Lakshmi Bai (c. 1835-1858), the Rani of Jhansi, is a national hero in India for her fight against the injustices of the British Raj.

As the reigning queen (Rani) of the Jhansi province of India, Bai was killed in a battle during the Indian First War of Independence provoked by the reigning British invocation of lapse, a policy by which the British claimed the lands of Indian kings (Rajas) without male heirs. She has since become emblematic of Indian rebellion against the encroachment of British imperialism and is celebrated by her country people as a woman who lived contrary to the perceived notions of nineteenth-century Indian feminine decorum. Many contradictory stories have been written about Bai that depict her as either an honorable head of state or as a ruthless, deceitful, and cunning warrior. Likewise physical descriptions of Bai vary; some describing her as possessing beautiful facial features...