When People Rebel 1857 and After PDF

# When People Rebel ## **1857 and After** ### Policies and the People * The East India Company's policies affected different people. * Kings, queens, peasants, landlords, tribals, and soldiers were all affected differently. * People resist policies that harm their interests or go against their sent...

# When People Rebel ## **1857 and After** ### Policies and the People * The East India Company's policies affected different people. * Kings, queens, peasants, landlords, tribals, and soldiers were all affected differently. * People resist policies that harm their interests or go against their sentiments. ### Nawabs Lose Their Power * Since the mid-eighteenth century, nawabs and rajas had lost their power. * They gradually lost their authority and honour. * Residents were stationed in many courts. * The rulers' freedom was reduced, their armed forces were disbanded, and their revenues and territories were taken away. * Many ruling families tried to negotiate with the Company to protect their interests. * For example, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi wanted the Company to recognize her adopted son as the heir to the kingdom after the death of her husband. * Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II, pleaded to be given his father's pension after his death. * The company turned down these pleas because it was confident in its superiority and military powers. ### Responses to Reforms * The British believed that Indian society had to be reformed. * Laws were passed to stop the remarriage of widows. * English-language education was actively promoted. * After 1830, the company allowed Christian missionaries to function freely in its domain and even own land and property. * In 1850, a new law was passed to make conversion to Christianity easier. * An Indian who converted to Christianity was allowed to inherit his ancestors' property. * Many Indians felt that the British were destroying their religion, their social customs, and their traditional way of life. * There were other Indians who wanted to change existing social practices. ### Through the Eyes of the People * To get a glimpse of what people were thinking about British rule, study Sources 1 and 2. #### **Source 1:** **The List of Eighty-Four Rules** * Excerpts from the book Majha Praveas, written by Vishnubhatt Godse. * Godse and his uncle had set out to attend a yajna in Mathura. * They met sepoys who told them that they should not proceed on the journey because a massive upheaval was going to break out in three days. * The sepoys said the English were determined to wipe out the religions of the Hindus and Muslims. * They had made a list of eighty-four rules and announced these rules in a gathering of kings and princes in Calcutta. * The kings had refused to accept these rules and warned the English of dire consequences and massive upheaval if they were implemented. * All the kings returned to their capitals in great anger. * The big people began making plans. * A date was fixed for the war of religion and the secret plan had been circulated from the cantonment in Meerut by letters sent to different cantonments. #### **Source 2:** **"There Was Soon Excitement in Every Regiment"** * An account from the memoirs of Subedar Sitaram Pande. * Sitaram Pande served as a sipoy in the Bengal Native Army for forty-eight years and retired in 1860. * He helped the British to suppress the rebellion, but his own son was killed by the British. * He retired and was persuaded by his Commanding Officer, Norgate, to write his memoirs. * He completed the writing in 1861 in Awadhi and Norgate translated them into English. *"It is humble opinion that this seizing of Oudh filled the minds of the sepoys with distrust and led them to plot against the Government. Agents of the Nawab of Oudh and also of the king of Delhi were sent all over India to discover the temper of the army. They worked upon the feelings of the sepoys, telling them how treacherously the foreigners had behaved towards their king. They invented ten thousand lies and promises to persuade the soldiers to mutiny and turn against their masters, the English, with the object of restoring the Emperor of Delhi to the throne. They maintained that this was wholly within the army's powers if the soldiers would only act together and do as they were advised."* * It chanced that about this time the Sarkar sent parties of men from each regiment to different garrisons for instructions in the use of the new rifle. * These men performed the new drill for some time until a report got about that the cartridges used for these new rifles were greased with the fat of cows and pigs. * The men from our regiment wrote to others in the regiment telling them about this, and there was soon excitement in every regiment. * Some men pointed out that in forty years' service nothing had ever been done by the Sarkar to insult their religion, but as I have already mentioned the sepoys' minds had been inflamed by the seizure of Oudh. * Interested parties were quick to point out that the great aim of the English was to turn us all into Christians and they had therefore introduced the cartridge in order to bring this about, since both Mahommedans and Hindus would be defiled by using it. * The Colonel sahib was of the opinion that the excitement, which even he could not fail to see, would pass off, as it had done before, and he recommended me to go to my home. ### A Mutiny Becomes a Popular Rebellion * Though struggles between rulers and the ruled are not unusual, sometimes such struggles become widespread as a popular resistance. * The power of the state breaks down. * A large number of people begin to believe that they have a common enemy. * They rise up against the enemy at the same time. * For such a situation to develop, people have to organize, communicate, take initiative, and display the confidence to turn the situation around. * Such a situation developed in the northern parts of India in 1857. * After a hundred years of conquest and administration, the English East India Company faced a massive rebellion that started in May 1857 and threatened the Company's presence in India. * Sepoys mutinied in several places beginning from Meerut, and a large number of people from different sections of society rose up in rebellion. * Some regard it as the biggest armed resistance to colonialism in the nineteenth century anywhere in the world. ### From Meerut to Delhi * On 8 April 1857, a young soldier, Mangal Pandey, was hanged to death for attacking his officers in Barrackpore. * Some days later, some sepoys of the regiment at Meerut refused to do the army drill using the new cartridges that were suspected of being coated with the fat of cows and pigs. * Eighty-five sepoys were dismissed from service and sentenced to ten years in jail for disobeying their officers. * The response of the other Indian soldiers in Meerut was quite extraordinary. * On 10 May, the soldiers marched to the jail in Meerut and released the imprisoned sepoys. * They attacked and killed British officers. * They captured guns and ammunition and set fire to the buildings and properties of the British and declared war on the firangis. * The soldiers were determined to bring an end to their rule in the country. * But who would rule the land instead? * The soldiers had an answer to this question - the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. * The sepoys of Meerut rode all night of 10 May to reach Delhi in the early hours next morning. * As news of their arrival spread, the regiments stationed in Delhi also rose up in rebellion. * Again British officers were killed, arms and ammunition seized, and buildings set on fire. * Triumphant soldiers gathered around the walls of the Red Fort where the Badshah lived, demanding to meet him. * The emperor was not quite willing to challenge the mighty British power, but the soldiers persisted. * They forced their way into the palace and proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader. * The ageing emperor had to accept this demand. * He wrote letters to all the chiefs and rulers of the country to come forward and organize a confederacy of Indian states to fight the British. * This single step taken by Bahadur Shah had great implications. ## The Rebellion Spreads * After the British were routed from Delhi, there was no uprising for almost a week. * It took that much time for news to travel. * Then, a spurt of mutinies began. * Regiment after regiment mutinied and took off to join other troops at nodal points like Delhi, Kanpur, and Lucknow. * After them, the people of the towns and villages also rose up in rebellion and rallied around local leaders, zamindars and chiefs who were prepared to establish their authority and fight the British. * Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao who lived near Kanpur, gathered armed forces and expelled the British garrison from the city. * He proclaimed himself Peshwa. * He declared that he was a governor under Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. * In Lucknow, Birjis Qadr, the son of the deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, was proclaimed the new Nawab. * He too acknowledge the suzerainty of Bahadur Shah Zafar. * His mother, Begum Hazrat Mahal, took an active part in organizing the uprising against the British. * In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai joined the rebel sepoys and fought the British along with Tantia Tope. * The general of Rani Avantibai Lodhi of Ramgarh raised and led an army of four thousand against the British who had taken over the administration of her state. ### The Company Fights Back * Unnerved by the scale of the upheaval, the Company decided to repress the revolt with all its might. * It brought reinforcements from England, passed new laws so that the rebels could be convicted with ease, and then moved into the storm centres of the revolt. * Delhi was recaptured from the rebel forces in September 1857. * The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment. * He and his wife, Begum Zinat Mahal, were sent to prison in Rangoon in October 1858. * Bahadur Shah Zafar died in the Rangoon jail in November 1862. * The recapture of Delhi, however, did not mean that the rebellion died down after that. * People continued to resist and battle the British. * The British had to fight for two years to suppress the massive forces of popular rebellion. * Lucknow was taken in March 1858. * Rani Lakshmibai was defeated and killed in June 1858. * A similar fate awaited Rani Avantibal, who, after initial victory in Khert, chose to embrace death when surrounded by the British on all sides. * Tantia Tope escaped to the jungles of central India and continued to fight a guerrilla war with the support of many tribal and peasant leaders. * He was captured, tried, and killed in April 1859. * Just as victories against the British had earlier encouraged rebellion, the defeat of rebel forces encouraged desertions. * The British also tried their best to win back the loyalty of the people. * They announced rewards for loyal landholders who would be allowed to continue to enjoy traditional rights over their lands. * Those who had rebelled were told that if they submitted to the British and had not killed any white people, they would remain safe and their rights and claims to land would not be denied. * Nevertheless, hundreds of sepoys, rebels, nawabs, and rajas were tried and hanged. ### Aftermath * The British had regained control of the country by the end of 1859. * But they could not carry on ruling the land with the same policies any more. * Given below are the important changes that were introduced by the British. * 1. The British Parliament passed a new Act in 1858 and transferred the powers of the East India Company to the British Crown in order to ensure a more responsible management of Indian affairs. * A member of the British Cabinet was appointed Secretary of State for India and made responsible for all matters related to the governance of India. * He was given a council to advise him, called the India Council. * The Governor-General of India was given the title of Viceroy, that is, a personal representative of the Crown. * Through these measures, the British government accepted direct responsibility for ruling India. * 2. All ruling chiefs of the country were assured that their territory would never be annexed in future. * They were allowed to pass on their kingdoms to their heirs, including adopted sons. * However, they were made to acknowledge the British Queen as their sovereign. * Thus, the Indian rulers were to hold their kingdoms as subordinates of the British Crown. * 3. It was decided that the proportion of Indian soldiers in the army would be reduced and the number of European soldiers would be increased. * Instead of recruiting soldiers from Awadh, Bihar, central India, and south India, more soldiers would be recruited from among the Gurkhas, Sikhs, and Pathans. * 4. The land and property of Muslims was confiscated on a large scale and they were treated with suspicion and hostility. * The British believed that they were responsible for the rebellion in a big way. * 5. The British decided to respect the customary religious and social practices of the people in India. * 6. Policies were made to protect landlords and zamindars and give them security of rights over their lands. * Thus, a new phase of history began after 1857. ### The Khurda Uprising: a Case Study * Much before the events of 1857, there had taken place another event of a similar nature at a place called Khurda in 1817. * Here, it would be instructive for us to study that event and reflect on how resentment against the colonial policies of the British had been building up since the beginning of the 19th century in different parts of the country. * Khurda, a small kingdom built up in the late 16th century in the southeastern part of Orissa, was a populous and well-cultivated territory consisting of 105 garhs, 60 large and 1109 small villages at the beginning of the 19th century. * Its king, Raja Birakishore Dev, had to earlier give up the possession of four parganas, the superintendence of the Jagannath Temple and the administration of fourteen garjats (Princely States) to the Marathas under compulsion. * His son and successor, Mukunda Dev II, was greatly disturbed with this loss of fortune. * Therefore, sensing an opportunity in the Anglo-Maratha conflict, he had entered into negotiations with the British to get back his lost territories and the rights over the Jagannath Temple. * But after the occupation of Orissa in 1803, the British showed no inclination to oblige him on either score. * Consequently, he tried to assert his rights by force. * This led to his deposition and annexation of his territories by the British. * As a matter of consolation, he was only given the rights of management of the Jagannath Temple with a grant amounting to a mere one-tenth of the revenue of his former estate, and his residence was fixed at Puri. * This unfair settlement commenced an era of oppressive foreign rule in Orissa, which paved the way for a serious armed uprising in 1817. * Soon after taking over Khurda, the British followed a policy of resuming service tenures. * It bitterly affected the lives of the ex-militia of the state, the Paiks. * The severity of the measure was compounded on account of an unreasonable increase in the demand for revenue and also the oppressive ways of its collection. * Consequently, there was large-scale desertion of people from Khurda between 1805 and 1817. * Yet, the British went for a series of short-term settlements, each time increasing the demands, not recognizing either the productive capacity of the land or the paying capacity of the ryots. * No leniency was shown even in case of natural calamities, which Orissa was frequently prone to. * Rather, lands of defaulters were sold off to scheming revenue officials or speculators from Bengal. * The hereditary Military Commander of the deposed king, Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mahapatra Bhramarabar Rai or Buxi Jagabandhu as he was popularly known, was one among the dispossessed landholders. * He had in effect become a beggar and for nearly two years survived on voluntary contributions from the people of Khurda before deciding to fight for their grievances as well as his own. * Over the years, what had added to these grievances were (a) the introduction of sicca rupee (silver currency) in the region, (b) the insistence on payment of revenue in the new currency, (c) an unprecedented rise in the prices of food-stuff and salt, which had become far-fetched following the introduction of salt monopoly because of which the traditional salt makers of Orissa were deprived of making salt, and (d) the auction of local estates in Calcutta, which brought in absentee landlords from Bengal to Orissa. * Besides, the insensitive and corrupt police system also made the situation worse for the armed uprising to take a sinister shape. * The uprising was set off on 29 March 1817 as the Paiks attacked the police station and other government establishments at Banpur killing more than a hundred men and took away a large amount of government money. * Soon its ripples spread in different directions with Khurda becoming its epicenter. * The zamindars and ryots alike joined the Paiks with enthusiasm. * Those who did not, were taken to task. * A 'no-rent campaign' was also started. * The British tried to dislodge the Paiks from their entrenched position but failed. * On 14 April 1817, Buxi Jagabandhu, leading five to ten thousand Paiks and men of the Kandh tribe seized Puri and declared the hesitant king, Mukunda Dev II, as their ruler. * The priests of the Jagannath Temple also extended the Paiks their full support. * Seeing the situation going out of hand, the British clamped Martial Law. * The king was quickly captured and sent to prison in Cuttack with his son. * The Buxi with his close associate, Krushna Chandra Bhramarabar Rai, tried to cut off all communications between Cuttack and Khurda as the uprising spread to the southern and the north-western parts of Orissa. * Consequently, the British sent Major-General Martindell to clear off the area from the clutches of the Paiks while at the same time announcing rewards for the arrest of Buxi Jagabandhu and his associates. * In the ensuing operation, hundreds of Paiks were killed, many fled to deep jungles and some returned home under a scheme of amnesty. * Thus by May 1817, the uprising was mostly contained. * However, outside Khurda it was sustained by Buxi Jagabandhu with the help of supporters like the Raja of Kujung and the unflinching loyalty of the Paiks until his surrender in May 1825. * On their part, the British henceforth adopted a policy of leniency, indulgence and forbearance towards the people of Khurda. * The price of salt was reduced and necessary reforms were made in the police and the justice systems. * Revenue officials found to be corrupt were dismissed from service and former land-holders were restored to their lands. * The son of the king of Khurda, Ram Chandra Dev III, was allowed to move to Puri and take charge of the affairs of the Jagannath Temple with a grant of rupees twenty-four thousand. * In sum, it was the first such popular anti-British armed uprising in Orissa, which had a far-reaching effect on the future of British administration in that part of the country. * To merely call it a 'Paik Rebellion' will thus be an understatement.