Onake Obavva ( kn, ಒನಕೆ ಓಬವ್ವ, 18th Century) was a Karnataka hindu warrior who fought the forces of

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...

single-handedly with a

pestle Mortar and pestle is a set of two simple tools used from the Stone Age to the present day to prepare ingredients or substances by crushing and grinding them into a fine paste or powder in the kitchen, laboratory, and pharmacy. The ''mortar'' () ...

(''Onake'') in the kingdom of

Chitradurga Chitradurga is a city and the headquarters of Chitradurga district, which is located on the valley of the Vedavati river in the central part of the Indian state of Karnataka. Chitradurga is a place with historical significance which is locate ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Her husband was a guard of a watchtower in the rocky fort of

. In the state of

, she is celebrated along with

Abbakka Rani Rani Abbakka Chowta was the first Tuluva Queen of Ullal who fought the Portuguese in the latter half of the 16th century. She belonged to the Chowta dynasty who ruled over parts of coastal Karnataka ( Tulu Nadu), India. Their capital was Putti ...

, Keladi Chennamma and Kittur Chennamma, as the foremost women warriors and patriots. She belonged to the Holayas (

Chalavadi Chalavādi (Chalawadi, Chalwadi, Chelvadi, Chelavadi) is a dravida community, mainly belonging to Karnataka, "who are generally called formerly as Adi Dravida (Balagai), Channaiah or Channayya"(Bidar, Belgaum, Bijapur and Dharwad districts), Toti ...

) community.

Heroics of Obavva

During the reign of

Madakari Nayaka Ontisalaga Madakari Nayaka or Madakari Nayaka V or Karigundi Nayaka (1742 - 1782) was the last Nayaka ruler of Chitradurga, India. He belongs to Bedar Nayaka caste and is considered to be the greatest of the Nayakas of Chitradurga and also S ...

, the city of Chitradurga was besieged by the troops of

(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 from a pond which was near the hole in the rocks, halfway up the hill. She noticed the army trying to enter the fort through the hole. She used the ''Onake'' or pestle (a wooden long club meant for pounding paddy grains) to kill the soldiers one by one by hitting them on the head and then quietly moving the dead without raising the suspicions of the rest of the troops. Mudda Hanuma, Obavva's husband, returned from lunch, 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. 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.

Legacy

She is considered to be the epitome of

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

female pride. The hole through which Hyder Ali's soldiers sneaked is called Onake Obavvana ''Kindi'' (kindi=hole) or ''Onake kindi''. Her heroic effort is depicted in a famous song-sequence in

Nagarahavu ''Naagarahaavu'' () is a 1972 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Puttanna Kanagal, based on T. R. Subba Rao's three novels ''Nagarahavu'', ''Ondu Gandu Eradu Hennu'' and ''Sarpa Mathsara'', and starring Vishnuvardhan, Aarathi , K. S. A ...

picture directed by

Puttanna Kanagal Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma (1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), known popularly as S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, was an Indian filmmaker known for his work in Kannada cinema. He is often considered one of Kannada cinema's most influent ...

. The sports stadium in Chitradurga - Veera Vanithe Onake Obavva Stadium, is named after her, and she is commemorated with a statue sculpted by

Ashok Gudigar Ashok Gudigar (born 1965) is a sculptor who specialises in making statues out of sandalwood, stone, metal, and fiberglass. He hails from Sagara, Shimoga District, Karnataka, India, and lives in Bangalore. Early life and education After studying ...

, erected in front of the District Commissioner’s office in Chittradurga

In popular culture

The 2019

language historical drama film ''Chitradurgada Onake Obavva'', starring Kannada actress Tara as Onake Obavva. Actress Jayanthi played the role of Onake Obavva in the movie Nagarahaavu.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obavva, Onake Year of birth missing Women in 18th-century warfare Indian women in war People from Chitradurga 18th-century Indian women 18th-century Indian people Women from Karnataka Military personnel from Karnataka

Heroics of Obavva

Legacy

In popular culture

See also

References