Abstract

First of all what happened in 1857 and why did it happen in large parts of Northern and Central India has been given many names- some thought it was a “Mutiny” of the sepoys of the British Indian Army others believed it to be a “popular revolt” of the civilian population. William Dalrymple has recently used the term “Uprising”. Eric Stokes “one of the foremost historians of 1857 has convincingly argued that it was not one movement but many so any one name possibly will not suffice”. Historians have held divergent view about the nature of the outbreak of 1857. It is now commonly believed that first was the mutiny of the sepoys in Bengal army and it was caused by the greased cartridge for the newly introduced Enfield rifles that replaced the older Brown Bess muskets. The revolt of 1857 forms one of the most important chapters in the history of the struggle of the Indian people for liberation from the British rule. How widespread was the rebellion in India? How many people participated i