Onake Obavva

November 11, 2021 February 20, 2022

Onake Obavva fought against Hyder Ali when he invaded Chitradurga Fort. She died fighting against the ruler of Mysore kingdom.

Why is she called Onake?

Onake in kannda means Pestle. Onake is a long wooden club that is used for pounding paddy grains. She fought against the mighty troops of Hyder Ali single handedly with her ‘Onake’. Thus, the legend was named after her weapon as Onake Obavva.

Who was Onake Obavva?

Onake Obavva was the wife of Kahale Mudda Hanuma. He was a soldier who guarded the fort. One day while fetching water, Obavva heard sounds of Hyder Ali soldiers. They were trying to enter the fort through a small hole. The hole was big enough for a single person to crawl through. As she heard the soldiers talking, she rushed back home to tell her husband. But as he was having lunch, she decided to fight them alone. She used an ‘Onake’ (pestle) to kill the soldiers. She hit each soldier on his head as they appeared out of the opening. She then dragged their body inside the wall. As her husband arrived, she had killed several Hyder Ali soldiers. After Obbava’s attack, her husband went up to the fort and alerted the army. The soldiers of Madakari Nayaka rushed and killed the Hyder Ali troops. However, Obavva missed the last invader and was killed by him. The hole through which the Hyder Ali soldiers entered has been named as “Onake Obavva Kindi”.