89-668: Nana Saheb Peshwa II (19 May 1824 – after 1857), born Dhondu Pant , was an Indian aristocrat and fighter who led the Siege of Cawnpore (Kanpur) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the East India Company . As the adopted son of the exiled Maratha Peshwa , Baji Rao II , Nana Saheb believed he was entitled to a pension from the Company. However, after being denied recognition under Lord Dalhousie 's doctrine of lapse , he initiated
178-501: A courtier who had travelled to England in the entourage of Azimullah Khan. Owing to the courteous treatment by a British officer, Maj. Forbes-Mitchell, during their incarceration and up to their execution, Muhammed Ali Khan provided more information about the events. He blamed Hussaini Begum for the Bibighar massacre, stating that she harboured grievances against the British which she took out on
267-677: A diary retrieved in the 1970s suggest that Nana Saheb lived as an ascetic, Yogindra Dayanand Maharaj, in Sihor in coastal Gujarat until his death in 1903. The letters, possibly written by Nana Saheb in Old Marathi and signed Baloo Nana , were addressed to Harshram Mehta, Nana's Sanskrit teacher. The third document, the diary of Kalyanji Mehta, Harshram's brother, is written in Old Gujarati . The diary records Nana Saheb's arrival in Sihor with his colleagues after
356-478: A distance of around 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi). The route of Chandragupta was built over the ancient " Uttarapatha " or the Northern Road, which had been mentioned by Pāṇini . The emperor Ashoka had it recorded in his edict about having trees planted, wells built at every half kos and many "nimisdhayas", which is often translated as rest-houses along the route for the travelers. The emperor Kanishka
445-660: A language isolate. The traditions of different ethnic groups in South Asia have diverged, influenced by external cultures, especially in the northwestern parts of South Asia and also in the border regions and busy ports, where there are greater levels of contact with external cultures. There is also a lot of genetic diversity within the region. For example, most of the ethnic groups of the northeastern parts of South Asia are genetically related to peoples of East or Southeast Asia . There are also genetically isolated groups who have not been genetically influenced by other groups, such as
534-440: A mortar. Initially, General Wheeler was confident enough to send part of his garrison to reinforce Lucknow. Amid the prevailing chaos, Nana Saheb and his forces entered the British magazine in the northern part of Kanpur. The soldiers of the 53rd Native Infantry, guarding the magazine, believed Nana was there to protect it on behalf of the Company. On 4 June, the Company sepoys of the 1st, 53rd, and 56th Native Infantry regiments and
623-511: A rebellion. He forced the British garrison in Kanpur to surrender and subsequently ordered the killing of the survivors, briefly gaining control of the city. After the British recaptured Kanpur, Nana Saheb disappeared, and conflicting accounts surround his later life and death. Nana Saheb was born on 18 May 1824 as Nana Govind Dhondu Pant, to Narayan Bhat and Ganga Bai. After the Marathas were defeated in
712-675: A river of life as nowhere else exists in the world." The ensemble of historic sites along the road in India was submitted to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015, under the title "Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Banho, Grand Trunk Road". The Indian sections of the Grand Trunk Road coincide with NH 19 , NH 112 and NH 44 of the National Highways in India . Psephologists sometimes refer to
801-406: A silver-mounted sword seems to be one of the more interesting artifacts. Many British search parties attempted to capture Nana Saheb but failed. A detachment of the 7th Bengal Infantry came very close to capturing him, but he managed to escape just in time, leaving this sword on the table where he had been dining. Major Templer (later Major General) of the 7th Bengal Infantry brought the sword home. In
890-552: A thatched roof, near the road to Allahabad. They had started constructing a masonry wall, but it was only four feet tall at the start of the conflict and was not bulletproof. Sixty years after the events, a large underground room was discovered at the barracks' site, which seems to have been unknown to both the British and Nana Saheb in 1857. The barracks housed around 900 Europeans, Eurasians, and Indians, of which only 210 were European soldiers, joined by around 100 armed civilians. The British had five 9-pounders, one brass 3-pounder, and
979-531: Is also known to have controlled the Uttarapatha. Sher Shah Suri , the medieval ruler of the Sur Empire , took to repair The Chandragupta's Royal Road in the 16th century. The old route was further rerouted at Sonargaon and Rohtas and its breadth increased, a sarai was built, the number of kos minars and baolis increased. Gardens were also built alongside some sections of the highway. Those who stopped at
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#17330859296321068-688: Is disputed. He had also previously pretended to commit suicide at the Ganges, suggesting he might have been trying to cover his tracks. Rani Laxmibai, Tatya Tope, and Rao Saheb (Nana Saheb's close confidante) proclaimed Nana Saheb as their Peshwa in June 1858 at Gwalior. In December, both Nana and the Begum of Oudh were said to be in Bahraich. On 30 December 1858, the British won the Battle of Banki. Although many rebels surrendered, it
1157-479: Is mentioned in a number of literary works including those of Foster and Rudyard Kipling. Kipling described the road as: "Look! Look again! and chumars , bankers and tinkers, barbers and bunnias , pilgrims – and potters – all the world going and coming. It is to me as a river from which I am withdrawn like a log after a flood. And truly the Grand Trunk Road is a wonderful spectacle. It runs straight, bearing without crowding India's traffic for fifteen hundred miles – such
1246-620: Is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent . It runs roughly 3,655 km (2,271 mi) from Teknaf , Bangladesh on the border with Myanmar west to Kabul , Afghanistan , passing through Chittagong and Dhaka in Bangladesh, Kolkata , Kanpur , Agra , Aligarh , Delhi , Amritsar in India, and Lahore , Rawalpindi , and Peshawar in Pakistan . The highway
1335-408: Is said to have lived there from 1860 until his death in 1906. According to the book, he died between 30 October and 1 November 1906, and Shri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj performed his last rites. The authenticity of the claims in the book is not established. Initially, Nana Saheb was deeply distressed by the loss of his kingdom in battle with the British. However, Shri Gondavalekar Maharaj explained to him
1424-832: The Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The Andamanese (Sentinel, Onge, Jarawa, and Great Andamanese) live in some of the Andaman Islands and speak a language isolate , as do the Kusunda in central Nepal, the Vedda in Sri Lanka, and the Nihali of Central India, who number about 5,000 people. The people of the Hunza Valley in Pakistan are another distinct population; they speak Burushaski ,
1513-485: The East India Company forces at Kanpur, the British contingent had taken refuge at an entrenchment in the northern part of the town. The Company forces were unprepared for defence. Wheeler’s wife, a distant relative of Nana Saheb, had asked Nana’s soldiers to guard the treasury. Instead of fortifying a magazine north of the depot with adequate arms and ammunition, the British barricaded themselves in two large, poorly fortified barrack buildings, one of masonry and another with
1602-538: The Great Khurasan Road that ran from Media to Bactria). During the time of the Mauryan Empire in the 3rd century BCE, overland trade between India and several parts of Western Asia and Bactria world went through the cities of the north-west, primarily Takshashila and Purushapura (present-day Taxila and Peshawar respectively, in Pakistan ). Takshashila was well connected by roads with other parts of
1691-771: The Jarawa people of the Andaman Islands . The largest ethnolinguistic group in South Asia are the Indo-Aryans, numbering around 1 billion, and the largest subgroup are the native speakers of Hindi languages , numbering more than 470 million. These groups are based solely on a linguistic basis and not on a genetic basis. Many South Asian ethnic groups and nationalities have substantial diasporas. See also Bangladeshi diaspora , Indian diaspora , Nepalese diaspora , Pakistani diaspora , Afghan diaspora , and . Two (or possibly three) other people groups have ethnic and linguistic ties with
1780-859: The Third Anglo-Maratha War , the East India Company exiled Peshwa Baji Rao II to Bithoor (near Kanpur ), but allowed him to maintain a large establishment, partly funded by a British pension. Nana Saheb's father, a well-educated Deccani Brahmin, had travelled with his family from the Western Ghats to serve as a court official for the exiled Peshwa. He married the sister of one of the Peshwa's wives, with whom he had two sons. As Baji Rao II had no biological sons, he adopted Nana Saheb and his younger brother, Bala Saheb, in 1827. Nana Saheb's childhood companions included Tatya Tope , Azimullah Khan , and Manikarnika Tambe . Tatya Tope, Nana Saheb's fencing master,
1869-471: The "Wish of God." He said, "It is very sad that Nana Saheb had to lose the battle and the kingdom in such a tragic way, but fighting the British is totally different from fighting the Mughals. People from the middle class, who understand the British language, will lead the next freedom war against the British. Soon they will come into the picture. Your role as a king or warrior has ended, and now you need to focus on
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#17330859296321958-579: The 'internal war'." Although it was initially difficult for Nana Saheb to accept this, he gradually came to terms with it and made progress on his spiritual journey. Jwala Prasad, Nana's brigadier, was apprehended and hanged in Kanpur. Before his execution, he claimed to have been present at Nana's cremation in Nepal. Tatia Tope, Nana's commander, was betrayed in April 1859 by Man Singh, the Raja of Narwar, who handed him over to
2047-461: The 1920s, the family loaned it to the Exeter Museum , until it was sold at auction in 1992. The present whereabouts of this sword are unknown. By 13 August, around 4,000 rebels had reoccupied Bithur and threatened Havelock's lines of communication at Bashiratganj. They were chased from their positions and regrouped at Bithur, where they were joined by the experienced Gwalior contingent and sepoys of
2136-424: The 2nd Cavalry regiment rebelled, looted the treasury, and left Kanpur for Delhi. Nana Saheb, previously uncommitted, rushed up the Grand Trunk Road on his state elephant, enticed the rebels to serve him, and led them back to Kanpur on Azimulla Khan's advice. With the treasury held by his forces, once inside, Nana Saheb officially declared his participation in the rebellion against the Company. After taking control of
2225-530: The 42nd Infantry. The Madras Fusiliers, Highlanders, and Sikhs charged the defenders, forcing them to retreat and capturing their artillery. Havelock's forces suffered over 50 battle casualties and 12 from heat stroke, but the rebels were driven out of Bithur. After leaving a small force in Kanpur, General Havelock marched to Lucknow, where he broke through the lines but was besieged in the residency on 25 September, ultimately succumbing to dysentery. Sir Colin Campbell
2314-477: The British Governor-General of India between 1848 and 1856. According to this doctrine, any princely state or territory under the paramountcy of the Company would automatically be annexed if the ruler was either "manifestly incompetent" or died without a direct heir. The doctrine overturned the long-established right of an Indian sovereign without an heir to select a successor, with the British reserving
2403-453: The British artillery and the Enfield rifles, which had an accurate range of 900 yards. Tatya Tope had an elephant shot under him by cannon, and General Havelock's forces emerged victorious, capturing the town with few casualties. Nana then sent another force under the command of his brother, Bala Rao. On 15 July, Bala fortified his positions at Aong behind walled gardens, with two cannons covering
2492-628: The British chaplain Rev. Cockey's request to read prayers before they were killed. The British were initially wounded by gunfire and then killed with swords. The women and children were taken to Savada House to be reunited with their remaining colleagues. On the advice of astrologers, Nana was consecrated as Baji Rao's heir on 1 July amid much fanfare and a 21-gun salute. Meanwhile, the surviving women and children, along with their Indian supporters—around 120 in number—were moved from Savada House to Bibighar ("the House of
2581-476: The British commenced an artillery barrage, and General Mansfield attacked the left flank of the rebel army, defeating them. On 7 December, the British reached the Bithur palace. The Nana had fled just prior to the arrival of the British cavalry, taking much of his treasure with him; however, he left behind treasure worth millions of rupees, along with guns, elephants, silver howdahs, and camels, all of which were seized by
2670-411: The British contingent took refuge at an entrenchment in the northern part of the town. Amid the prevailing chaos, Nana and his forces entered the British magazine located in the northern part of the town. The soldiers of the 53rd Native Infantry, who were guarding the magazine, assumed that Nana had come to protect it on behalf of the Company. However, once inside, Nana Saheb declared his participation in
2759-490: The British lost the ensuing battle and withdrew to the newly fortified barracks. By 27 November, Kanpur was back in the hands of the Peshwa, and the bombardment of the British lines began. Wounded British officers left in the field were hanged from the branches of the very banyan tree where Neill had previously hung suspected rebels. Tatiya Tope managed to take control of all the routes west and northwest of Kanpur. Bala Rao, Jwala Prasad, and Rao Sahib set up their headquarters in
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2848-1335: The British period between 1833 and 1860. Over the centuries, the road acted as one of the major trade routes in the region and facilitated both travel and postal communication. The Grand Trunk Road is still used for transportation in the present-day Indian subcontinent, where parts of the road have been widened and included in the national highway system. The road coincides with the current N1 , Feni ( Chittagong to Dhaka ), N4 & N405 (Dhaka to Sirajganj ), N507 (Sirajganj to Natore ) and N6 (Natore to Rajshahi towards Purnea in India ; NH 12 ( Purnea to Bakkhali ), NH 27 ( Purnea to Patna ), NH 19 ( Kolkata to Agra ), NH 44 ( Agra to Jalandhar via New Delhi , Panipat , Karnal , Ambala and Ludhiana ) and NH 3 ( Jalandhar to Attari , Amritsar in India towards Lahore in Pakistan ) via Wagah ; N-5 ( Lahore , Gujranwala , Gujrat , Lalamusa , Kharian , Jhelum , Rawalpindi , Peshawar and Khyber Pass towards Jalalabad in Afghanistan) in Pakistan and AH1 ( Torkham - Jalalabad to Kabul ) to Ghazni in Afghanistan . The Buddhist literature and Indian epics such as Mahabharata refer to
2937-505: The British treasury at Kanpur. At the start of the mutiny, Nana Saheb expressed loyalty to Company officials in Kanpur and even provided volunteers to protect the Europeans in the city. It was planned that Nana Saheb would assemble a force of 1,500 soldiers to fight the rebels, in case the rebellion spread to Kanpur. On 6 June 1857, when the forces of the East India Company in Kanpur rebelled,
3026-399: The British. Following extensive excavations to retrieve any hidden treasure, they set Nana Sahib's palace on fire. Nana disappeared from Bithur after the company's recapture of Kanpur. The British offered a reward of Rs 100,000 (£10,000) for his capture. Subsequently, his movements could not be confirmed, as he consistently stayed a step ahead of his would-be captors. On 10 February 1858, Nana
3115-407: The British. His eldest son Baan Rao was killed in the ensuing battle. At the start of the mutiny, Nana Saheb professed loyalty to Company officials in Kanpur and even provided volunteers to protect Europeans in the city. It was planned that Nana Saheb would assemble a force of 1,500 soldiers to fight the rebels in case the rebellion spread to Kanpur. On 6 June 1857, at the time of the rebellion by
3204-489: The British. On the 18th of April, he was executed. Rao Sahib, too, was betrayed and handed over to the British in 1862. He was hanged at Satichaura Ghat on the 20th of August. Hussaini Begum is believed to have fled with Nana's entourage to Nepal, where she disappeared from history. However, Sarvur Khan, the bodyguard she had employed to carry out the massacre at Bibighar, was arrested in February 1858 along with Muhammed Ali Khan,
3293-606: The Company treasury, Nana moved up the Grand Trunk Road , declaring his intention to restore the Maratha Confederacy under the Peshwa tradition, with plans to capture Kanpur. On the way, he encountered rebel Company soldiers at Kalyanpur , who were headed to Delhi to meet Bahadur Shah II. Nana persuaded them to return to Kanpur and assist him in defeating the British by promising to double their pay and reward them with gold. In
3382-516: The European quarter of Kanpur, though it remains unclear whether Nana Sahib and Azimulla Khan were with them. In the meantime, Sir Colin Campbell retrieved the British forces from Lucknow and transported them to Allahabad. By 5 December, he had reached Kanpur with his men. Tatiya Tope's army had also been reinforced and now included over 14,000 men, including the Gwalior contingent and 40 cannon. On 6 December,
3471-495: The Kanpur magazine, abandoned the location, and retreated to Bithur. The women and children imprisoned in Bibighar had already been massacred with appalling violence. When the British soldiers, particularly Colonel Neill, learned of the Bibighar massacre, they engaged in retaliatory violence, including looting and burning houses. Neill forced the captured rebels to clean up the blood in Bibighar before executing them. On 18 July, Havelock heard about Neill's punishments and put an end to
3560-424: The Kanpur market, as well as a Eurasian member of Nana's personal bodyguard, to kill the prisoners, and during the course of the night, the entire group of prisoners was massacred. The screams were heard by the citizens who lived nearby. The next morning, the five returned with sweepers to remove the bodies. The bodies of the dead and three severely wounded boys were thrown into a well 9 feet wide and 50 feet deep near
3649-540: The Ladies"), a villa-type house in Kanpur. They were later joined by other women and children, the survivors from Wheeler's boat. Another group of women and children from Fatehgarh , as well as some other captive women, were also confined in Bibighar. In total, there were around 200 women and children there. An Indian ayurvedic doctor was allowed to attend to the captives and recorded thirty-six fatalities (18 British women, 17 children, and 1 Hindu nurse), possibly due to cholera, in
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3738-701: The Mauryan Empire. The Mauryas had maintained this very ancient highway from Takshashila to Patliputra (present-day Patna in India). Chandragupta Maurya had a whole army of officials overseeing the maintenance of this road as told by the Greek diplomat Megasthenes who spent fifteen years at the Mauryan court. Constructed in eight stages, this road is said to have connected the cities of Purushapura , Takshashila , Hastinapura , Kanyakubja , Prayag , Patliputra and Tamralipta ,
3827-517: The area around the GT Road as the "GT Road belt" it is also known as Gujarat road sometimes within the context of elections. For example, during the elections in Haryana the area on either side of the GT Road from Ambala to Sonipat , which has 28 legislative assembly constituencies where there is no dominance of one caste or community, is referred to as the "GT road belt of Haryana". Distance calculation
3916-530: The boaters found refuge with Raja Dirigibijah Singh, who protected them and later had them escorted to the British lines. The rebel soldiers pursued Wheeler's boat, which was slowly drifting to safer waters. After some firing, the European men on the boat decided to fly the white flag . They were escorted off the boat and taken back to Savada House. The surviving men were seated on the ground as Nana's soldiers prepared to kill them. The women insisted they would die with their husbands but were pulled away. Nana granted
4005-524: The boats high in the mud to cause delays. They also claimed that Nana had previously arranged for the rebels to fire upon and kill all the Europeans. Although the East India Company later accused Nana of betrayal and murder of innocent people, no definitive evidence has ever been found to prove that Nana had pre-planned or ordered the massacre. Some historians believe that the Satichaura Ghat massacre
4094-457: The captives at Bibighar as revenge for the executions of Indians by the advancing British forces. Azimullah Khan suggested that the British might turn back from Kanpur if they had no hostages to rescue. The women of Nana Sahib's household opposed this decision and went on a hunger strike , but their efforts were in vain. On the 15th, after Bala arrived and announced his defeat at the Pandu River,
4183-449: The cavalry was 50 yards away before opening fire with grape shot. The infantry, using cotton bales for cover, approached within 100 yards of the perimeter but failed to breach the entrenchment. On the same day, a 9-pound shot decapitated Gordon Wheeler, General Wheeler's son. Meanwhile, in the city, those associated with the British were killed, and sectarian violence erupted, partly inflamed by Baba Bhatt, Nana's elder brother. The situation
4272-480: The command of General Henry Havelock to retake Cawnpore and Lucknow. Havelock's forces were later joined by those under Major Renaud and James Neil. Nana demanded that the East India Company forces under Havelock and Neil retreat to Allahabad. However, the Company forces advanced relentlessly towards Cawnpore. Nana sent an army to check the advance of Major Renaud's forces, but they encountered General Havelock's army at Futtehpore on 12 July. The rebels had no answer to
4361-411: The diverse populations of South Asia , including the countries of Bangladesh , Bhutan , India , Maldives , Nepal , Pakistan , and Sri Lanka . Afghanistan is variously considered to be a part of both Central Asia and South Asia, which means Afghans are not always included among South Asians, but when they are, South Asia has a total population of about 2.04 billion. The majority of
4450-434: The end of April, Nana had retreated back to Shahjahanpur. On 29 April, he wrote a letter addressed to Queen Victoria, stating that he had committed no murders and that the killings were carried out by rebels or "budmashes" (hooligans). In the meantime, Bala wrote a letter blaming his brother for the situation, claiming his own innocence. In September 1857, Nana was reported to have fallen victim to malarial fever; however, this
4539-589: The existence of Grand Trunk road even before the Maurya Empire and was called Uttarapatha or the "Northern road". The road connected the eastern region of India with Central Asia , the terminus of the Khorasan Road . The precursor of the modern Grand Trunk road was built on the orders of the emperor Chandragupta Maurya and was inspired by the Persian Royal Road (more precisely, its eastern stretch,
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#17330859296324628-473: The failure of the rebellion. Kalyanji raised Shridhar, Nana Saheb's son, under the name Giridhar, and arranged his marriage into a Sihori Brahmin family. The diary also notes Nana Saheb's death in 1903 at Kalyanji's house in Dave Sheri, Sihor, where some of Nana's belongings are still preserved. These documents were recovered by Keshavlal Mehta, Giridhar's son, in the 1970s, and his descendants continue to reside in
4717-463: The few survivors of the massacre, before the boatmen jumped overboard, they had "contrived to secrete burning charcoal in the thatch of most of the boats," which set some of the boats ablaze. Though there is controversy surrounding what exactly happened next at the Satichaura Ghat, the departing Europeans were attacked by the rebel sepoys, and most were either killed or captured. Some of the Company officers later claimed that Nana had intentionally placed
4806-416: The first week of their capture. Following this, the captives were allowed out of the building twice a day under guard. In the meantime, Nana's army had swelled to over 20,000, and the billeting of these troops caused unhappiness among the citizens of Kanpur; sectarian tensions were increasing as well. Nana Saheb deputed a tawaif ( nautch girl) named Hussaini Khanum (also known as Hussaini Begum) to care for
4895-443: The four male captives—Mr Thornhill, a judge from Fatehgarh; Col. Smith; Col. Goldie; and the 14-year-old Greenway—were bound, brought out of Bibighar, and shot by the sepoys. Within an hour, Hussaini Begum announced to the women that they too would be killed. Jemadar Yousef Khan and his sepoys refused to kill the prisoners, even disobeying the orders of Tatya Tope on the matter. That evening, Hussaini Khanum organised four butchers from
4984-616: The hapless captives. Baba Bhutt and Azimullah Khan were reportedly seen near Kolkata, but their fate remains uncertain. Azimullah is said to have died of smallpox in Bengal. Alternatively, there are claims that he escaped to Istanbul with an English lady, Miss Clayton, where they lived until old age. According to this account, Khan was murdered by Turks in Istanbul after Miss Clayton's death of old age. South Asian ethnic groups Ethnic groups in South Asia are ethnolinguistic groupings within
5073-473: The house. The Company forces reached Kanpur on 16 July 1857. Upon hearing of their approach and the news of the massacre, the local population fled. In the early hours of Friday, 17 July, the British arrived at Wheeler's encampment. Two sympathetic Indians informed Havelock about the massacre at Bibighar and that Nana Sahib had taken a position at Ahirwa village. The British forces launched an attack on Nana's troops and emerged victorious. In response, Nana blew up
5162-424: The indiscriminate killing, even hanging one British soldier for his actions. On 19 July, General Havelock resumed operations and left Bithur to save Lucknow, leaving Neill in charge at Kanpur. Nana Sahib had already escaped with an army of 12,000. Major Stevenson led a group of Madras Fusiliers and Sikh soldiers to Bithur, occupying Nana Sahib's palace without resistance. Very few relics of Nana Saheb are known, but
5251-625: The inexperienced Major General Windham. Tatiya Tope's counterintelligence unmasked the Indian spies working for the British; they were mutilated and sent back to the British lines as a warning. Tatiya Tope attempted to recapture Kanpur during the Second Battle of Cawnpore in November 1857. He arrived with 6,000 soldiers and 18 cannon, with increasing numbers of volunteers and stragglers joining him. On 24 November, Windham advanced, intending to chase Tope, but
5340-462: The lines, and Nana fled the field, leaving two cannons behind. On 16 July, Havelock's forces began advancing towards Bithur. They managed to rescue a prisoner from the siege, William Jonah Shepherd, who provided them with valuable information. Nana Sahib and his associates, including Tatya Tope and Azimullah Khan , debated what to do with the four men and 206 women and children held at Bibighar. Some of Nana Sahib's advisors had already decided to kill
5429-423: The mud as possible to delay the boarding, making it difficult for the Europeans to drift the boats away. Wheeler and his party were the first aboard and managed to set their boat adrift. At this point, three shots were fired from the direction of Nana Saheb's camp, signaling the start of the attack. The Indian boatmen jumped overboard and began swimming toward the banks. However, according to Mowbray Thompson , one of
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#17330859296325518-406: The negotiations, the garrison would be allowed to march out with their side arms and ammunition but had to leave the artillery behind. On the morning of 27 June, Wheeler's column, consisting primarily of unarmed civilians, including more than 300 women and children, emerged from the entrenchment. Nana sent a number of carts, dolis , and elephants to enable the women, children, and sick to proceed to
5607-590: The northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka and a small pocket of Pakistan. The Iranic peoples also have a significant presence in South Asia, the large majority of whom are located in Afghanistan and the northwestern and western parts of Pakistan. Minority groups not falling within either large group mostly speak languages belonging to the Austroasiatic and Tibeto-Burman language families, and largely live around Ladakh and Northeast India , Nepal, Bhutan, and
5696-403: The path of the highways. The route was referred to as "Sadak-e-Azam" by Suri and "Badshahi Sadak" by the Mughals. In the 1830s the East India Company started a program of metalled road construction, for both commercial and administrative purposes. The road, now named the Grand Trunk Road, from Calcutta , through Delhi , to Kabul , Afghanistan was rebuilt at a cost of £1000/mile. The road
5785-501: The population fall within three large linguistic groups : Indo-Aryan , Dravidian , and Iranic . These groups are also further subdivided into numerous sub-groups, castes and tribes. Indo-Aryans form the predominant ethnolinguistic group in India ( North India , East India , West India , and Central India ), Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Dravidians form the predominant ethnolinguistic group in southern India ,
5874-433: The power to decide the competency of potential rulers. The policy was widely resented by Indians as illegitimate. Although the Peshwa's domains had been annexed in 1818, prior to the implementation of the doctrine, upon the death of Baji Rao II, the Company invoked the doctrine to deny Nana Saheb the pension previously granted, as he was an adopted son. Baji Rao had been provided an annual pension of 800,000 Rupees (£80,000 at
5963-526: The protection of Sir Jang Bahadur Rana , the Prime Minister of Nepal. The final confirmed letter written by Nana, stamped with his own seal, was from 13 May the following year. His family also received protection in Dhangara, eastern Nepal, in exchange for precious jewels. In February 1860, the British were informed that Nana's wives had taken refuge in Nepal, residing in a house close to Thapathali. Nana himself
6052-609: The rebellion against the Company. After taking control of the Company treasury, Nana advanced along the Grand Trunk Road , declaring his intent to restore the Maratha confederacy under the Peshwa tradition. He decided to capture Kanpur and, along the way, encountered rebel Company soldiers at Kalyanpur . The soldiers were headed to Delhi to join Bahadur Shah II, but Nana persuaded them to return to Kanpur by promising to double their pay and reward them with gold if they helped him defeat
6141-559: The rebels brought large calibre guns, and the bombardment of the entrenchment began. As Nana Saheb's advances over the British garrison became known, more rebel sepoys joined him. By 10 June, Nana led around 12,000 to 15,000 Indian soldiers. The first week of the siege saw Nana's forces establish firing positions from nearby buildings. Captain John Moore of the defending forces launched retaliatory night sorties. Nana Saheb then withdrew his headquarters to Savada House, two miles away. On 13 June,
6230-417: The rebels set fire to one of the thatched barracks used as a hospital, but their charge was repelled by British grape shot. Sniper fire and bombardment continued until 23 June. A prophecy about the downfall of East India Company rule exactly 100 years after the Battle of Plassey motivated over 4,000 rebel soldiers to launch a major attack on 23 June, beginning with a cavalry charge. General Wheeler waited until
6319-668: The region: National demographics: 16. Vij SB, Webb ML. Culturally competent occupational therapy practice for South Asians in the United States of America: A narrative review. Indian J Occup Ther 2022;54:4-9. [REDACTED] Media related to Ethnic groups in India at Wikimedia Commons [REDACTED] Media related to Ethnic groups in Pakistan at Wikimedia Commons [REDACTED] Media related to Ethnic groups in Nepal at Wikimedia Commons Grand Trunk Road The Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath , Sarak-e-Azam , Shah Rah-e-Azam , Badshahi Sarak , and Long Walk )
6408-473: The riverbanks. The Company officers and military men were allowed to take their arms and ammunition with them and were escorted by nearly the entire rebel army. They reached the Satichaura Ghat by 8 am. At this ghat, Nana Saheb had arranged around 40 boats, belonging to a boatman named Hardev Mallah, for their departure to Allahabad . However, Nana Saheb's rebels had deliberately placed the boats as high in
6497-497: The route of the British. The British mounted patrol was aware of this, leading to the Battle of Aong . Major Renaud charged at the head of his forces, was wounded in the thigh, and later succumbed to his injuries. The British artillery cleared the rebel artillery, forcing Bala to retreat beyond the Pandu River and secure the stone bridge across it. Sympathetic Indian villagers informed Havelock of this, and he marched his forces 16 miles under
6586-506: The sarai were provided food for free. His son Islam Shah Suri constructed an additional sarai in-between every sarai originally built by Sher Shah Suri on the road toward Bengal. More sarais were built under the Mughals . Jahangir under his reign issued a decree that all sarais be built of burnt brick and stone. Broad-leaved trees were planted in the stretch between Lahore and Agra and he built bridges over all water bodies that were situated on
6675-554: The subsequent battle, Nana Saheb's eldest son, Baan Rao, was killed. On 5 June 1857, Nana Saheb sent a letter to General Hugh Wheeler , informing him to expect an attack at 10 am the next day. On 6 June, his forces, including the rebel soldiers, attacked the Company entrenchment at 10:30 am. The British, caught off guard, defended themselves as the attackers hesitated to enter the entrenchment, fearing gunpowder-filled trenches. The British held out for three weeks with little water and food, losing many to sunstroke and dehydration. On 7 June,
6764-469: The sun, flanking the bridge from the village of Maharajpore. In the meantime, Nana Sahib had arrived with more artillery to bolster his forces. The British advanced under heavy fire, with Havelock's son, Harry Marsham Havelock, driving his horse against the muzzle of a cannon just before it fired, thereby saving his company. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for this act. The British infantry charged, seized
6853-453: The survivors. He decided to use these prisoners as leverage in bargaining with the East India Company. On 9 July, Nana received news that a company of 700 under the command of Major Sydenham Renaud was advancing along the Grand Trunk Road, indiscriminately punishing Indian villages en route. Further Company forces, consisting of around 1,200 British soldiers, 150 Sikh soldiers, 30 irregular cavalry, and 6 cannons, had set out from Allahabad under
6942-473: The time), along with tax-free lands, but these provisions were rescinded after his death. Nana Saheb appealed for the restoration of the pension and funds, sending his advocate, Azimullah Khan, to London to plead his case. However, the attempt was unsuccessful. Nana Saheb was well-known to the British at Kanpur, as he often hosted parties for them. Sir Henry Lawrence and General Wheeler treated him with respect, and General Wheeler even invited him to take charge of
7031-630: The town. The authenticity of these documents was accepted by G.N. Pant, former director of the National Museum, in 1992, but they have not received official recognition. K. V. Belsare's book on the Maharashtrian saint Brahmachaitanya Gondavlekar Maharaj claims that after the lost battle, Nana Saheb went to Naimisharanya , the Naimisha Forest near Sitapur , Uttar Pradesh, where he met Brahmachaitanya Maharaj, who assured him of safety. Nana Saheb
7120-443: The water to kill the remaining Company soldiers with swords and pistols. The surviving men were killed, while women and children were captured, as Nana did not approve of their killing. Around 120 women and children were taken prisoner and escorted to Savada House, Nana Saheb's headquarters during the siege. Two ladies, Mrs. Lett and Mrs. Bradshaw, hid among the grass, disguised themselves, and escaped at night. One boat also escaped, and
7209-460: Was built along an ancient route called Uttarapatha in the 3rd century BCE, extending it from the mouth of the Ganges to the north-western frontier of India. Further improvements to this road were made under Ashoka . The old route was re-aligned by Sher Shah Suri to Sonargaon and Rohtas . The Afghan end of the road was rebuilt under Mahmud Shah Durrani . The road was considerably rebuilt in
7298-451: Was defused to some extent by Azimulla Khan. On 25 June, a Eurasian prisoner named Mrs Jacobi approached the entrenchment with an offer of honourable surrender and safe passage to Allahabad. Facing dwindling provisions and no reinforcements, following discussions with his remaining officers, Wheeler accepted the offer on 26 June, leading to a truce and negotiations with Azimulla Khan and Jawala Prasad, commander of Nana’s cavalry. In accordance to
7387-602: Was never confirmed, and Bala was also said to have died of fever in the jungles of Nepal. Venkateshwar, a Brahmin interrogated by the British, disclosed that he met Nana Sahib in Nepal in 1861. Up until 1888, there were rumours and reports that he had been captured, with several individuals claiming to be the aged Nana turning themselves in to the British. As these reports proved false, further attempts at apprehending him were abandoned. There were also reports of him being spotted in Constantinople (now Istanbul ). Two letters and
7476-533: Was reported to be living in the interior of Nepal, as he did not trust the Rana. Thereafter, Nana disappeared from recorded history. In October 1860, the British resident in Kathmandu was informed that Nana had passed away on 24 September due to malaria. Some government records claimed he died in Nepal after being attacked by a tiger during a hunt on 24 September 1859, though there are conflicting accounts. Nana's ultimate fate
7565-493: Was reported to have entered Bundelkhand. Anghad Tiwari, a capable intelligence officer of the British, tracked him to a small fort in Fatehpur Chaurasi on 17 February, but he escaped just prior to the arrival of the British cavalry. At the start of April, the British learned that Nana had crossed the river near Bithur with an escort of 500 cavalry; however, he evaded the patrols sent by General Hope Grant to apprehend him. By
7654-425: Was the result of confusion rather than a plan implemented by Nana and his associates. Nevertheless, reports of sniper fire from cannons pre-positioned along the riverbank might suggest pre-planning. Amid the prevailing confusion at the Satichaura Ghat, Nana's general, Tatya Tope , allegedly ordered the 2nd Bengal Cavalry unit and some artillery units to open fire on the Europeans. The rebel cavalry sowars moved into
7743-468: Was the son of Pandurang Rao Tope, a significant noble in the Peshwa's court who had accompanied his sovereign into exile. Azimullah Khan later became Nana Saheb's secretary and dewan . At the time, the British East India Company had absolute, imperial administrative control over many regions across the subcontinent. The doctrine of lapse was an annexation policy devised by Lord Dalhousie ,
7832-456: Was then put in charge of the British forces in the area. Kanpur remained peaceful due to the British garrison, with scant news about Nana Sahib. Rumours suggested he was attempting to link up with Tatiya Tope at Fatehpur Chaurasi or was in Chandemagore seeking French assistance. Campbell left for Lucknow on 9 November, leaving behind a garrison of 500 British and Sikh soldiers under the command of
7921-555: Was understood that Nana and his brother forded the river into Nepal with eight elephants loaded with treasure when the fight began. Both the rebels and the pursuing British suffered casualties during the river crossing. By 1859, Nana was reported to have fled to Nepal . Letters purportedly written by Bala and Nana, asking for terms of surrender, were sent to the British from Nepal. Perceval Landon recorded that Nana Sahib lived out his days in western Nepal, in Thapa Teli near Ririthang, under
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