Revolt of 1857: BPSC Prelims Notes
BPSC Prelims Demand
Prepare causes, immediate trigger, centres and leaders, Bihar’s Kunwar Singh, suppression, and consequences. Distinguish a cause from the cartridge episode, a local centre from the whole uprising, and the Company’s rule from Crown rule after 1858.
Overview
The revolt began at Meerut on 10 May 1857 and spread to Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Bareilly, Bihar and other regions. It involved sepoys, rulers, taluqdars, zamindars, peasants and townspeople in varying ways. The greased-cartridge controversy was an immediate catalyst, but political annexations, economic grievances, military discrimination, land-related pressures and religious-social anxieties formed a wider background.
Chronology
Major Centres and Leaders
| Centre | Leader / association |
|---|---|
| Delhi | Bahadur Shah II; symbolic Mughal leadership. |
| Kanpur | Nana Sahib; Tantia Tope as a major associate. |
| Lucknow | Begum Hazrat Mahal; Birjis Qadr. |
| Jhansi | Rani Lakshmibai. |
| Bareilly | Khan Bahadur Khan. |
| Jagdishpur/Arrah, Bihar | Veer Kunwar Singh; Amar Singh was an important associate. |
Causes: Keep the Layers Separate
| Layer | Example |
|---|---|
| Political | Annexations, Doctrine of Lapse and the Awadh annexation angered rulers and elites. |
| Economic/land | Revenue demands and disruption of older interests affected peasants, taluqdars and landlords differently. |
| Military | Sepoy grievances, pay/service concerns and disregard for caste-community sensitivities. |
| Religious-social anxiety | Fear of interference with religious and social practices. |
| Immediate catalyst | Controversy over Enfield rifle cartridges believed to be greased with cow and pig fat. |
Bihar Special: Veer Kunwar Singh
Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur, Bhojpur was nearly eighty when he led resistance in Bihar. The Ministry of Culture identifies him as the chief organiser of the fight against the British in Bihar and notes the support of Amar Singh and commander Hare Krishna Singh. In July 1857, Dinapore sepoys joined the rising at Arrah. Kunwar Singh used mobile and guerrilla tactics, moved through several regions, returned toward Bihar, and died soon after being injured in the struggle. Do not reduce the Bihar episode to a single battle: it was a campaign with local support and changing military movements.
Consequences
| Change | Exam point |
|---|---|
| Government of India Act, 1858 | Ended Company rule and transferred governance to the British Crown. |
| Secretary of State for India | New British cabinet-level authority for Indian affairs. |
| Army reorganisation | British changed recruitment and military arrangements after the revolt. |
| Princely states | British promised to respect treaties and did not continue the Doctrine of Lapse in the same way. |
| Bahadur Shah II | Deposed and exiled to Rangoon (present-day Yangon). |
Prelims Traps
- Meerut was the outbreak centre on 10 May; Delhi became the symbolic centre under Bahadur Shah II.
- Rani Lakshmibai: Jhansi; Begum Hazrat Mahal: Lucknow; Kunwar Singh: Bihar.
- Cartridges were an immediate catalyst, not the only cause.
- Awadh was annexed for alleged misgovernment, not under Doctrine of Lapse.
- 1858 ended Company rule, not British rule in India.
- Kunwar Singh belonged to Jagdishpur in present-day Bhojpur, not to Jhansi or Lucknow.