Early Resistance to British Rule (1757 to 1856)
Long before 1857, Indian peasants, tribals, soldiers and chiefs fought British rule in many regions, in what are called civil rebellions, tribal revolts and military mutinies.
Civil rebellions (displaced rulers and zamindars)
| Rebellion | Details |
|---|---|
| Sannyasi and Fakir Rebellion (1763 to 1800) | Bengal. Hindu sannyasis and Muslim fakirs against restrictions on pilgrimages and heavy taxes. Leaders: Majnu Shah, Bhawani Pathak. Basis of Bankim Chandra's Anandamath. |
| Chuar Uprising (1766 to 1772, 1798 to 1799) | Midnapore, Bengal. Tribal chiefs and peasants. |
| Rangpur Dhing (1783) | Bengal. Peasants against the revenue farmer Debi Singh. |
| Poligar revolts | Veerapandya Kattabomman (Tamil Nadu, hanged 1799), Marudu Pandyan (1801). |
| Pazhassi Raja | Kerala, against the Company 1793 to 1805. |
| Velu Thampi (1809) | Dewan of Travancore, Kundara Proclamation. |
| Paika Rebellion (1817) | Odisha. Led by Bakshi Jagabandhu, against the British takeover of Khurda. |
| Kittur (1824) | Rani Chennamma of Kittur (Karnataka) against the Doctrine of Lapse type policy; died in prison in 1829. |
| Ahom revolt (1828) | Assam, Gomdhar Konwar. |
Military mutinies
- Vellore Mutiny (10 July 1806): Madras sepoys revolted against new military dress rules (leather cockade, ban on caste marks and beards). It was crushed.
- Barrackpore (1824): Sepoys refused to march to Burma (the sea voyage was against caste).
- 34th Native Infantry (1844) and other mutinies before 1857.
Why did these fail?
- Local and limited, with no common leadership or aim.
- Old weapons, no modern training.
- The British were able to use force and divide-and-rule.
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from standard sources such as NCERT, Bipan Chandra, Spectrum and official records. Historians differ on some dates, figures and interpretations, so check your exam syllabus and a standard textbook. Found a mistake? Tell us.