Lesson 4/45 min
The Sepoy revolt of 1857
On 29 March 1857 at Barrackpore the sepoy Mangal Pandey refused to use the new cartridge and attacked a superior officer. He was hanged on 8 April; on 10 May the soldiers at Meerut began the revolt.
Cause and start
- The ‘Enfield’ rifle came into use in 1853; its cartridge had to be bitten open
- A rumour spread that the cartridge was made with pig and cow fat; Hindu and Muslim sepoys thought it was meant to destroy their religion
- Mangal Pandey (the first martyr of the revolt, says Zubair), 29 March 1857 at Barrackpore
- 10 May 1857: the first mutiny of troops at Meerut
Spread and result
- It spread to Berhampore, Lucknow, Jhansi, Bareilly, Awadh, Rohilkhand and Kanpur
- Leaders: Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and Tantia Tope of Maharashtra
- The rebels took Delhi and proclaimed the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II emperor of India
- The British took Delhi after about a four-month siege; the revolt failed
- Major Hodson captured Bahadur Shah, who was later exiled to Rangoon
- In 1858 Company rule ended; the British government took over directly under Queen Victoria
- Names: Sepoy Rebellion; some call it ‘the national struggle’ — the first all-India revolt for freedom from the English
The revolt in Dhaka and Bahadur Shah Park
- Banglapedia: on 22 November 1857 the sepoys at Lalbagh resisted being disarmed
- Both books name the sepoy Rajab Ali as the leader in Dhaka
- Bahadur Shah Park is at Sadarghat-Laxmibazar in Old Dhaka (in front of Jagannath University)
- In the 18th century it held an Armenian billiard club; people called it ‘Antaghar’
- After 1857 many rebels were hanged and their bodies hung on the trees
- In 1858 it was named Victoria Park; in 1957, the revolt's 100th year, it was renamed Bahadur Shah Park
Watch out: Rajab Ali as the Dhaka leader is in both books, but another source links him with the Chittagong revolt. Until that is settled, there is no quiz on it.
Check yourself
Whom did the rebels proclaim emperor of India after taking Delhi?
At a glance
- 1
Sepoy revolt of 1857: Mangal Pandey at Barrackpore on 29 March; hanged 8 April; the revolt began at Meerut on 10 May.
- 2
The rebels proclaimed Bahadur Shah II emperor at Delhi; leaders Lakshmibai and Tantia Tope.
- 3
The revolt failed; in 1858 Company rule ended and the British government ruled directly.
- 4
In Dhaka the sepoys at Lalbagh resisted on 22 November 1857.
- 5
Bahadur Shah Park: earlier Victoria Park (1858), renamed in 1957.