Syllabus

GS 1: Modern History

Context: Recently, July 19 has marked 198^th Birth anniversary of Mangal Pandey, a key figure in Revolt of 1857.

Early Life 

• Mangal Pandey was born on July 19, 1827, in Nagwa village in Ballia district into a Bhumihar Brahmin family. 
• At the age of 22, he joined the East India Company’s army as a soldier in the 6^th company of the 34^th Bengal Native Infantry.

Early Beginning  

• Mangal Pandey refused to use the newly introduced Enfield rifle as it was believed that its cartridges were greased with beef and pork fat. 
• Since sepoys had to bite open the cartridges to load the rifle, this hurt the religious sentiments of both Hindu and Muslim soldiers.

Role in Revolt of 1857

• On March 29, 1857, Mangal Pandey fired at his Senior Sergeant Major in Barrackpore near Kolkata which sparked the beginning of the Revolt of 1857.
• Mangal Pandey was captured and hanged on April 8, 1857, by the order of a Court Martial at Lal Bagan in Barrackpore. 
• His regiment was also disbanded, just like the 19th Infantry at Behrampore for showing signs of rebellion.
• He was from the kingdom of Awadh, which had been annexed by Lord Dalhousie in 1856 on the grounds of misgovernance. 
• Unlike other regions taken over under the Doctrine of Lapse, Awadh’s annexation was not based on the absence of a natural heir.

Significance of Awadh

• Awadh was a major recruiting ground for the East India Company’s army, with around 75,000 soldiers from the region. 
• Nearly every farming family had someone serving as a sepoy, so any issue affecting Awadh directly impacted the soldiers.
• In 1856, the British deposed the Nawab of Awadh and seized the lands of the taluqdars during a new land revenue settlement. This caused widespread anger. 
• The sepoys themselves sent around 14,000 petitions, complaining about the hardships caused by the new revenue policies. 
• Mangal Pandey came to symbolize the anger and suffering that British rule had brought to ordinary peasant families. Soon after, the 7th Awadh Regiment also rebelled but faced harsh punishment. 
• Following this, acts of disobedience, arson and unrest began to spread across army bases in Ambala, Lucknow, and Meerut.
• Finally, on May 10, 1857, sepoys in Meerut openly revolted. They marched to Delhi and entered the Red Fort, asking the aged Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, to lead them. 
• After some hesitation, he agreed and was declared the emperor of Hindustan (Shah-en-shah-i-Hindustan), giving symbolic unity and legitimacy to the uprising.

Source

https://indianexpress.com/article/upsc-current-affairs/upsc-essentials/knowledge-nugget-mangal-pandeys-revolt-of-1857-history-upsc-10134999/