Krishnapriya, Queen of Tamluk

Krishnapriya was the Queen of Tamluk province in the Purba Medinipur district of the present-day state of West Bengal. Historically, the people of Medinipur were always free-spirited. Especially, during the colonial rule in India, the people of Medinipur showed utmost enthusiasm in trying to protect their interests and retain their freedom against the imperial rulers. It was under such circumstances that the queen of Tamluk, Srimati Krishnapriya, displayed immense courage by challenging the colonial annexation over her rule. She plotted a revolt against the East India Company for its interventions vis-à-vis the Queen’s dominion. However, she was defeated and deposed by the army of the East India Company at the last moment. She eventually became an exemplar for the hundreds and thousands of countrymen fighting for India’s freedom from the yoke of alien rule. Krishnapriya’s bid to provide stiff resistance to the British imperialists at Tamluk was inspired by the eventful and turbulent times during the colonial period and found emulation in other parts of the nearby provinces.