Jhansi Live

In the 9th century, the region of Jhansi came under the rule of the Rajput Chandela dynasty of Khajuraho. The artificial reservoirs and architectural remains probably date from this era. The Chandelas were succeeded by the Khangars, who built the nearby fort of Karar. About the fourteenth century the Bundelas poured down upon the plains from the Vindhya Range, and gradually spread themselves over the whole of the Bundelkhand region which now bears their name. The fortress of Jhansi was built by the ruler of Orchha state in 1610. Legend says that when a king of Orchha saw a shadow ('jhain' in bundelkhand) on a distant mound, he is said to have called it jhain-si (kind of shadow). Jhansi got its name from this utterance.

The Muslim governors of the Mughal empire were constantly making incursions into the Bundela country. In 1732 Chhatrasal, the Bundela king, called in the aid of the Hindu Marathas. They came to his assistance, and were rewarded by the bequest of one-third of the Maharaja's dominions upon his death two years later. The Maratha general developed the city of Jhansi, and peopled it with inhabitants from Orchha state. In 1806 British protection was promised to the Maratha chief. In 1817, however, the Peshwa in Pune ceded all his rights over Bundelkhand to the British East India Company. In 1853 the Raja of Jhansi died childless, and his territory was annexed by the Governor-General of India. The Jhansi state and the Jalaun and Chanderi districts were then formed into a superintendency. Rani Lakshmibai, widow of the Raja, protested the annexation because she was not allowed to adopt an heir (as was customary), and because the slaughter of cattle was permitted in the Jhansi territory.

The Revolt of 1857 accordingly found Jhansi ripe for rebellion. In June a few men of the 12th Native Infantry seized the fort containing the treasure and magazine, and massacred the European officers of the garrison along with their wives and children. Rani Lakshmi Bai put herself at the head of the rebels and died bravely in battle in Gwalior. It was not until November, 1858 that Jhansi was brought under British control. It had been given to the Maharaja of Gwalior, but came under British rule in 1886 as the result of a territorial swap.

Jhansi participated in the Indian Freedom Struggle under Dewan Shatrughan Singh. DEWAN SHATRUGHAN SINGH and his wife RANI RAJENDRA KUMARI were two great [Indian independence movement|Indian freedom fighters] Dewan Saheb was the father of the freedom movement in the Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (Central India). Dewan Shatrughan Singh is also known as 'Bundelkhand Gandhi' & 'Bundelkhand Kesari'. He met Gandhi in the 1920's and then became his follower. He married Rani Kaushlya Devi later called Rani Rajendra Kumari in 1914. The duo spent life serving their people. During the freedom struggle the couple went to jail several times and refused Class A treatement that they were entitled to choosing to stay with the poor inmates who they believed needed their help. They continued public service even after independence. Dewan Shatrughan Singh initiated the First Gram daan. When Vonoba Bhave visited the district in early 50's Diwan Saheb offered the entire village of Mangrauth. He also set up several schools and colleges in the district donating his own land and money and encouraging others in the process. None of the institutions were named after him or his family members. Dewan Saheb and Rani Saheba are credited for inspiring people for the three most difficult Daan( Sacrifices)- Graam Daan , Bhoo Daan and Shram Daan. The road connecting Charkhari to Supa in Hamirpur district was built by Shram Daan. The Rani defeated the sitting UP [Chief Minister] C.B. Gupta in 1958 by-election from Maudaha. Numerous scholars have done PhD's on the life of these 2 great Indian patriots. There is an annual mela on the birthday of these two stalwarts held annually in Maungrauth in 25 December and is attended by over 40,000 people. They opened numerous colleges and libraries in the Bundelkhand region and none were named after them. The district hospital of Hamirpur is named after Dewan Sahib after his death. Despite being from one of the most affluent families in Central India this couple sacrificed everything for the nation. they passed away in December 1975. They are still remembered as the true leaders who worked selflessly for the amelioration of the people and the region. They are now the subject of folk tales and songs that recall bravery and selfless service. The Alhaa singers particularly have some beautiful compositions narrating stories from their lives.

Jhansi was added to the United Provinces, which became the state of Uttar Pradesh after India's Independence in 1947.

The fort standing in the hilly area shows that how the North Indian style of fort construction differentiated from that of the South.In South majority of the beautiful forts were built on the sea beds like the one at Bekal in Kerala

Jhansi is located at 25.4333 N 78.5833 E. It has an average elevation of 284 metres (935 feet).[1] Jhansi is located in the plateau of central India,an area dominated by rocky reliefs and minerals underneath the soil. The city has a natural slope in the north as it lies on the south western border of the vast Tarai plains of Uttar Pradesh. The elevation rises on the south. The land is suitable for citrus species fruits. Crops include wheat, pulses, peas, oilseeds. The region relies heavily on Monsoon rains for irrigation purposes. Under an ambitious canal project(Rajghat canal), the government is constructing a network of canals for irrigation in Jhansi and Lalitpur and some area of Madhya Pradesh.

Being on a rocky plateau, Jhansi experiences extreme temperatures. Winter begins in October with the retreat of the Southwest Monsoon (Jhansi does not experience any rainfall from the Northeast Monsoon) and peaks in mid-December. The mercury generally reads about 4 degrees minimum and 21 degrees maximum. Spring arrives by the end of February and is a short-lived phase of transition. Summer begins by April and summer temperatures can peak at 47 degrees in May. The rainy season starts by the third week of June(although this is variable year to year). Monsoon rains gradually weaken in September and the season ends by the last week of September. In the rainy season, average daily high temperature hovers around 36 degrees Celsius with high humidity. The average rainfall for this city is about 900 mm per year, observed almost entirely within the three-and-a-half months of the Southwest Monsoon.

The city is well connected by rail, road and air transport services.

Railways Jhansi has its own Division of the North Central Railways.It is well connected by train services to all parts of the country, including 4 metros. There are direct trains to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata (Howrah), Chennai, Trivandrum, Indore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jammu, Lucknow, Bhopal and other major towns.

Road Transport The proposed North-south & East-west Corridors of the Golden-Quadrilateral Highway project pass and cross each other in Jhansi only.and its also well connected to kanpur,lucknow and madhya pradesh by road.