Resistance to foreign occupation had been a normal feature in India down the ages. The Indians had resisted the Greeks, Persians, and Yavanas in the ancient time and Muslims in the medieval period; and there- after the British rule from its very inception, especially during the 18th and 19th century. In fact, agitations and resistance to the British rule had been continuing, properly speaking since the Battle of Plassey (1757) and Buxar(1764), running down through ups and downs, in different regions of India. It might be feeble, localized, sporadic and unsuccessful. Yet it had not stopped. The archival documentation provides a long list of such armed struggles around the country. But a time came in 1857, a century after the battle of Plassey, when the country was up in arms against the British rule. People have difference of opinion about the nomenclature of the Rebellion. The British said it was a Sepoys' Mutiny, some say First War of Indian Independence, still some others the Great Rebellion of 1857. Yet, since the British East India Company which had grabed ruling power in India, this had been the first major movement which spread to a larger area cutting across boundaries of States. It shook the British terribly in the North- Central and Eastern parts of the country. Still, that was not a single or united fight. Many people were fighting locally at that point of time simultaneously. Only Nana Saheb, Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi and Maulavi of Faizabad had entered into a plot, which misfired in its actual timing. .
Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of 34th Bengal Native Infantry regiment fired the first shot of the Uprising on 29 March 1857 at Barrackpore. The Agitation got momentum on 10 May as other sepoys revolted at Meerut on that day. It gradually spread to Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow and Gwalior. More than 75 number of Regiments which joined the Rebellion were disbanded. However the turmoil lost force with the arrest of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mughal Emperor of Delhi on 20 September 1857. It actually ended on 20 June 1858 with the defeat of the Mutineers in Gwalior. The British came heavily on the Mutineers by hanging or blowing up by the cannon or putting in jail. However amnesty was granted to all rebels not involved in murder on 1 November 1858 and the Mutiny was formally declared to have ended on 8 July 1859. .
There were some 45, 000 Europeans and 2, 32, 000 regular Native soldiers serving under East India Company in India during 1857. Out of them 24,000 British and 1, 36, 000 Indians were serving in Bengal Presidency and its dependencies, a region, which stretched from Rangoon on the east to Khyber Pass on the west. There were only five regiments of European and 74 regiments of Native army with 10 Cavalry regiments of Natives at Calcutta and up to Delhi in the whole area. Most of the Native soldiers had the feeling of pride for being soldiers and they were disciplined and obedient. At the same time the Marathas were divided among themselves. Moreover he Sikhs did not want to see the Mughal rule to revive at Delhi. They had a long bitter experience of Mughal oppressions and brutality upon them. The British generals came down heavily upon the mutineers utilizing the native soldiers; especially the Sikh and Nepali regiments. .
Sambalpur, then a hinterland British district of Central-Eastern India jumped into the fray of the Rebellion. The scenario of Sambalpur was quite different. Agitation against the British started at Sambalpur in 1827 which continued at a stretch up to 1840; took a long break of 17 years as Veer Surendra Sai, the leader and his brother Udanta were confined in Hazaribagh jail till 1857. They were released when soldiers of two platoons of Danapur Force, known as Burdwan ka naya palton turned rebels and broke open the jail gate. Being released by the rebels Surendra and Udanta returned to Sambalpur and planned to revive the Rebellion in a big scale. When the mutineer Sepoys and the soldiers of different Kings were involved elsewhere, it was a fight by non-regular soldiers at Sambalpur. Ordinary fighters were recruited. Majority of the rebels belonged to schedule tribe and schedule caste, specifically of Ganda, Gond and Binjhal tribes. But there were Brahmins too. Most of the Zamindars and many village heads or landlords of the erstwhile State of Sambalpur joined sacrificing easy, comfortable family life, preferred roaming in the jungle, living a life of hardship. After the mutiny was crushed elsewhere in the country the British brought many experienced commandants, but they could not succeed in sup-pressing it in Sambalpur because of the geographical setup, war strategy of Surendra Sai and Guerrilla tactics of war. We have accounts of death of 92 rebels in different wars with the colonial force in Sambalpur Rebellion but the number was higher. Many principal rebel leaders were apprehended and hanged. These deaths and hangings had no impact on the rebel force as they continued with same tempo. The consistent rebellion for longer period with high tempo has earned the name "Ulgulan", in Sambalpuri language.
Hindu (935)
Agriculture (118)
Ancient (1086)
Archaeology (753)
Architecture (563)
Art & Culture (910)
Biography (702)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (167)
Emperor & Queen (565)
Islam (242)
Jainism (307)
Literary (896)
Mahatma Gandhi (372)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist