naagarahaavu|Nagarahaavu]]. | ||
She was played by Neha Gokhale, the younger daughter of veteran actor [[Vikram Gokhale]] during 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 == | == See also == | ||
| Line 22: | Line 24: | ||
* [[Abbakka Rani]] | * [[Abbakka Rani]] | ||
* [[Kitturu Chennamma]] | * [[Kitturu Chennamma]] | ||
* [[Rani Chennabhairadevi]] | |||
* [[Household Stone Implements in Karnataka]] | * [[Household Stone Implements in Karnataka]] | ||
| Line 34: | Line 37: | ||
[[Category:Year of birth missing]] | [[Category:Year of birth missing]] | ||
[[Category:Women in 18th-century warfare]] | [[Category:Women in 18th-century warfare]] | ||
[[Category:Indian women | [[Category:Indian women warriors]] | ||
[[Category:People from Chitradurga]] | [[Category:People from Chitradurga]] | ||
[[Category:18th-century Indian women]] | [[Category:18th-century Indian women]] | ||
Revision as of 19:13, 7 March 2026
<!--Template:Expert-subject-multiple-->
Onake Obavva was a Karnataka warrior who fought the forces of Hyder Ali single-handedly with a pestle in the kingdom of Chitradurga of Karnataka, India. Her husband was a guard of a watchtower in the rocky fort of Chitradurga. In the state of Karnataka, she is celebrated along with Abbakka Rani, Keladi Chennamma and Kittur Chennamma, as the foremost women warriors and patriots. She belonged to the Holaya community. The Government of Karnataka has taken up the initiative to celebrate November 11 as Onake Obavva Jayanti since 2021.
Heroics of Obavva
During the reign of Madakari Nayaka, the city of Chitradurga was besieged by the troops of Hyder 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<ref name="Mysore">March of Mysore Vol.3 (1966 ed.). 1966. Retrieved 10 September 2012.</ref> from a pond which was near the hole in the rocks, halfway up the hill.<ref name="history">Hayavadana Rao, Conjeevaram (1943). History of Mysore (1399-1799 AD) 1766-1799. Vol. 3. Bangalore: Govt. of Mysore. p. 260. Retrieved 10 September 2012.</ref> She noticed the army trying to enter the fort through the hole. She used the Onake or pestle to 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 stained Onake and 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.<ref name="jasmine">Cathy Spagnoli, Paramasivam Samanna (1999). Jasmine and Coconuts: South Indian Tales (1999 ed.). Englewood, USA: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9781563085765. Retrieved 10 September 2012.</ref> 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.<ref name=shintri>Sarojini Shintri; Kurukundi Raghavendra Rao (1983). Women freedom fighters in Karnataka. Prasaranga, Karnatak University. p. 151. Retrieved 17 June 2009.</ref>
Legacy
She is considered to be the epitome of Kannada female pride. The hole through which Hyder Ali's soldiers snuck in is called Onake Obavvana Kindi (kindi=hole) or Onake kindi.<ref name="gazetteer">B.N, Sri Sathyan, ed. (1967). Mysore State Gazetteer - Chitradurga District. Vol. 4. Bangalore: Govt. of Mysore. p. 393. Retrieved 10 September 2012.</ref> Her heroic effort is depicted in a famous song-sequence in the film Nagarahavu, directed by Puttanna Kanagal. A sports stadium in Chitradurga, Veera Vanithe Onake Obavva Stadium, is named after her,<ref>John, Jijo K. Studies in South. Vol. 2 (2005 ed.). Bangalore: Printnet Info Services Pvt Ltd. p. 24. Retrieved 10 September 2012.</ref> and she is commemorated with a statue sculpted by Ashok Gudigar, erected in front of the District Commissioner’s office in Chittradurga.<ref>Lewis, Barry (2007). "An Informal History of the Chitradurga Nayakas". Barry Lewis UIUC Department of Anthropology. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2018.</ref>
In popular culture
The 2019 Kannada language historical drama film Chitradurgada Onake Obavva stars Kannada actress Tara as Onake Obavva.<ref>"Chitradurgada Onake Obavva (2019)". Movie Buff. 21 June 2019.</ref>
Actress Jayanthi played the role of Onake Obavva in the movie Nagarahaavu.
She was played by Neha Gokhale, the younger daughter of veteran actor Vikram Gokhale during 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
- Belawadi Mallamma
- Keladi Chennamma
- Abbakka Rani
- Kitturu Chennamma
- Rani Chennabhairadevi
- Household Stone Implements in Karnataka