Mangal Pandey information
Mangal Pandey was born on 19 July 1827 in a Brahmin family in Nagwa, a village in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh. He had joined the Bengal Army in 1849.
In March 1857 Pandey was a private soldier in the 5th Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry.
Mangal Pandey images
Mangal Pandey Biography
Pandey was ambitious and viewed his profession as a sepoy as a stepping-stone to future success.
Pandey’s career ambitions, however, came into conflict with his religious beliefs. While he was posted at the garrison in Barrackpore in the mid-1850s.
British government introduce a new Enfield rifle in India that required a soldier to bite off the ends of greased cartridges in order to load the weapon.
A rumour spread that the lubricant used was either cow or pig lard, which was repugnant to Hindus or Muslims, respectively. The belief arose among the sepoys that the British had deliberately used the lard on the cartridges.
There have been various accounts of the events of March 29, 1857. Soon Mangal Pandey attempted to incite his fellow sepoys to rise up against their British officers.
He attacked two of those officers, attempted to shoot himself after having been restrained, and eventually was overpowered and arrested.
Some contemporary reports suggested that he was under the influence of drugs—possibly cannabis or opium—and was not fully aware of his actions.
Mangal Pandey Death
Soon British Government tried and sentenced him to death. The Court set April 18 as his execution date (by hanging) However army feared the outbreak of a large-scale revolt if they waited until then, moved the date up to April 8. Resistance to the use of Enfield cartridges later that month in Meerut led to the outbreak of a revolt there in May. This lead to the start of the larger insurrection.
Mangal Pandey Revolt of 1857
Historian consider attack and punishment of Pandey as the opening scene of Indian Rebellion of 1857.
The Knowledge of Mangal Pandey action quickly spread amongst his fellow sepoys. This event lead to the general series of mutinies that broke out during the following months.
Mangal Pandey Movie
A film based on the sequence of events that led up to the mutiny entitled Mangal Pandey: The Rising starring Indian actor, Aamir Khan released on 12 August 2005.