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Contents
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Page No.
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Preface
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Preface
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ix
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There is no doubt that the doors for the establishment of
British Raj in India opened after the Battle of Plassey. At the same time,
the decks had also been cleared for the ignition of the Revolt of 1857 and
other skirmishes. The Revolt of 1857 was the biggest explosion of
public-dissatisfaction against the inhuman atrocities inflicted on Indians
during this period.
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Forewood
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xiii
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The great Revolt of 1857 is, indeed, such a mysterious chapter
of Indian history that even after 150 years of its occurrence, we today don't
have the entire facts and figures relating to it. The magnanimity of this
revolt could be gauged from the fact that this kind of a revolt had never
occurred in the known history of India.
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Prologue: 1857
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1
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The great India revolt of 1857 has been a favourite subject for
both British and Indian historians. English historians negate its value by
calling it 'Sepoy Mutiny'. According to them, "it was totally bereft of
nationalism and driven by self-interest, which neither got the required
leadership nor mass-support." On the other hand, some Indian writers
eulogise it as 'the first Independence war', in which many farmers and
city-dwellers along with sepoys revolted, and continued to fight till their
end.
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An Introduction
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14
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The real name of Maulavi Ahmad Ullah Shah, who played an
important role in the Great revolt of 1857, was Sikandar Shah. He was also
known as Maulavi of Faizabad. This great rebel was born in South India's
Vijigapattan in 1787 and is believed to be a habitant of Arcot province in Madras presidency. On
several occasions Maulavi has been referred to as 'Danka Shah' and 'Nakkar
Shah' as whenever he went on a campaign, a drum or Nakkara was played before
him.
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Faizabad
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28
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Maulavi Ahmad Ullah Shah along with some of his friends and
followers came to stay at the Sarai of Faizabad in February 1857, after being
expelled from Lucknow. As soon as he reached Faizabad, large crowds of people
began to gather around the Sarai. The city police In-charge gave this
information to the special officer of the town, Lieutenant Thursben in the
evening on 16th February.
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Lucknow
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34
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The Awadh region was still untouched by the waves of the Revolt
even after its eruption in Meerut and Delhi. Revolutionaries had their eyes
on Lucknow. As soon as the Revolt erupted in Lucknow, it spread to almost
every district of Awadh one after another. On 30th May, as the news of revolt
spread, the Wahabis of Lucknow took out a procession on the roads holding
green flags.
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Ruhelkhand
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65
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News of revolt in Meerut and Delhi had reached Shahjahanpur by
mid May. Some incidents which took place in the period had already given
indications to civil and army officers that native platoons had started
nurturing soft corner for rebellious incidents occuring at other places.
Rumours regarding cartridges also started reaching these officers.
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Martyrdom
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79
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Maulavi Ahmad Ullah Shah with some of his followers went to the
palace of king of Powayan on 5th June, 1858. Different opinions exist regarding
the objective. As per official documents and records, he had gone there to
take the custody of Tahsildar and Thanedar of Powayan as the Raja had given
them refuge in his palace.
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References
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83
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1. Abrar Hussein Farooqui, Maseer-e- Dilawari, Lucknow, 1965.
2. Ayodhya Singh, Bharat ka Mukti Sangram, Vikas Offset, 1997.
3. Anand Swarup Mishra, Nana Sahab Peshwa and the Fight for Freedom,
Information and Public Relations Department, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow.
4. Iqbal Hussein, Lucknow Between The Annexesion and the Mutiny, UP
Historical Review, Allahabad, Part - II.
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