Damodar Rao (born as Anand Rao) (15 November 1849 – 28 May 1906) was the adopted son of Maharaja Gangadhar Rao and

Rani Laxmibai Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi (; 19 November 1828 — 18 June 1858),Though the day of the month is regarded as certain historians disagree about the year: among those suggested are 1827 and 1835. was an Indian queen, the Maharani consort of ...

Jhansi State Jhansi was an independent princely state ruled by the Maratha Newalkar dynasty under suzerainty of British India from 1804 till 1853, when the British authorities took over the state under the terms of the Doctrine of Lapse, and renamed it the ...

. Born as Anand Rao to Vasudev Rao Newalkar, a cousin of Raja Gangadhar Rao, he was adopted by the maharaja after his own son died. The adoption of Anand Rao, who was renamed Damodar Rao, occurred on the day before the Maharaja died. The adoption was in the presence of the British political officer who was given a letter from the Maharaja instructing that the child be treated with respect and that the government of Jhansi should be given to his widow for her lifetime. After the death of the Maharaja in November 1853, because Damodar Rao (born Anand Rao) was adopted, the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

, under Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, applied the

Doctrine of Lapse The doctrine of lapse was a policy of annexation initiated by the East India Company in the Indian subcontinent about the princely states, and applied until the year 1858, the year after Company rule was succeeded by the British Raj under the ...

, rejecting Damodar Rao's claim to the throne and annexing the state to its territories. When she was informed of this, Rani Laxmibai cried out "I shall not surrender my Jhansi" (mai apni Jhansi kabhi nahi doongi). In March 1854, Rani Laxmibai was given an annual pension of Rs. 60,000 and ordered to leave the palace and the fort. However, actions by mutineers at Jhansi and the failure of negotiations between the Rani and the Company resulted in Jhansi State reasserting its independence. Eventually, Company forces laid siege to the city of Jhansi and after determined resistance, they breached its defenses. Rani Laxmibai evaded capture by, according to tradition, with Damodar Rao on her back jumping on her horse, Badal from the fort. They survived but the horse died. More probably she escaped in the night with her son, surrounded by guards.
Rani of Jhansi, Rebel against will
' by Rainer Jerosch, published by Aakar Books 2007; chapters 5 and 6 The place from where Rani Lakshmibai jumped

The place from where Rani Lakshmibai jumped

After the death of Rani Laxmibai at Kotah ki Serai on 18 June 1858, he survived that battle and, lived with his mentors in the jungle, in dire poverty. According to a memoir purporting to be by Damodar Rao, he was among his mother's troops and household at the battle of Gwalior, together with others who had survived the battle (some 60 retainers with 60 camels and 22 horses), he fled from the camp of Rao Sahib of Bithur and as the village people of Bundelkhand dared not aid them for fear of reprisals from the British they were forced to live in the forest and suffer many privations. He had taken asylum in

Jhalrapatan Jhalrapatan is a city and municipality, near city of Jhalawar in Jhalawar district in the state of Rajasthan in India. Its population is approximately 37,506. The former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, has been three times elected ...

when due to the help of some old confidants, he met Raja Pratapsinh of Jhalarpatan. An old confidant, Nanekhan impressed upon the local British political officer, Flink to forgive young Damodar. He was sent to

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

after he surrendered to the British. Here, Sir Richard Shakespeare, the local political agent, placed him under the guardianship of a

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...

teacher, called Munshi Dharmanarayan, to teach Damodar -

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

. He was allowed to keep only 7 followers (all others had to leave) and was allotted an annual pension of Rs. 10,000. He settled down at Indore and married. His first wife died shortly afterwards and he was married again into Shivre family. In 1904, he had a son named Lakshman Rao. Later, after end of the

Company rule in India Company rule in India (sometimes, Company ''Raj'', from hi, rāj, lit=rule) refers to the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, when ...

, he also petitioned

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

for recognition but was refused to be recognized as legal heir. Damodar Rao was an avid photographer by passion. He died on 28 May 1906 survived by his son Lakhsman Rao.

References

{{authority control 1849 births 1906 deaths Marathi people People from Jhansi People from Indore History of Uttar Pradesh 19th-century Indian royalty