The ship of independence is sailed by the mutiny of its sailors, rocking to and fro with the waves obstructing it. India sought such independence but like the ant who took many attempts to climb the wall, India took many movements to reach the final goal of free India. Sepoy mutiny was one of such attempts.

India came under complete control of British in the year 1857 and the constant urge and spirit of freedom started to in built itself in the natives of India. Sepoy mutiny that started long before march of 1857 in Calcutta is what is known as the first war for independence against British.

Sepoy mutiny though was a widespread movement (by Indian troops serving in British East India Company) but was ultimately unsuccessful and ended its course in 1858. It started from Meerut and eventually started spreading in Delhi, Agra, Kanpur and Lucknow.

Small proceeding of brewing discontent began to be visible in the first quarter of 1857 leading to a large scale rebellious movement in may which led to end of British East India Company`s rule and power in India, which passed the baton of rule on to British government.

Causes of Sepoy Mutiny

Political causes:British East India Company gained its control over India in a span of 150 years from 1751 to 1856. The policy of expansion pursued by the British created discontent among the princes. A number of independent kingdoms were annexed to the British empire. In 1843, Sind was attacked and annexed. Lord Dalhousie annexed indian kingdoms whenever an occasion arose. Under his policy `Doctrine of Lapse` the princes were denied the right of adoption; in this way Dalhousie annexed the Maratha States of Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi and several minor kingdoms. On the death of the ex-Peshwa, Baji Rao II, the pension granted to him was abolished and the claims of his adopted son, Nana Saheb, were disregarded.

The result of his policy was that no Indian prince felt secure, and there was widespread resentment. The policy of annexation created panic and feeling of insecurity among the rulers of other states also. Corruption and inefficiency in the administration further created political unrest and the Indians wanted to get rid of the British.

Social causes: The continuous interference of English in basic way of living, traditional beliefs, values and norms was seen by masses as threat to religion. The English administrators gradually became arrogant and there was a wide gulf between them and the people. They could hardly know the feelings of the vast multitude, which providence had placed under their rule. Some of the social reforms introduced to put an end to evil customs like sati, female infanticide , etc. and to ameliorate the condition of the people made people unhappy.

The activities of the Christian missionaries, whose avowed objects was to convert people to their faith led to people`s believe that the Government was in collusion with them to eradicate their caste and convert them to Christianity. The passing of Act XXI of 1850, which enabled converts to inherit ancestral property, confirmed this belief; the new law was naturally interpreted as a concession to Christian converts.

Economic causes: The general discontentment grew rapidly and strongly among the Indian soldiers. Most of the soldiers in the East India Company`s army came from peasant families which were deeply affected by their impoverished status .Lot of partiality was done against Indians like not giving them post above subehdars and salary being less than their English counterparts.

The adverse effects of the Industrial Revolution on the Indian economy was also being felt because of British economic policies in India. The British Economic Policy worked against the interests of Indian trade and industry. Indian handicrafts completely collapsed and the craftsman were impoverished. Thus, the British drained India of her wealth and all her natural resources.

Religious causes: The introduction of telegraph, railways and the spread of western education, caused suspicion and fear in the people`s minds. They were convinced that the English were conspiring to convert them to Christianity. Superior civil and military officers abused the name of Ram and Muhammad. Idolatry was denounced. Hindu gods and goddesses ridiculed. The Religious Disabilities Act modified Hindu customs. This act enabled a convert to Christianity, to inherit his ancestral property. All this created resentment among the people.

Military causes: The Sepoys of the Bengal Army were belonged to high castes of Oudh and the North-Western Province. Although the Sepoys had fought and won many wars for the Company with determined devotion in the most difficult and dangerous circumstances they did not get a fair deal. Their emoluments were very low in comparison with those of the British soldiers and their chances of promotion negligible. The loyalty of the Sepoys was further undermined by certain military reforms which outraged their religious feelings. They had an aversion to overseas service, as travel across the seas meant loss of caste for them.

Immediate Cause: Discontentment was rampant among the Indians and they were waiting only for an occasion to revolt. The introduction of Greased catridge in 1856 sparked the fire. The government decided to replace the old-fashioned musket, `Brown Begs` by the `Enfield rifle`. The loading process of the Enfield rifle involved bringing the cartridge to the mouth and biting of the top paper.There was a rumour among the Sepoys in January 1857 that the greased cartridge contained the fat of cow and pig, the former sacred to Hindus and latter forbidden to Muslims. The sepoys were now convinced that the introduction of greased cartridges was a deliberate attempt to defile Hindu and Muslim religion.This sparked off the Mutiny.On 29 March 1857.

The Revolt:
The greased cartridges lit the flame of rebellion and on the 29th March 1857, a soldier by the name of Mangal Pandey of the 34th Infantry at Barrackpur rebelled by firing at an officer on command against the use of the new cartridges. He was arrested and on 8 April he was hanged to death. This followed with repeated outbreak of revolt at Calcutta and Europeans were in a state of prolonged panic. Outside Calcutta the heat was felt everywhere like Birbhum, Jaspura, Banka, Khosi etc. In April 1857,Indian soldiers at cavalry unit in Meerut refused to use the new cartridges, which ultimately led to their arrest and were thrown into prison.

Although this mutiny started among the native soldiers, the others who weren`t affected by British rule also joined hands. Throughout India army units mutinied and in revolt killed British officers and often their families. An appeal was forwarded to 82-year-old Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar for leading the revolt and proclaimed him the Emperor of India. While the British called it the Indian Mutiny, the Indians named it as the Great War of Independence. The rebellion was confined to the Ganges plain between Calcutta and Delhi; troops in the south and west continued to serve the British loyally.

Delhi: Delhi was seized by the Sepoys on 12th May 1857. The palace and the city were occupied. The old Moghul Emperor Bahadur Shah II was persuaded to lend support to the anti-British activities and was proclaimed the Emperor of India. The loss of Delhi was a serious blow to the prestige of the British. On 14th September 1857, the British forces started their onward march. Inspite of strong resistance from the sepoys, the British recaptured the city on 20th September. Emperor Bahadur Shah captured by British General Hudson. The British finally arrested Bahadur Shah Zafar, and next day British officer William Hodson killed his sons at Khooni Darwaza (blooded door) near Delhi gate. Their heads were reportedly presented to their father.The emperor was exiled to Rangoon (Burma) for life where the king died in 1862 at the age of eight seven. This was the end of the mighty Moghul Empire.

Kanpur:The Sepoys captured Kanpur on 5th June 1857. Nana Sahib the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao was proclaimed the Peshwa. He led the revolt in Kanpur along with Tantia Tope, his able and experienced Lieutenant. The British fought with little food and water when ultimately Nana Sahib asked them to surrender and General Wheeler had no other option than accepting it. After a fierce battle, General Sir Hugh Wheeler surrendered on June 27, 1857.

In June 1857 the General defeated Nana Sahib. Though Nana Sahib and Tantia Tope recaptured Kanpur in November 1857, they could not hold it for long as it was reoccupied by General Campbell on 6th December 1857. Nana Sahib fled to Nepal and perhaps died there. Tantia Tope escaped and joined the Rani of Jhansi.

Lucknow:The Sepoys rebelled in Awadh soon after the events in Meerut. The rebellion broke out at Lucknow on 4th June. The rebels` initial attempts were unsuccessful. Begum Hazrat Mahal who was acting as a regent for her son, besieged the British Residency along with the rebels, killing Sir Henry during the siege.The fighting continued till the end of the year. Ultimately the rebels were defeated in November 1857, when Sir Colin Campbell, the new commander-in-chief sent from England to suppress the rebellion . He evacuated the Europeans and the city with the help of the Gorkha regiments. In March 1858 the city was finally recaptured by the British after three weeks of fierce fighting.

Jhanshi:When war broke out, Jhansi became center of rebellion. Rani Laxmibai, the widow of the late Raja Gangadhar Rao, led the rebellion against the British. She proclaimed the ruler of the state. The British army sieged Jhanshi.Though Jhansi was sieged Rani LaxmiBai fled in disguise to Kalpi where she organized few other kingdoms to rebel against British. Rebel forces captured Gwalior from the British. Sir Hugh Rose advanced towards Gwalior and captured it in June 1858, The Rani died fighting bravely. However the mutiny failed due to lack of strong leadership and proper coordination.

Results:
The ultimate result concluded that British rule was not based on moral superiority but on armed forces, ruthlessly handled. The immediate consequence of the sepoy mutiny was reorganization of the military. Europeans troops were proportionally kept at safely a high level. The mutiny made English realize the extent of dissatisfaction among Indians thus leading to transfer of power and rule from hands of East India Company to the British government.

In 1858, the Queen issued a proclamation saying that all were her subjects and that there would be no discrimination, appointments would be made on the basis of merit, and that there would be no interference in religious matters.