Abbakka Chowta

Rani Abbakka Chowta was the first Tuluva Queen of Ullal

Abbakka Chowta
who fought the Portuguese in the latter half of the 16th century.
She belonged to the Chowta dynasty who ruled over parts of Rani of Ullal
coastal Karnataka (Tulu Nadu), India. Their capital was
Puttige.[Note 1] The port town of Ullal served as their subsidiary
capital. The Portuguese made several attempts to capture Ullal
as it was strategically placed. But Abbakka repulsed each of
their attacks for over four decades. For her bravery, she came to
be known as Abhaya Rani (The fearless queen).[1][2] She was
also one of the earliest Indians to fight the colonial powers and
is sometimes regarded as the 'first woman freedom fighter of Life Size statue of the Chowta
India'.[3][4] In the state of Karnataka, she is celebrated along Queen Abbakka in Ullal
with Rani Kittur Chennamma, Keladi Chennamma and Onake Reign 1525 – 1570s
Obavva, as the foremost women warriors and patriots.
Predecessor Tirumala Raya
Chowta
Spouse Banga Lakshmappa
Early life Arasa

The Chowtas followed the system of matrilineal inheritance House Chowta

(Aliyasantana) by which Tirumala Raya, Abbakka's uncle,
crowned her the queen of Ullal. He also forged a matrimonial alliance for Abbakka with Lakshmappa Arasa,
the King of the Banga principality in Mangalore.[5] This alliance was to later prove a source of worry for the
Portuguese. Tirumala Raya also trained Abbakka in the different aspects of warfare and military strategy.
The marriage, however was short lived and Abbakka returned to Ullal. Her husband thus longed for
revenge against Abbakka and was to later join the Portuguese in their fight against Abbakka.

Historical background
After overrunning Goa and taking control of it, the Portuguese turned their attention southwards and along
the coast. They first attacked the South Kanara coast in 1525 and destroyed the Mangalore port. Ullal was a
prosperous port and a hub of the spice trade to Arabia and other countries in the west. Being the profitable
trading center that it was, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British vied with one another for control of the
region as well as the trade routes. They however, had not been able to make much headway as the
resistance from the local chieftains was very strong. The local rulers even forged alliances cutting across
caste and religious lines.

Abbakka's administration was well represented by Jains, Hindus as well as Muslims. Her army too
consisted of people of all sects and castes. She even forged alliances with the Zamorin of Calicut. Together,
they kept the Portuguese at bay. The marital ties with the neighbouring Banga dynasty added further
strength to the alliance of the local rulers. She also gained support from powerful king Venkatappanayaka
of Bidnur and ignored the threat of Portuguese forces.[6]
Battles against the Portuguese
The Portuguese, clearly upset by Abbakka's tactics, demanded that she pay them tribute but Abbakka
refused to yield. In 1555, the Portuguese sent Admiral Dom Álvaro da Silveira to fight her after she refused
to pay them tribute.[7] In the battle that followed, Rani Abbakka once again managed to hold her own and
repulsed the attack successfully.

In 1557, the Portuguese plundered Mangalore and laid waste to it. In 1568, they turned their attention to
Ullal but Abbakka Rani resisted them yet again. João Peixoto, a Portuguese general and a fleet of soldiers
were sent by the Portuguese Viceroy António Noronha. They managed to capture the city of Ullal and also
entered the royal court. Abbakka Rani, however, escaped and took refuge in a mosque. The same night, she
gathered around 200 of her soldiers and mounted an attack on the Portuguese. In the battle that ensued,
General Peixoto was killed,[8] seventy Portuguese soldiers were taken prisoners and many of the Portuguese
retreated. In further attacks, Abbakka Rani and her supporters killed Admiral Mascarenhas and the
Portuguese were also forced to vacate the Mangalore fort.

In 1569 however, the Portuguese not only regained the Mangalore fort but also captured Kundapur
(Basrur). Despite these gains, Abbakka Rani continued to remain a source of threat. With the help of the
queen's estranged husband, they mounted attacks on Ullal. Furious battles followed but Abbakka Rani held
her own. In 1570, she formed an alliance with the Bijapur Sultan of Ahmed Nagar and the Zamorine of
Calicut, who were also opposing the Portuguese. Kutty Pokar Markar, the Zamorine's general fought on
behalf of Abbakka and destroyed the Portuguese fort at Mangalore but while returning he was killed by the
Portuguese. Following these losses and her husband's treachery, Abbakka lost the war, was arrested and
jailed. However, even in prison she revolted and died fighting.

Folklore and legend

According to traditional accounts, she was an immensely popular queen and this is also attested by the fact
that she is even today a part of folklore. The queen's story has been retold from generation to generation
through folk songs and Yakshagana, a popular folk theatre in [Coastal Karnataka]. In Bhuta Kola, a local
ritual dance, the persona in trance recounts the great deeds of Abbakka Mahadevi. Abbakka is portrayed as
dark and good looking, always dressed in simple clothes like a commoner. She is portrayed as a caring
queen who worked late into the night dispensing justice. Legends also claim that Abbakka was the last
known person to have used the Agnivana (fire-arrow) in her fight against the Portuguese. Some accounts
also claim that she had two equally valiant daughters who fought alongside her in her wars against the
Portuguese. Tradition however treats all three - mother and two daughters as the same person.

Memory
Abbakka's memory is much cherished in her home town of Ullal. The "Veera Rani Abbakka Utsava" is an
annual celebration held in her memory. The Veera Rani Abbakka Prashasti(award) is awarded to
distinguished women on the occasion.[9] On January 15, 2003, the Indian postal department issued a
special cover on Rani Abbakka. There have been calls to name the Bajpe airport.[10] A bronze statue of the
queen has been erected in Ullal and another in Bangalore.[11] The Karnataka Itihasa Academy has called
for renaming the Queen's road in the state capital as 'Rani Abbakka Devi road'.[12]
Rani Abbakka-class patrol vessel
The Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Rani Abbakka, the 1st of a series of five inshore patrol vessels (IPV) built
at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd is named after Abbakka Mahadevi was commissioned in Visakhapatnam on
January 20, 2012, and is based in Chennai.[13][14]

See also
Ullal
Tulunadu
Goa Inquisition
Battle of Colachel

Footnotes
1. There are four places in Karnataka and Kerala whose modern name is Puttige or similar. None seems
to have ever been larger than a village. Another candidate for the place is Puttur, a town which is the
seat of a modern taluk (which also includes one of the villages called Puttige). An unsourced statement
in the corresponding article in Kannada Wiki calls Puttur "the capital of a dynasty of kings" (Kannada:
ವಂಶದ ಅರಸರ ಾಜ ಾ ಾ ತು).

Notes
1. "Queen Abbakka's triumph over western colonisers" (http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page.asp?relid=
6707). Press Information Bureau, Govt., of India. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
2. "The Intrepid Queen-Rani Abbakka Devi of Ullal" (http://www.boloji.com/history/028.htm). Archived (htt
ps://web.archive.org/web/20070807132003/http://www.boloji.com/history/028.htm) from the original on
7 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
3. "Include Tulu in Eighth Schedule: Fernandes" (http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/feb/17tara.htm).
Rediff.com. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
4. "Blend past and present to benefit future" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/29664181.cm
s). Times of India. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
5. K. Sanjiva Prabhu (1977). Special Study Report on Bhuta Cult in South Kanara District (https://books.g
oogle.com/books?id=xwgaAAAAMAAJ). Controller of Publications, 1977. pp. 9–12. Retrieved
13 March 2015.
6. Sarojini Shintri, Kurukundi Raghavendra Rao (1983). Women freedom fighters in Karnataka (https://bo
oks.google.com/books?id=-05uAAAAMAAJ&q=abbakka&dq=abbakka&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fH64UJeCC5
GIrAfznYCgCw&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBQ). Dharwad: Prasaranga, Karnatak University. pp. 13, 14.
7. Kudva, Venkataraya Narayan (1972). History of the Dakshinatya Saraswats (https://books.google.com/
books?ei=woC4ULz5PIX9rAfTyoGQBA&id=x0NuAAAAMAAJ&dq=abbakka+ullal&q=ullal). Madras:
Samyukta Gowda Saraswata Sabha. pp. 107–110.
8. CIL. "Abbakka Rani : The Unsung Warrior Queen - Kailash Mishra" (http://ignca.nic.in/nl001903.htm).
Ignca.nic.in. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
9. "M.P. Prakash calls for revival of local culture" (http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/09/stories/20060109146
10300.htm). Chennai, India: Deccan Herald. 2006-01-09. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20070
809201529/http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/09/stories/2006010914610300.htm) from the original on 9
August 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
10. "Name Mangalore airport after Rani Abbakka: Dhananjaya" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articles
how/32796607.cms). Times of India. 2002-12-30. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
11. "Highlight freedom fighters' role in books, says Ashok" (http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/27/stories/2007
012721710400.htm). Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2007-01-27. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
12. "Academy demands awards for historians" (https://web.archive.org/web/20070927014830/http://www.c
scsarchive.org:8081/__e5256852001e3a90.nsf/0/69721135fc4ba8e765256942002e3db2%21OpenDo
cument%26Highlight%3D0%2Cabbakka). Indian Express. Archived from the original (http://www.cscsa
rchive.org:8081/__e5256852001e3a90.nsf/0/69721135fc4ba8e765256942002e3db2!OpenDocument&
Highlight=0,abbakka) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
13. "Coast Guard Inducts New Indigenous IPV Rani Abbakka" (http://www.livefistdefence.com/2012/01/co
ast-guard-inducts-new-indigenous-ipv.html). Livefist. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
14. Ministry of Defence (20 January 2012). "1st Inshore Patrol Vessel Commissioned into Coast Guard" (ht
tp://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=79763). Press Information Burea. Retrieved 20 January
2012.

References
Abbakka Rani - The unsung warrior queen (http://www.ignca.gov.in/nl001903.htm)
Queen Abbakka's triumph over Western colonisers (http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page.asp?relid=6
707)

External links
Pepper queen Abbakka (https://web.archive.org/web/20070806161344/http://www.ourkarnataka.com/A
rticles/starofmysore/abbakka.htm)
Rani Abbakka Devi of Ullal (http://www.boloji.com/history/028.htm)
Abbakka, the warrior queen of Karnataka (http://www.mea.gov.in/indiaperspective/2004/102004.pdf)
Rani Abbakka has not been given her due (http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/09/stories/20060109048704
00.htm)
Brave Abbakka still awaiting her due (https://web.archive.org/web/20070929124017/http://www.deccan
herald.com/Archives/jun192006/state2216232006618.asp)
Historian Dr. Jyotsna Kamat's Article on Abbakka (http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/itihas/abbakka.htm)

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This page was last edited on 9 September 2017, at 14:20.

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