The Revolt of 1857 and its Representations

On the 10th of May, 1857, the sepoys stationed in the cantonment of Meerut rose up in revolt. It started in the trenches of the native infantry and spread very quickly to the cavalry and eventually to the city, where it is still active. Ordinary citizens from the towns and neighbouring villages had also enlisted to fight alongside the sepoys. Thousands of sepoys gathered in Delhi’s Red Fort on May 11, 1857, and the insurrection gained legitimacy as a result of the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah’s support.

Pattern of the Rebellion

Beginning of the Mutiny:

• Initially, the sepoys seized the bell of arms (weapons storage chamber), looted the treasury, and attacked government buildings, including the jail, the Treasury, the telegraph office, the record room, and bungalows, before burning all records. Everything and everyone who had anything to do with the white guy became a potential target
• Extermination of the firangis was demanded by proclamations posted throughout the cities in Hindi, Urdu and Persian, calling on the populace, which included both Hindus and Muslims, to unite, rise and exterminate them. As more and more regular individuals joined in, the scope of the onslaught grew. Moneylenders and the wealthy were targets of the rebels’ fury in key cities such as Lucknow, Kanpur, and Bareilly, among others. The majority of the time, their homes were robbed and burned. The mutiny in the sepoy ranks swiftly escalated into a full-fledged revolt

Lines of communication:

The fact that the pattern of the uprising was similar in different regions might be attributed to the fact that it was planned and coordinated in the same way.

• Communication between sepoy lines: Between the sepoy lines of different cantonments, there was communication between them. It was the Sepoys or one of their representatives that travelled from one station to another, spreading the word
• Collective decision making of sepoys: Considering that they were organised into lines and shared a same way of life and that many of them belonged to the same caste, it is not difficult to assume that they would come together to select their own fate

Leaders and followers:

• Kanpur: During the insurrection at Kanpur, the sepoys and the citizens of the city forced Nana Sahib, the successor to Peshwa Baji Rao II, to choose between joining the rebellion and becoming its commander
• Jhansi: In Jhansi, the Rani was compelled to assume the leadership of the revolt as a result of popular pressure exerted around her
• Arrah, Bihar: Kunwar Singh is a native zamindar in the Bihar town of Arrah
• Awadh: During the early days of British control in Awadh, when the removal of the popular Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and annexation of the state were still fresh in the minds of the people, the people of Lucknow celebrated the end of British authority by recognising Birjis Qadr, the Nawab’s young son, as their leader

Participation of Ordinary Men: 

• Ordinary men and women were frequently the ones who delivered the message of insurrection
• Shah Mal mobilised the peasants of Uttar Pradesh’s pargana Baraut to fight against the British
• Chotanagpur’s Kol tribes were led by Gonoo, a tribal cultivator from Singhbhum in Chotanagpur who rose to prominence as a rebel commander

Participation of Religious men: 

• There were several religious leaders and self-styled prophets in Lucknow after Awadh was annexed, who preached the abolition of British authority and the overthrow of the British Empire
• There were rumours from Meerut that a fakir had appeared riding on an elephant, and that the sepoys had been paying him repeated visits since his appearance

Rumours and prophecies:

Rumours and predictions had a role in motivating people to take action in the first place.

• Bullets coated with fat of cow and pig: Upon their arrival in Delhi from Meerut, the Sepoys informed Bahadur Shah that bullets coated with cow and pig fat were being used and that biting those bullets would cause their caste and religion to be corrupted
• Conspiracy to destroy religion: According to popular belief, the British administration had devised a massive plot to destroy Hinduism and Islam, as well as their castes and religious beliefs
• Mixing of bone dust of cow and pig in flour: According to the rumours, the British had added bone dust from cows and pigs into the flour that was sold on the market in order to achieve this goal. In towns and cantonments, sepoys and the general public refused to come into contact with the atta
• Distribution of chapattis, Omen of upheaval: According to the rumours, the British had added bone dust from cows and pigs into the flour that was sold on the market in order to achieve this goal. In towns and cantonments, sepoys and the general public refused to come into contact with the atta

Reasons for believing in rumours:

• Rumor Resonates with suspicion of the people: The spread of rumours occurs only when they strike a chord with people’s underlying anxieties and suspicions. They ponder the thoughts and feelings of those who believed them, their anxieties and apprehensions, as well as their religious beliefs and convictions
• British policies for reforming Indian society: When the rumours of 1857 are viewed in the perspective of the policies that the British government has pursued from the late 1820s, they begin to make sense. The abolition of Sati, the remarriage of widows, and the introduction of Western education are all proposals. British efforts aimed at “reforming” Indian society under the leadership of Governor General Lord William Bentinck included the introduction of Western education and ideals as well as the establishment of modern Western institutions. Laws to ban rituals like as Sati (1829) and to facilitate the remarriage of Hindu widows were passed during this period
• Introduction of British system of Administration: Land settlement and land revenue collection were carried out according to the British administration system, which included their own laws and techniques of land settlement and revenue collection
• Annexation of Awadh, Jhansi, Satara and many more: The British annexed not only Awadh, but also several other kingdoms and principalities, including Jhansi and Satara, under the bogus pretext of misgovernment and a failure to recognise adoption as legal documents
• Activities of Christian Missionaries: The actions of Christian missionaries contributed to the deterioration of this attitude

Conclusion

In the battle against the British, leadership and organisation were crucial. To get their hands on these, the rebels sometimes turned to people who had previously served as British invasion leaders. An early action taken by Meerut’s sepoy rebels was to flee to Delhi and petition the former Mughal ruler to recognise their leadership of the uprising. A fear pervaded the populace that everything they held dear, from kings and religious practises to property ownership and taxation, would be destroyed and replaced with a system that was harsh and unfamiliar.