Top 10 Famous Female Leaders In Indian History

By Nida Naaz Thu, 21 Mar 2024

Women play a significant role in society. They have been oppressed, marginalized, and even mistreated throughout history. Nonetheless, women have contributed to the world's stability, advancement, and long-term growth. Whether they are homemakers, engineers, teachers, or someone else entirely, their strength, tenacity, and faith make the world a better place to live.

  1. Ahilyabai Holkar

She was born in Gramme Chundi, Maratha Empire, on May 31, 1725. One of the best female rulers in Indian history, she is highly esteemed. In the eighteenth century, she encouraged industrialization and disseminated the dharma. Following the passing of her spouse and father-in-law, she exercised prudent and intelligent leadership over Malwa. Armed with bows and arrows on the elephant, she led the army on several occasions herself, emerging from the front like a fearless warrior. Malwa is reported to have remained an island of calm and tranquility under her rule, never once facing an invasion. 

  1. Sarojini Naidu

On February 13th, 1879, she was born in Hyderabad, in the Indian state of British India. She was an Indian poet and political activist. Mahatma Gandhi called her "Bharat Kokila" or "the Nightingale of India" because of her poetry. In the fight to free India from colonial domination, she played a significant role. She was named President of the Indian National Congress in 1925, and in 1947 she was appointed Governor of the United Provinces. She was the first female governor in the history of the Dominion of India. Her poetry was published in numerous collections, including The Golden Threshold (1905), The Bird of Time (1912), The Sceptred Flute (1928), and The Feather of the Dawn.

  1. Aruna Asaf Ali

On July 16, 1909, she was born in Punjab, British India. She was a publisher, political activist, and educator from India. She took an active part in the fight for Indian independence. She is renowned for raising the Indian National flag at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay during the Quit Indian campaign (1942). She gained a lasting reputation in the movement as a result. She joined the Indian National Congress and took part in open processions during the Salt Satyagraha. She continued to be involved in politics after independence and was elected as Delhi's first mayor. She also received the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 and the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1997.

  1. Kalpana Chawla

On March 17, 1962, she was born in Karnal, East Punjab, India. She was an American astronaut and engineer who was born in India. She was the first Indian woman to travel to space. Her maiden flight on the Space Shuttle Columbia was in 1997, where she served as both the principal robotic arm operator and a mission specialist. On February 1, 2003, six years after her death, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. On board, all seven astronauts perished. Chawla's legacy has endured. Young people in India and all across the world were encouraged to seek careers in spaceflight by her work and talent.

  1. Anna Chandy

In Trivandrum, Travancore, on April 5, 1905, Justice Anna Chandy, also known as Anna Chandi, was born. She served as India's first female judge in 1937 before becoming the country's first High Court judge in 1959. She was reportedly among the first female judges in the British Empire, according to Emily Murphy.

  1. Indira Gandhi

On November 19, 1917, in Allahabad, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India, she was born as Indira Priyadarshini Nehru. She was a politician from India who held the position of first female prime minister for three terms in a row (1966–77) and a fourth term (1980–1984) before her assassination in 1984. "Woman of the Millennium" was the title given to Indira Gandhi in a 1999 BBC online poll. In 2020, Time magazine listed her as one of the 100 most influential women in the world who have shaped the past century.

  1. Lakshmi Sehgal

On October 24, 1914, in Anakkara, Madras Presidency, British India, she was born under the name Lakshmi Swaminathan. She served as an Indian National Army officer, a revolutionary in the country's independence fight, and the Azad Hind government's minister of women's affairs. In India, people often refer to her as Captain Lakshmi. It alludes to her position during the Second World War when she was captured in Burma.

  1. Sucheta Kripalani

On June 25, 1908, in Ambala, Punjab, British India, she was born. She was a politician and liberation fighter from India. In addition, she was India's first female chief minister, leading the Uttar Pradesh administration from 1963 to 1967. She took the lead in the Quit India Movement and was taken into custody by the British. She was described as "a person of rare courage and character who brought credit to Indian womanhood" by Mahatma Gandhi. She joined the subcommittee that drafted the Indian constitution's charter as well. She founded the All India Mahila Congress in 1940. 

  1. Anandi Gopal Joshi

On March 31, 1865, she was born in Kalyan, British India's Bombay Presidency. She was among the first female physicians in the United States and is regarded as the first Indian woman to study Western medicine. Many women were motivated to seek further education by her. At first, she went by Yamuna. At the age of nine, she wed Goplarao Joshi. The princely state of Kolhapur selected her as the medical director of the female ward of the nearby Albert Edward Hospital after she returned from the United States.

  1. Savitribai Phule

On January 3, 1931, she was born in the Maharashtra village of Naigaon. She was a trailblazing teacher, one of the earliest feminists in India, and a crusader against caste prejudice. She was the nation's first female teacher ever. With her husband, Jyotirao Phule, by her side, she made a significant contribution to women's empowerment. Savitribai and her husband founded Bhide Wada, one of the first contemporary Indian girl's schools, in Pune in 1848. She wrote Marathi extensively as well.