Explore the Revolt of 1857, including its causes, major events, and prominent leaders. Learn about the spark that ignited the revolt, the spread across India, and the significant figures such as Bahadur Shah Zafar, Nana Saheb, and Rani Laxmibai. Discover how the rebellion shaped India's history.
The reports about the mixing of bone dust in atta (flour) and the introduction of the Enfield rifle enhanced the sepoys’ growing disaffection with the government.
The greased wrapping paper of the cartridge of the new rifle had to be bitten off before loading, and the grease was reportedly made of beef and pig fat. The cow was sacred to Hindus, and the pig was taboo for Muslims.
The Army administration did nothing to allay these fears, and the sepoys felt their religion was in grave danger.
The greased cartridges did not create a new cause of discontent in the Army but provided the occasion for the simmering discontent to come out in the open.
The revolt began at Meerut, 58 km from Delhi, on May 10, 1857, and rapidly spread to a vast area from the Punjab in the north and the Narmada in the south to Bihar in the east and Rajputana in the west.
Even before the Meerut incident, there were rumblings of resentment in various cantonments:
The 19th Native Infantry at Berhampore (West Bengal) refused to use the newly introduced Enfield rifle and broke out in mutiny in February 1857. It was disbanded in March 1857.
Mangal Pande of the 34th Native Infantry fired at the sergeant major at Barrackpore in March and was executed on April 8, while his regiment was disbanded in May.
The 7th Awadh Regiment, which defied its officers on May 3, met a similar fate.
The explosion at Meerut occurred on April 24, when ninety men of the 3rd Native Cavalry refused to accept the greased cartridges. On May 9, eighty-five were dismissed, sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, and fettered. This sparked a general mutiny among the Indian soldiers stationed at Meerut. The next day, on May 10, they released their imprisoned comrades, killed their officers, and unfurled the banner of revolt before setting off for Delhi after sunset.
In Delhi, the local infantry joined the rebels, killed their own European officers including Simon Fraser, and seized the city. Lieutenant Willoughby, the officer-in-charge of the magazine at Delhi, offered resistance but was overcome. The aged and powerless Bahadur Shah Zafar was proclaimed Emperor of India.
Delhi soon became the center of the Great Revolt, and Bahadur Shah its symbol. The raising of the last Mughal king to leadership was seen as a symbol of India’s political unity.
The rebels transformed a mutiny into a revolutionary war, with Indian chiefs proclaiming loyalty to the Mughal emperor. Despite religious factors, the broad outlook of the rebels was politically motivated, seeing the British as a common enemy.
Bahadur Shah urged Indian chiefs to form a confederacy to fight and replace the British regime. The Bengal Army rose in revolt, spreading to Awadh, Rohilkhand, the Doab, Bundelkhand, central India, large parts of Bihar, and East Punjab.
The revolt of the sepoys was accompanied by a rebellion of the civil population, particularly in the north-western provinces and Awadh. Widespread participation included peasants, artisans, shopkeepers, day laborers, zamindars, religious mendicants, priests, and civil servants.
Peasants and petty zamindars attacked money-lenders and zamindars who had displaced them from their land. They destroyed money-lenders’ account books and debt records and attacked British-established law courts, revenue offices, revenue records, and police stations.
It is estimated that of the 150,000 men who died fighting in Awadh, over 100,000 were civilians.
Within a month of Delhi’s capture by the rebels, the revolt spread to different parts of the country.
Delhi: The nominal and symbolic leadership belonged to Bahadur Shah Zafar, but the real command was with General Bakht Khan and a court of soldiers. Bahadur Shah’s weak leadership undermined the revolt.
Kanpur: Led by Nana Saheb, who expelled the British, declared himself Peshwa, acknowledged Bahadur Shah as Emperor, and commanded Sir Hugh Wheeler to surrender on June 27, 1857. Wheeler was killed the same day.
Lucknow: Begum Hazrat Mahal took over, with popular support for the deposed Nawab. Her son, Birjis Qadir, was proclaimed Nawab. The British residency was besieged, and Sir Henry Lawrence was killed. The city was evacuated and later recaptured in March 1858, with guerrilla activity continuing until September.
Bareilly: Led by Khan Bahadur, a descendant of the former ruler of Rohilkhand, who organized an army of 40,000 soldiers and offered stiff resistance to the British.
Bihar: Kunwar Singh, a zamindar of Jagdishpur, led the revolt despite his advanced age. He joined the sepoys when they reached Arrah from Dinapore.
Faizabad: Maulvi Ahmadullah, originally from Madras, fought a stiff battle against British troops and emerged as a leader of the revolt in Awadh.
Jhansi: Rani Laxmibai, who led the resistance after the annexation of Jhansi by Lord Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse. She was joined by Tantia Tope, and they marched towards Gwalior. Jhansi was recaptured by the English in June 1858.
Pargana Baraut (Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh): Shah Mal organized local villagers against the British, attacked government buildings, destroyed bridges and roads, and disrupted official communications. He was killed by an English officer, Dunlap, in July 1857, and his body was displayed to terrify the public.
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