Born on the banks of the Ganges at Benares, little Manakarnika was a charged and precocious girl destined to be etched in history as the towering queen of the Revolt of 1857. A touching yet accurate portrait of this Indian Boadicea, The Ranee of Jhansi as a biography also puts the events of the 'mutiny' and the actual role of Lakshmibai in it, into perspective. Manakarnika was born on the banks of the Ganges at Benares in 1828, a lively and precocious young girl who would grow up to be the queen of Jhansi and an Indian hero. The Ranee of Jhansi explores the plains and hills of central India in 1857, the circumstances that led to the great revolt and the vivid scenes of the battle of Jhansi. At the heart of it all, however, is the story of Rani Lakshmibai, who continues to be celebrated for her courage and valour a century-and-a-half after her death. Her intuitive grasp of warfare, astute judgement and indomitable will, made her fight in the face of defeat. A young widow by the age of thirty, she led an army against the British. She was hailed by them, after her death, as 'the most dangerous of all Indian leaders'.