Rajput resistance to British conquests
Rajput resistance to British conquests reflects the opposition and struggles by Rajputs against British rule.
1857 India Revolt[edit]
Kunwar Singh[edit]
Kunwar Singh was born in November 1777 to Maharaja Shahabzada Singh and Maharani Panchratan Devi, in Jagdispur of the Shahabad (now Bhojpur) District, in the state of Bihar.[citation needed] He belonged to the Ujjainiya Rajput clan which is a branch of the Parmars.[unreliable source?] He married the daughter of Raja Fateh Naraiyan Singh (a Mewari Sisodiya Rajput), a wealthy zamindar of Gaya district, Bihar, and a descendant of Shakti Singh of Mewar.[citation needed].
Role in the 1857 rebellion[edit]
Singh led the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Bihar. He was nearly eighty and in failing health when he was called upon to take up arms. He gave a good fight and harried British forces for nearly a year and remained invincible until the end. He was an expert in the art of guerilla warfare. His tactics left the British puzzled.
Singh assumed command of the soldiers who had revolted at Danapur on 25 July. Two days later he occupied Arrah, the district headquarters. Major Vincent Eyre relieved the town on 3 August, defeated Singh's force and destroyed Jagdishpur. During the rebellion, his army had to cross the Ganges river. Douglas' army began to shoot at their boat. One of the bullets shattered Singh's left wrist. Singh felt that his hand had become useless and that there was the additional risk of infection due to the bullet-shot. He drew his sword and cut off his left hand near the elbow and offered it to the Ganges.[unreliable source?][unreliable source?]
Singh left his ancestral village and reached Lucknow in December 1857. In March 1858 he occupied Azamgarh.[citation needed] However, he had to leave the place soon. Pursued by Brigadier Douglas,[who?] he retreated towards his home in Ara, Bihar. On 23 April, Singh had a victory near Jagdispur over the force led by Captain le Grand (le gard in Hindi). On 26 April 1858 he died in his village. The mantle of the old chief now fell on his brother Amar Singh II who, despite heavy odds, continued the struggle and for a considerable time, running a parallel government in the district of Shahabad. In October 1859, Amar Singh II joined the rebel leaders in the Nepal Terai.[unreliable source?]
Thakur Khushal Singh Auwa[edit]
Thakur Saheb of Auwa, born as Kunwar Khushal Singh, son of Thakur Bhawani Singh of Lambia, and his wife, Thakurani Ratan Kanwar, he was adopted by Thakur Bhaktawar Singh; he took a prominent part in the 1857 mutiny and his estate was confiscated by Jodhpur State with the help of the British authorities; he attempted to recapture Auwa, he defeated the Combined Force of Jodhpur And Britishers. He shot Captain Mason on the way to Auwa and cut his head was hung at the fort gate. The British destroyed the fort and the palace. Even temples and their idols were not spared. The statue of the goddess Mahakali brought to Ajmer is still kept in the Ajmer Museum. A still existent cenotaph was raised Mason where he fell in battle.
Amar Shahid Bandhu Singh[edit]
Amar Shahid Bandhu Singh was a guerrilla who fought against the British Raj in India.
Bandhu Singh was born on 1 May 1833 in a Zamindar family of Babu Shiv Prasad Singh of Dumari Riyasat. He had five brothers named Dal Hamman Singh, Tejai Singh, Fateh Singh, Jheenak Singh and Karia Singh. He was a devotee of Tarkulaha Devi. He was finally arrested by the British and hanged publicly at Ali Nagar Chauraha in Gorakhpur on 12 August 1857. There is a month-long Mela (funfair) every year starting from Chaitra Ramnavami at the Tarkulaha Devi Temple. People from far-flung locations visit ‘Tarkulaha Mela’ to shop for their annual requirements of Garam Masala (Indian Spices) and to enjoy the traditional ‘Nautanki’ (drama), Nag Kanya shows and small circuses.
Wazir Ram Singh Pathania[edit]
The last battle was fought in the mid-19th century against the British by Wazir Ram Singh Pathania for his king who was still a minor. After fighting a guerrilla war against the British, he made Brigadier Wheeler assemble a considerable force on the Dhaula Dhar Range against him. Ram Singh Pathania fought the British many times in pitched battles, but they could not defeat him, and there were heavy losses on both sides, with the British losing many officers. Eventually, the British keeping in tune with their tradition of treachery realized that it would not be possible to capture this brave Rajput prince by military means. They bribed a Brahman to tell them where he could be found alone and unarmed so that they would ambush him. Soon he was captured while he was praying on the banks of the Ravi river without his weapons, near the Shahpurkandi Fortress. Legend has it that before he could be overcome by the soldiers he managed to kill some of them with just his praying tool. Some historians say that he was betrayed by the Raja''s of Jammu and Guler and handed over to the British. He was sentenced to life imprisonment beyond the high seas and sent to Rangoon (Burma). He died there on 11 November 1856, he was just 23 years old. The kingdom was annexed by the British soon after this.
Rao Gopal Singh Kharwa[edit]
Gopal Singh (1872–1939), born in Rajasthan, was the ruler of the Kharwa state (near Ajmer) of Rajputana. He was sentenced to four years of imprisonment in the Todgarh Fort located approximately 70 kilometers (43 mi) from Beawar for organising a revolt against the British.
He was president of Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha for the year 1924.
In 1989, India's postal department issued a postage stamp depicting his picture in his honor.
Every spring on the anniversary of his death, the residents of Kharwa and nearby villages gather at a mela (celebration or fair) to commemorate their former Thakur. He was a Rathore Rajput by birth and believed in upholding the duties of a Rajput ruler towards his people at all costs.
Raja Devi Baksh Singh Bisen[edit]
Raja Devi Baksh Singh Bisen was the 12th Raja of Gonda, who was a prudent and active prince who built a fort at Jigna in the east of the Pargana, from where he managed his estate. He increased his property rapidly, disallowing any interference between him and the cultivators of his land, by marrying a daughter of the Raja of Bhadawar, he formed an alliance with one of the highest Rajput families in northern India. He fought alongside Begum Hazrat Mahal of Oudh against the British forces and reportedly went to Nepal with the Begum, where he died at an unknown date. He married the daughter of the Raja of Bhadawar.
Raja Balbhadra Singh Chehlari[edit]
Raja Balbhadra Singh was born on 10 June 1840 fought against the British forces bravely and sacrificed his life along with around 1000 other Rajput revolutionaries fighting the last battle of the first War of Indian Independence at Aovari.
Maharani Ishwari Devi Tulsipur[edit]
The Maharani Ishwari Devi from Tulsipur played a famous role in the Kranti of 1857, a series of rebellions against the British colonisation of India through the East India Company.
Raja Digvijay Singh Umargarh[edit]
The contribution of Raja Digvijay Singh in fighting the British for India's independence. He openly challenged the British regime.
His sword, which is three feet long and more than an inch broad, weighing around three kilograms, was gifted to the state museum by the former district magistrate, Sarnam Singh Suryavanshi. "Raja Digvijay Singh was the first landlord to challenge the British rule and extended an open challenge to the British rulers," denotes a written document of ‘Government Vs Raja Dig Vijay Singh’, at the Allahabad State Museum.
Veer Babu Amar Singh[edit]
Veer Babu Amar Singh was a revolutionary in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and brother of Babu Kunwar Singh. After the death of Babu Kunwar Singh on 24 April 1858, Babu Amar Singh became the chief of the army and despite heavy odds, continued the struggle and for a considerable time ran a parallel government in the district of Shahabad. In October 1859, Amar Singh joined the rebel leaders in the Nepal Terai.
Shyam Shah Singh Rewa[edit]
Shyam Shah Singh was one of the well known freedom fighter of 1857. He was born in Khamaria village of Rewa district in the year 1822-23. His father Seeva Singh was related to Kothi Rajgharana of Rewa state. Shyam Shah was educated at home and soon become a scholar in Sanskrit. He was fond of wrestling, horse riding & soon became master of using arms. He joined hands with freedom fighters like Mangal Pandey, Maharani Laxmi Bai and Tatya Tope. His first encounter with British army took place at the bank of river Mahanadi near Chandi in Shahdol District. His second encounter was at Katni Bazar in Mudwara Tehsil. At both places British army was defeated and many British army officers were killed. In addition, he attacked English army at many places & defeated them. He met Thakur Ranmat Singh and other freedom fighters at jungles of Khakhara and jointly both of them compelled British army to retreat from Dabhoura & Allahabad. They caused severe damage to the British army. Shyam Shah & Ranmat Singh were surrounded by the British army in Queoti-Kila where they again defeated them, but both had to depart. Ranmat Singh went towards Bahuti Mauganj & Shyam Shah towards South in Shahdol district. Shyam Shah carried a heavy reward on his head. He was shot from behind for the reward in Chachai. He died at an early age of 32–33 years. The Medical College of Rewa is named after this great freedom fighter.
Rana Benimadhav Singh Bais[edit]
Rana Benimadhav, ruler of Shankarpur, who was the great leader of the Indian rebellion of 1857, of a major part of Uttar Pradesh, notably Rae Bareli and Unna district. With the help of hundreds of thousands of farmers, labor for the 18 months of the suppression of the British rule. Even after the siege, the British could not reach Rana.
Rai Bareilly under Rana Benimadhav remained independent for 18 months in 1857-58 and his soldiers also had a special role in the independence of Lucknow. Begum Hazrat Hammad was so impressed by his bravery that he had given Azamgarh a subdivision by honoring him with the title of Hiroshang. When Begum took the actual reins of the rule of Awadh on July 7, 1857, Rana and his guerrilla group became the real helpers. The Jankranti of Rae Bareli began on 10 June 1857 under the leadership of Rana Beni Madhav. On 30 May 1857, before Rae Bareli's campaign, Rana had reached with Lucknow's 15,000 jawans to get rid of the English army's sixes. In this battle, he became impatient.
Apart from Shankarpur, Rana fought with the British in many places besides the soldiers and rescued six hundred. Rana's brother, Joramaj Singh, was also martyred in the battle of freedom with his 700 soldiers. Not only this, the brave soldiers of another freedom wounded Khokar 21 along with their companions were killed in the town hall of Rae Bareli kissing the hanging trunk. Rana Benimadha was in constant touch with the great heroes of independence and when his power was being considered weak, in June 1858, he again reconstructed 10,000 foot and cavalry troops in Basavara.
English documents show that in the middle of 1858 he had become a huge threat to Kanpur road and the number of his supporters reached 85,000. Obviously, these were mostly typical farmers. After all the fronts, on 11 November 1858, when General Hope Grant reached for the attack on the fort of Rana Benimadha, Rana handed it over to him without any resistance. Rana traveled from the fort with 1,500 people and he camped in Dudja Kheda and in the forests. Rana fought bravely on 24 November 1858, but the British became heavier.
Rana Benimadhav, Narpat Singh, and Gulab Singh fought in Awadh's rebellious battles until December 1858. On December 17, 1858, there was a strong fight between Rana and the British in Bhima Govindpur. In this battle, Rana was badly injured, but his beloved horse siding took him from Haifajat to the jungles near Manheiru village and kept him on guard all night. Rana was unconscious. In the morning, the friend of Rana and Maninderu's Late Lalchand Swarnakar saw the injured Rana accidentally and brought him to his house and served him. But its news reached the British. With the help of Lalchand, the British wanted to search Rana, so they were given the temptation till the manor, but nothing went on ahead of Lalchand.
The British soldiers captured them and took them to Brigadier Ivy and were tortured heavily. But, Lalchand said that the country needs Rana more than me. I will give Prana but I will not tell Rana's address. Lalchand himself killed himself for Rana. Not only this, the two sons of Lalchand had already joined the sacrifice group of Thakur Prasad and Govind Narayan Rana. When news of Lalchand's arrest was found, his wife Rama Devi shot himself and killed him. The sacrifice offered by this family to protect Rana is still illustrated and Lalchand is always remembered with Rana. Lalchand sacrifices day is celebrated on December 26 every year. This is a symbol of the love of the local people towards Rana. Rana had extensive support for all the sections including Pasi, Ahir, Kurmi Lodh, Goldsmith.
After Rae Bareli, Rana crossed into Gomati and reached Faizabad where Connell Hunt tried to stop his path but he was killed. After this, Rana guerrillas around Bahraich continued to seduce the British. Rana Benimadha was searched by the British and asked him to apologize by giving all the temptations, but Rana refused to accept it and considered better martyr on the freedom freedoms. After the announcement of Queen Victoria, brave soldiers of Rae Bareli under Rana's leadership continued the war. Finally, Rana handed over the women and children of his family under the protection of Begum Hazrat Mahal in the valley of Nepal.
Raja Thakur Kishor Singh[edit]
Raja Thakur Kishor Singh of Hindoria, Madhya Pradesh was the ruler of Hindoria. Took a prominent part in the Indian rebellion of 1857 against British rule in 1857. Organised an army of brave and patriotic soldiers and attacked Damoh. The British sought the help of the ruler of Panna State who sent a large army against him.
Jagirdar Narpati Singh Ruiya[edit]
Jagirdar Narpati Singh Ruiya along with Sri Narpati Singh fought with strong British Army. On 15 April 1858, General Sir Robert Balpol attacked the fort with his army but they have faced a lot of losses, many of British soldiers and even Colonel Hope were killed in the battle and British army returned from this area. Later, British army destroyed the Ruiyaa Garhi (fort).
Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Sonakhan[edit]
Veer Narayan Singh (1795–1857) was a landlord from Sonakhan, Chhattisgarh. He spearheaded the 1857 war Indian independence in Chhattisgarh.
He is also known and considered as the 1st Chhattisgarhi freedom fighter. The British arrested him in 1856 for looting a trader's grain stocks and distributing it amongst the poor in a severe famine year. In 1857 with the help of the soldiers of the British Army at Raipur, Veer Narayan Singh escaped from prison. He reached Sonakhan and formed an army of 500 men. Under the leadership of Smith, a powerful British army was dispatched to crush the Sonakhan army. Vir Narain Singh's martyrdom has been resurrected in the 1980s and he has become a potent symbol of Chhattisgarhi pride. He was executed on 10 December 1857. He became the first martyr from Chhattisgarh in the Indian rebellion of 1857. The government of Chhattisgarh named a cricket stadium Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium after him.
Thaku Shakti Dan Singh[edit]
Thaku Shakti Dan Singh was the younger brother of jagirdar of Asab. He took a prominent part in the Indian rebellion of 1857 and fought against British forces under General Lawrence in the battle of Auha in 1857. He died during imprisonment in Hawli of Auha.
Sher Singh Rajput[edit]
Sher Singh Rajput was a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. He took part in the Indian rebellion of 1857 against British rule in 1857. Captured by the British and executed on the gallows in 1857.
Maharana Bakhtawar Singh Rathore (Amjhera)[edit]
Maharana Bakhtawar Singh was the ruler of Amjera town of Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, who fought with the British in Madhya Pradesh in the 1857 freedom struggle. After a long struggle, the British were deliberately imprisoned by them. On 10 February 1858, he hanged him on a neem tree in Maharaja Yashwant Hospital premises of Indore. Madhya Pradesh government declared the fort of Rana Bakhtawar Singh located in Amzera as a state-protected building.
Raja Balwant Singh Awagarh[edit]
Balwant Singh, the Raja of Awagarh, C.I.E., O.B.E. (1852-1909) was a noted zamindar and philanthropist from Awagarh. He took a prominent part Indian rebellion of 1857.
Balwant Singh was also a close friend and associate of Madan Mohan Malviya. In 1898, he was party to the delegation led by Malviyaji along with Maharaja Pratap Narayan Singh of Ayodhya, Raja Ramprasad Singh of Mandu, Sri Krishna Joshi, Dr. Sunderlal to Sir Antony McDonald, then deputy Viceroy requesting for inclusion of Hindi or Nagri script as one of the working languages in courts and government documents. It was due to their efforts Hindi was added as one of the working languages in government documents and courts. He along with Thakur Umarao Singhji of Kotla, Raja Uday Pratap Singh of Bhinga was instrumental in the founding of Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha in the year 1897. He also presided over the Mahasabha for the year 1897. He died in 1909.
References[edit]
1. http://www.gorakhpurcityinfo.com/Gorakhpur-Resource/Tarkulhadevi.aspx
2. History of Bhojpur Archived 14 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine.. Bhojpur.bih.nic.in. Retrieved on 2011-10-12.
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