Also termed the Rebellion of 1857, the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and other descriptions identity a transforming event in the British colonial history of India. This event was significant as it was very influential on what followed. Its repercussions have lasted for present day India.
Many causes and consequences are tied to this massive resistance movement. A noteworthy factor is that it commenced in Bengal, the colonial center of power. This was the seat of the Bengal Presidency with the most oppressed native population. The reason was that the English presence was most crudely realized in this area. The continuing destitution and underdevelopment of the states once included in its territory reflect their painful past.
Among the causes are several underlying factors. The shared thread tying most of these factors together was the perceived threat to the dominant native religions of the area. This was due to a change of tone in the policies of the western occupiers of the subcontinent. The change in tone was an increased religious overtone in the English presence.
In the past, the East India Company had a principally commercial focus through the 18th century. But, in the 19th century, religion took on greater significance. EIC personnel became more religiously intrusive and supported missionaries in propagating their faith. This increase in religiosity was noticeable to their native subordinates and local population alike. The result was an alliance of Hindus and Muslims against this propagation.
Some of this insensitivity to native feelings was because the English were losing touch with the natives. After the eighteenth century, newer generations of officers spent more time amongst their own kind. By then, there was also an increase in their number which made it easier for them to continue a like minded circle of association.
The growing distance between the English and Indians reduced understanding of native cultures. Local traditions were viewed as more foreign and strange. There was a decline in language capacity of English officers which impacted their ability to communicate with local subordinates. With the arrival of families from England, local contacts were further diminished as socializing with them became even more constrained.
Additional causes also weakened connections. The ultimate ember to set off the conflagration was the issue of animal fat used in a new type of cartridge. This fat was a mixture of beef and pork that offended religious Hindu and Muslim sensibilities. The beef portion upset Hindu beliefs and pork portion upset Muslim beliefs. The first sepoys to resist were the 19th Native Infantry sepoys who refused new cartridges and were punished with disbandment. Next, to up rise was Mangal Pande, who killed superior officers and called on compatriots to rebel to defend their religion from assault. He was court marshaled and executed in punishment. But, mass resistance was to come. It began after eighty five sepoys from near Delhi rejected these cartridges. The mutiny started soon after their sentencing for this rejection.
But colonial rule was to continue for almost another century as the mutiny was not widespread enough to fatally impact the British grip on its Indian colony. The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 still left its indelible mark. A number of consequences would result, as it was a powerful event none the less. Among them was final termination of Mughal governance, substitution of of EIC rule for direct British governance instead. A toxic legacy was a recorded policy of communal separation territorially reflected in the separation of Bengal according to religious affiliation. Preset day continuation of communalism is a direct consequence of this poisonous legacy.
Many causes and consequences are tied to this massive resistance movement. A noteworthy factor is that it commenced in Bengal, the colonial center of power. This was the seat of the Bengal Presidency with the most oppressed native population. The reason was that the English presence was most crudely realized in this area. The continuing destitution and underdevelopment of the states once included in its territory reflect their painful past.
Among the causes are several underlying factors. The shared thread tying most of these factors together was the perceived threat to the dominant native religions of the area. This was due to a change of tone in the policies of the western occupiers of the subcontinent. The change in tone was an increased religious overtone in the English presence.
In the past, the East India Company had a principally commercial focus through the 18th century. But, in the 19th century, religion took on greater significance. EIC personnel became more religiously intrusive and supported missionaries in propagating their faith. This increase in religiosity was noticeable to their native subordinates and local population alike. The result was an alliance of Hindus and Muslims against this propagation.
Some of this insensitivity to native feelings was because the English were losing touch with the natives. After the eighteenth century, newer generations of officers spent more time amongst their own kind. By then, there was also an increase in their number which made it easier for them to continue a like minded circle of association.
The growing distance between the English and Indians reduced understanding of native cultures. Local traditions were viewed as more foreign and strange. There was a decline in language capacity of English officers which impacted their ability to communicate with local subordinates. With the arrival of families from England, local contacts were further diminished as socializing with them became even more constrained.
Additional causes also weakened connections. The ultimate ember to set off the conflagration was the issue of animal fat used in a new type of cartridge. This fat was a mixture of beef and pork that offended religious Hindu and Muslim sensibilities. The beef portion upset Hindu beliefs and pork portion upset Muslim beliefs. The first sepoys to resist were the 19th Native Infantry sepoys who refused new cartridges and were punished with disbandment. Next, to up rise was Mangal Pande, who killed superior officers and called on compatriots to rebel to defend their religion from assault. He was court marshaled and executed in punishment. But, mass resistance was to come. It began after eighty five sepoys from near Delhi rejected these cartridges. The mutiny started soon after their sentencing for this rejection.
But colonial rule was to continue for almost another century as the mutiny was not widespread enough to fatally impact the British grip on its Indian colony. The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 still left its indelible mark. A number of consequences would result, as it was a powerful event none the less. Among them was final termination of Mughal governance, substitution of of EIC rule for direct British governance instead. A toxic legacy was a recorded policy of communal separation territorially reflected in the separation of Bengal according to religious affiliation. Preset day continuation of communalism is a direct consequence of this poisonous legacy.
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