Hailing from Ullal near Mangalore Rani Abbakka fought against the Portuguese as a valiant soldier in 1558, 1567 and 1568. In one of her attacks after taking refuge in a Mosque she fought with 5000 Muslims against Portuguese to kick them out. When Rani Abbakka’s husband joins the Portuguese camp it becomes a major jolt for her. She takes the help of Bijapur Sultan Ahmed Nagar and Zanmorie of Calicut to strengthen her army but in the end she is arrested by foul practices.

Rani Abbakka is the last one to have ‘Agnivana’ (Fire-Arrow).The fearless queen of Tulunadu belonged to the Jain Chowta dynasty who ruled over the area from the temple town of Moodabidri. The port town of Ullal served as their subsidiary capital. The Portuguese made several attempts to capture Ullal as it was strategically placed. But Abbakka nauseated each of their attacks for over four decades. According to traditional accounts, she was an enormously popular queen and this is also attested by the fact that she is even today a part of folklore. Abbakka is portrayed as dark and good looking, always dressed in simple clothes like a commoner. Some accounts also claim that she had two equally valiant daughters who fought alongside her in her wars against the Portuguese. Tradition however treats all three - mother and two daughters as the same person.
The "Veera Rani Abbakka Utsava" is an annual celebration held in her memory. The Veera Rani Abbakka Prashasti, the Indian postal department issued a special cover on Rani Abbakka.