Women Freedom Fighters of India: Quick Answer
Women fought in every phase of India's freedom struggle — from Rani Velu Nachiyar, who retook Sivaganga from the British in 1780, to Aruna Asaf Ali, who hoisted the flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan on 9 August 1942 to launch the Quit India Movement. The most-asked names are: Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi (1857 Revolt), Sarojini Naidu (first Indian woman president of the Indian National Congress, 1925), Kasturba Gandhi, Aruna Asaf Ali, Usha Mehta (underground Congress Radio, 1942), Lakshmi Sahgal (INA's Rani of Jhansi Regiment), Kanaklata Barua (shot dead at 17 while hoisting the flag, 1942) and Matangini Hazra (shot dead at 73 while holding the flag, 1942). This note lists 30 women freedom fighters — who they were, what they did, and where — as of 7 November 2026. It is people-first: for their slogans, see the separate note on Famous Slogans of Freedom Fighters.
🔥 Key Exam Takeaway: First queen to defeat the British = Rani Velu Nachiyar (1780). First woman president of the INC overall = Annie Besant (1917); first Indian woman president = Sarojini Naidu (1925). First woman Governor = Sarojini Naidu (UP, 1947). First woman Chief Minister = Sucheta Kripalani (UP, 1963). First woman president of the UN General Assembly = Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1953). Quit India flag-hoisting = Aruna Asaf Ali (9 August 1942). Congress Radio = Usha Mehta (1942). INA women's regiment = Lakshmi Sahgal.
How to Use This List
The table is chronological — queens and warriors of the 18th and 19th centuries first, then the revolutionaries of the 1930s, then the mass-movement leaders of the 1920s–40s. Learn the list in three blocks: 1857 and earlier (Nachiyar to Azizun Bai), the revolutionaries (Pritilata, Kalpana, Bina, Kanaklata, Matangini, Gaidinliu) and the Congress leaders (Besant to Satyawati Devi). The "firsts" box below is the highest-yield section for exams — most questions about these women are actually questions about a first.
Women Freedom Fighters of India: Complete List (30 Women)
One table, 30 women, in chronological order. "Years" gives birth–death where known; "fl." means the years she was active (birth year not reliably recorded); "d." means the death year is the known date. Nothing is guessed — uncertain dates are marked, not filled in.
| # | Name | Years | Region | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rani Velu Nachiyar | 1730–1796 | Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu | First queen to defeat the British in battle; retook Sivaganga in 1780 |
| 2 | Kittur Rani Chennamma | 1778–1829 | Kittur, Karnataka | Led an armed revolt against the British in 1824 over succession |
| 3 | Rani Lakshmibai | 1828–1858 | Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh | Led Jhansi's forces in the Revolt of 1857; died fighting at Gwalior |
| 4 | Begum Hazrat Mahal | 1820–1879 | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | Led the 1857 revolt in Awadh; ruled in the name of her son Birjis Qadr |
| 5 | Jhalkari Bai | 1830–1858 | Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh | Fought in 1857 disguised as Rani Lakshmibai to let the Rani escape |
| 6 | Rani Avantibai Lodhi | 1831–1858 | Ramgarh, Madhya Pradesh | Led the 1857 revolt in Ramgarh; died fighting the British |
| 7 | Uda Devi | d. 1857 | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | Dalit woman warrior; fought at Sikandar Bagh in November 1857 |
| 8 | Azizun Bai | fl. 1857 | Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh | Courtesan who funded and fought with the sepoys in 1857 |
| 9 | Madam Bhikaji Cama | 1861–1936 | Bombay / Europe | Hoisted the first Indian flag at Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907 |
| 10 | Annie Besant | 1847–1933 | Madras, Tamil Nadu | Founded the Home Rule Movement (1916); first woman president of the INC (1917) |
| 11 | Sarojini Naidu | 1879–1949 | Hyderabad / Uttar Pradesh | "Nightingale of India"; first Indian woman president of the INC (1925); first woman Governor (UP, 1947) |
| 12 | Kasturba Gandhi | 1869–1944 | Gujarat | Led women's participation in Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience; died in detention (1944) |
| 13 | Kamala Nehru | 1899–1936 | Uttar Pradesh | Led protests in Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience; organised women picketers |
| 14 | Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit | 1900–1990 | Uttar Pradesh | First woman cabinet minister in a British Indian province (UP, 1937); first woman president of the UN General Assembly (1953) |
| 15 | Rajkumari Amrit Kaur | 1889–1964 | Punjab | Constituent Assembly member; first Health Minister of independent India; founded AIIMS |
| 16 | Sucheta Kripalani | 1908–1974 | Uttar Pradesh | Quit India Movement; first woman Chief Minister of an Indian state (UP, 1963) |
| 17 | Aruna Asaf Ali | 1909–1996 | Haryana / Delhi | Hoisted the flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan on 9 August 1942; led the underground movement; Delhi's first Mayor (1958); Bharat Ratna (1997) |
| 18 | Usha Mehta | 1920–2000 | Gujarat / Maharashtra | Ran the underground Congress Radio during Quit India (1942) |
| 19 | Lakshmi Sahgal (Captain Lakshmi) | 1914–2012 | Kerala / Tamil Nadu | Led the INA's Rani of Jhansi Regiment; minister in the Azad Hind government |
| 20 | Pritilata Waddedar | 1911–1932 | Bengal | Led the attack on the Pahartali European Club (1932); died after the attack |
| 21 | Kalpana Dutta | 1913–1995 | Bengal | Took part in the Chittagong Armoury Raid (1930); later joined the Communist movement |
| 22 | Bina Das | 1911–1986 | Bengal | Attempted to assassinate Governor Stanley Jackson at Calcutta University (1932) |
| 23 | Kanaklata Barua | 1924–1942 | Assam | Led a procession to hoist the flag at Gohpur police station; shot dead at 17 |
| 24 | Matangini Hazra | 1870–1942 | Bengal | Quit India Movement; shot dead at Tamluk while holding the flag, aged 73 |
| 25 | Rani Gaidinliu | 1915–1993 | Manipur / Nagaland | Naga leader of the Heraka movement; imprisoned 1932–1947; called "Rani" by Nehru |
| 26 | Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay | 1903–1988 | Karnataka | Civil Disobedience and Salt Satyagraha; later revived Indian handicrafts |
| 27 | Durgabai Deshmukh | 1909–1981 | Andhra Pradesh | Salt Satyagraha; Constituent Assembly; founded the Andhra Mahila Sabha |
| 28 | Gulab Kaur | 1890–1941 | Punjab | Ghadar Party activist; distributed arms and literature for the 1915 uprising |
| 29 | Tara Rani Srivastava | fl. 1942 | Bihar | Led a Quit India procession to Siwan police station; carried on after her husband was shot |
| 30 | Satyawati Devi | 1905–1945 | Delhi | Congress leader of Delhi; called the "Toofan Mail" for her fiery speeches; died in detention |
The firsts — the highest-yield facts
| First | Name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| First queen to defeat the British in battle | Rani Velu Nachiyar | 1780 |
| First woman to hoist the Indian flag abroad | Madam Bhikaji Cama (Stuttgart) | 1907 |
| First woman president of the INC (any nationality) | Annie Besant | 1917 |
| First Indian woman president of the INC | Sarojini Naidu | 1925 |
| First woman cabinet minister in a British Indian province | Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (UP) | 1937 |
| First woman Governor of an Indian state | Sarojini Naidu (UP) | 1947 |
| First woman president of the UN General Assembly | Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit | 1953 |
| First woman Chief Minister of an Indian state | Sucheta Kripalani (UP) | 1963 |
| First woman Mayor of Delhi | Aruna Asaf Ali | 1958 |
Women Freedom Fighters: Records and Unique Facts
| Record | Answer |
|---|---|
| Earliest woman to fight the British | Rani Velu Nachiyar — retook Sivaganga, 1780 |
| Most famous woman of 1857 | Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi |
| Youngest martyr in the list | Kanaklata Barua — shot dead at 17 (1942) |
| Oldest martyr in the list | Matangini Hazra — shot dead at 73 (1942) |
| Longest imprisonment | Rani Gaidinliu — 14 years (1932–1947) |
| First flag hoisted abroad | Bhikaji Cama, Stuttgart, 1907 |
| Quit India flag-hoisting | Aruna Asaf Ali, Gowalia Tank, 9 August 1942 |
| Underground radio | Usha Mehta, Congress Radio, 1942 |
| Women's regiment of the INA | Rani of Jhansi Regiment, led by Lakshmi Sahgal |
| Bharat Ratna recipients in the list | Aruna Asaf Ali (1997); Sarojini Naidu's contemporaries — note: Lakshmibai and others predate the award |
One-line facts that are asked in exams
- Rani Lakshmibai's birth year is disputed: most lists give 1828, some give 1835. This note uses 1828 (the convergent figure) and flags the variant. She died on 17 June 1858 at Gwalior, fighting General Hugh Rose's forces.
- Velu Nachiyar predates Lakshmibai by 77 years: she retook Sivaganga in 1780 with the help of Hyder Ali — the first queen to defeat the British, not the first to fight them in 1857.
- Kittur Rani Chennamma's 1824 revolt was against the British refusal to recognise her adopted son — the same Doctrine of Lapse issue that later hit Jhansi in 1857.
- Jhalkari Bai is remembered for fighting disguised as the Rani so that Lakshmibai could escape Jhansi fort — she is also called the "Jhansi ki Rani's shadow".
- Begum Hazrat Mahal is sometimes called the "first female freedom fighter" in popular lists — that is wrong as a superlative, because Velu Nachiyar (1780) and Chennamma (1824) fought decades earlier. Hazrat Mahal was the leading woman of the 1857 revolt in Awadh.
- Bhikaji Cama's Stuttgart flag (1907) was the first version of the Indian national flag hoisted on foreign soil; the flag she used had green, saffron and red stripes with "Vande Mataram" written on it.
- Annie Besant vs Sarojini Naidu: Besant was the first woman president of the INC (1917, Calcutta session) but she was British-born; Naidu was the first Indian woman president (1925, Kanpur session). Both facts are asked — do not merge them.
- Usha Mehta's Congress Radio broadcast from Bombay for about three months in 1942 before the British tracked it down; she was 22 at the time.
- Lakshmi Sahgal was a doctor in Singapore when she joined the INA; her Rani of Jhansi Regiment was the only all-women combat regiment of the INA.
- Rani Gaidinliu was 16 when she was arrested in 1932; Nehru called her "Rani" (queen) after meeting her, and the title stuck. She was released only at independence in 1947.
Common Mistakes in Women Freedom Fighters Questions
- Besant vs Naidu: Annie Besant (1917) was the first woman INC president; Sarojini Naidu (1925) was the first Indian woman INC president. The word "Indian" in the question changes the answer.
- "First female freedom fighter" is not Hazrat Mahal: Velu Nachiyar fought in 1780, 77 years before 1857. Hazrat Mahal was the leading woman of the 1857 revolt in Awadh — that is the correct framing.
- Lakshmibai's birth year: 1828 is the convergent figure; 1835 appears in some sources. If a question gives both as options, 1828 is the safer answer.
- Aruna Asaf Ali's flag-hoisting date: 9 August 1942, at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay — the day the Quit India Movement began. She was 33. Do not confuse it with the 15 August 1947 flag-hoisting.
- Usha Mehta vs Aruna Asaf Ali: Mehta ran the underground radio; Asaf Ali hoisted the flag and led the underground movement. Two different women, same movement, same year.
- Kanaklata (17) vs Matangini (73): the youngest and oldest martyrs of Quit India are a matched pair of questions — Kanaklata at Gohpur, Assam; Matangini at Tamluk, Bengal. Both died holding the flag in 1942.
- Sucheta Kripalani's first: first woman Chief Minister of an Indian state (Uttar Pradesh, 1963–1967). Not the first woman governor — that was Sarojini Naidu.
- Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit's two firsts: first woman cabinet minister in a British Indian province (UP, 1937) and first woman president of the UN General Assembly (1953). She was also the first Indian woman ambassador to the USSR.
- Captain Lakshmi is Lakshmi Sahgal: her full name is Lakshmi Sahgal (née Swaminathan); "Captain Lakshmi" is her INA title. She was never an MP; in 2002 she was the Left parties' candidate for President of India, losing to A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
- Rani Gaidinliu's prison term: arrested in 1932 at 16, released in 1947 — 14 years, the longest in this list. She was a Naga leader from Manipur, not a Congress leader.
How to Remember Women Freedom Fighters (Study Method)
- Learn the three blocks: 1857 and earlier (Nachiyar → Azizun Bai); revolutionaries (Pritilata, Kalpana, Bina, Kanaklata, Matangini, Gaidinliu); Congress leaders (Besant → Satyawati Devi).
- Learn the firsts table: it answers more questions than the whole list. Besant 1917, Naidu 1925, Pandit 1937/1953, Naidu Governor 1947, Asaf Ali Mayor 1958, Kripalani CM 1963.
- Learn the 1942 pair: Kanaklata (17, Assam) and Matangini (73, Bengal) — youngest and oldest martyrs, both shot holding the flag.
- Learn the Quit India trio: Asaf Ali (flag), Mehta (radio), Gaidinliu (imprisoned) — three different roles in one movement.
- Learn the 1857 trio: Lakshmibai (Jhansi), Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow), Avantibai (Ramgarh) — three queens, three centres of the revolt.
Women Freedom Fighters MCQs with Answers
Q1. Who was the first queen to defeat the British in battle? (a) Rani Lakshmibai (b) Rani Velu Nachiyar (c) Kittur Rani Chennamma (d) Begum Hazrat Mahal Answer: (b) Rani Velu Nachiyar — retook Sivaganga in 1780.
Q2. Who was the first Indian woman president of the Indian National Congress? (a) Annie Besant (b) Sarojini Naidu (c) Sucheta Kripalani (d) Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit Answer: (b) Sarojini Naidu (1925, Kanpur session).
Q3. Who hoisted the Indian flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan on 9 August 1942? (a) Usha Mehta (b) Sarojini Naidu (c) Aruna Asaf Ali (d) Sucheta Kripalani Answer: (c) Aruna Asaf Ali.
Q4. Who ran the underground Congress Radio during the Quit India Movement? (a) Aruna Asaf Ali (b) Usha Mehta (c) Lakshmi Sahgal (d) Kasturba Gandhi Answer: (b) Usha Mehta.
Q5. Kanaklata Barua, who was shot dead at 17 while hoisting the flag in 1942, belonged to: (a) Bengal (b) Assam (c) Bihar (d) Odisha Answer: (b) Assam (Gohpur).
Q6. Who was the first woman Chief Minister of an Indian state? (a) Sarojini Naidu (b) Sucheta Kripalani (c) Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (d) Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit Answer: (b) Sucheta Kripalani (Uttar Pradesh, 1963).
Q7. Who led the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the INA? (a) Kanaklata Barua (b) Lakshmi Sahgal (c) Pritilata Waddedar (d) Kalpana Dutta Answer: (b) Lakshmi Sahgal (Captain Lakshmi).
Q8. Who hoisted the first Indian flag on foreign soil, at Stuttgart in 1907? (a) Annie Besant (b) Madam Bhikaji Cama (c) Sarojini Naidu (d) Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Answer: (b) Madam Bhikaji Cama.
Q9. Rani Gaidinliu was imprisoned for how many years? (a) 5 years (b) 10 years (c) 14 years (d) 20 years Answer: (c) 14 years (1932–1947).
Q10. Who was the first woman president of the UN General Assembly? (a) Sarojini Naidu (b) Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (c) Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (d) Sucheta Kripalani Answer: (b) Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1953).
Women Freedom Fighters FAQs
Who was the first woman freedom fighter of India?
Rani Velu Nachiyar of Sivaganga, who defeated the British and retook her kingdom in 1780 — 77 years before the 1857 Revolt.
Who was the first Indian woman president of the Congress?
Sarojini Naidu, in 1925 (Kanpur session). Annie Besant was the first woman president overall, in 1917.
Who hoisted the flag during the Quit India Movement?
Aruna Asaf Ali, at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay on 9 August 1942.
Who was the youngest woman martyr of the freedom struggle?
Kanaklata Barua of Assam, shot dead at 17 in 1942 while leading a flag-hoisting procession at Gohpur.
Who led the women's regiment of the INA?
Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, who led the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army.
Who was the first woman Chief Minister in India?
Sucheta Kripalani, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1963 to 1967.
How is this note different from the slogans note?
This note is people-first — who each woman was, what she did, and where. The companion note on Famous Slogans of Freedom Fighters covers the slogans themselves.
Related topics: revise Famous Slogans of Freedom Fighters, List of Prime Ministers of India, Important Battles in Indian History, States and Capitals of India 2026 and Static GK for SSC CGL next.
Practice Next
- Test yourself: SSC CGL General Awareness Sectional Mock Test 01
- More GA practice: RRB NTPC GK Mock Test 03
- History notes: List of Governors and Chief Ministers of Indian States 2026 and Famous Temples in India List
- More lists: Famous Forts in India List
- More free notes: All Study Notes
Sources: IAS Hub, Women Freedom Fighters of India List; Vedantu, Women Freedom Fighters of India; JagranJosh, List of Top 10 Major Women Freedom Fighters of India; SmartKeeda, List of 15 Women Freedom Fighters of India (1780–1947); CareerPower, 15 Women Freedom Fighters of India; WoodenStreet, Top 10 Women Indian Freedom Fighters. The "first female freedom fighter" claim and the Lakshmibai birth-year variant are recorded in the notes above. As of 7 November 2026.