Kunwar Singh (Bihar)
Kunwar Singh, an elderly zamindar (landowner) from Bihar’s Arrah region, played a significant role in organizing resistance against the British. At the age of 80, he led a distinct band of soldiers against the East India Company’s troops in Bihar, merging civil and military rebellions to challenge British rule.
Important Leaders Associated With The Revolt Of 1857
The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 was a large-scale rebellion against the domination of the British East India Company. This revolt is regarded as the first organized resistance by Indians against the company. Prominent writers of the time, like V.D Savarkar, also consider it the First War of Independence.
The direct trigger for this Sepoy Mutiny was the rumour of greased cartridges. A word about cartridges of the new rifles being greased with cow and pig’s fat spread like wildfire among the sepoys. The sepoys needed to bite off the paper on them to use the cartridges. The news humiliated both Muslims and Hindus as Hindus worshipped cows, and the Muslims regarded pigs as dirty.
After hearing it, sepoys of both religious groups refused to use the rifles. It wasn’t long before the revolt spread over from Patna’s neighbourhood to Rajasthan’s frontiers. The major centres of the revolt were Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Bareilly, Arrah in Bihar, and Gwalior. It was from these centres that various figures emerged. These included Begum Hazrat Mahal, Nana Saheb, Rani Lakshmibai, Tantia Tope, and many others who led the revolt.
During the 1857 Revolt, also known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857 or the First War of Independence, several prominent leaders emerged from different regions of India. Here is a detailed overview of these leaders and their contributions: