Thread by @Namami_Bharatam

🔥 “The Queen Who Burned the Invaders”
A forgotten fire roared from the coast of Ullal... and her name was Rani Abbakka Chowta.

She fought the Portuguese for 20 YEARS and never surrendered.
While textbooks glorify Mughal begums and British allies, they forgot the queen who burned ships, led ambushes, and united communities against invaders.
Read till the end. Her story will shake your soul.

When the Portuguese stormed into India in the 16th century, most kingdoms either fell or forged treaties. But there was one woman, Rani Abbakka Chowta of Ullal, in present-day Karnataka who chose to resist. For over 20 years, she defied the Portuguese Empire with unmatched military acumen, indomitable willpower, and a fierce commitment to protecting her people.

Despite being India’s earliest freedom fighter against European colonial powers, her name rarely finds mention in schoolbooks. Instead, we often glorify rulers who lost their thrones or aligned with invaders. Rani Abbakka was different, a queen who never surrendered, who chose the sword over submission.

Rani Abbakka hailed from the Chowta dynasty, which ruled parts of the Tulu Nadu region (modern-day Dakshina Kannada). This dynasty was matrilineal, meaning inheritance and succession passed through the female line, a system unique to parts of South India like Kerala and coastal Karnataka.

Abbakka was trained in statecraft, warfare, horse riding, and archery from an early age. Her intelligence and discipline led her uncle, Thirumala Raya Chowta, to crown her as the ruler of Ullal, a strategic port town near Mangalore.

Ullal was a prosperous port, deeply rooted in spice trade and maritime commerce. Naturally, the Portuguese eyed it.
Rani Abbakka united communities and neighboring kings under a common cause. This inclusive policy made her extremely popular among the masses and a nightmare for the Portuguese.

The Portuguese first attacked Ullal in the mid-1500s, demanding tribute. Rani Abbakka refused to comply, stating firmly that Ullal was a free kingdom and owed nothing to invaders.
In retaliation, the Portuguese governor at Goa, Dom Álvaro da Silveira, sent a heavily armed naval fleet...

But to their surprise, Abbakka’s troops defeated them, forcing them to retreat with heavy losses.
Using a guerrilla warfare strategy, night raids, ambushes, and quick cavalry movements, she kept the invaders at bay. Portuguese records called her a “dangerous rebel” and a woman “possessed by the devil.”

Over the next two decades, the Portuguese launched several campaigns to capture Ullal. They burned her palace, destroyed her ports, and even captured her husband, who had betrayed her and sided with the Portuguese after their marriage turned sour.
But even in adversity, Abbakka never surrendered.

In a legendary battle in 1568, General João Peixoto attacked Ullal with a massive fleet. But Abbakka’s forces ambushed his army at night, k!lling him and hundreds of his men. The queen herself led the charge, sword in hand, atop a war elephant.
She became a symbol of resistance, not just in Ullal but across coastal India.

Eventually, due to the betrayal of local chieftains, Abbakka was captured by the Portuguese. But even in prison, she refused to bow down. She reportedly died in captivity, still firm in her beliefs, a rebel till her last breath.
Her daughters and descendants continued her fight, but by the early 17th century, Ullal eventually fell under Portuguese control.

While we are taught about Raziya Sultana or the wives of Mughal emperors, we rarely hear about a woman who fought 20 years without ever submitting to the strongest colonial power of her time. Her contributions are barely acknowledged in mainstream narratives.

But among the people of Tulu Nadu, her legend lives on through folk songs, local festivals, and oral history.
The “Veera Rani Abbakka Utsava”, held annually in Karnataka, celebrates her bravery. The Indian Coast Guard even named one of its patrol vessels ICGS Rani Abbakka in her honor.

Rani Abbakka Chowta fought for our land, our freedom, and our pride, centuries before the idea of independence even existed.

📢 It’s time to give her the honor she was denied.
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🔥 Rani Abbakka Chowta, the Queen who ruled with fire. 🔥