What began as a fight for religion, ended as a war of independence, for there is not the slightest doubt that the rebels wanted to get rid of the alien government and restore the old order to which the king of Delhi was the rightful representative. Do you support this viewpoint?
Religious discontent among the sepoys was the immediate cause of the Revolt of 1857. The Indian soldiers were forced to act antagonistic to their beliefs. They were forced to tear off the cover of cartridges made of cow and pig fats by their mouth. Nothing was done by the callous British authorities to allay the fears of the sepoys.
The sudden outburst of sepoys against this measure gained strength and momentum in a very short span of time. Once they rebelled, the movement soon spread to other parts of India. The revolt soon spread to Kanpur, Allahabad, Awadh, Banaras, Agra, Jhansi and other areas.
However, the most important thing was their demand for the restoration of Bahadur Shah Zafar as the sovereign of India. Their organised movement and march towards Delhi suggest that they strongly believed that Mughal king was still their most legitimate representative, and not the British. Centuries of Mugal rule had given them a legitimacy and nativeness which the British did not enjoy.
This declaration symbolized that the revolt was much more than the expression of some hurt religious sentiment and much more. Moreover, the Sepoys tried to find out an alternate vision and path for the administration of India and weren't disposed of restoring absolute monarchy in any sense.
It might not be conclusively held that the revolt began as a fight for religion because though the immediate trigger was the introduction of Enfield rifles there were strong differences and resentment among the sepoys earlier itself. Withdrawal of Foreign Allowance for serving in Awadh, Annexation of Awadh, Revised General Enlistment Rules which demanded that a soldier serve anywhere on British Territories, Discriminatory ranking and treatment of soldiers etc had already sowed the seeds of revolt.
The Revolt of 1857 was more anti-British than pro-nationalist. It was the first organised effort to wipe out the British rule. But the motive was not to restore the old order in the old form.
Religious discontent among the sepoys was the immediate cause of the Revolt of 1857. The Indian soldiers were forced to act antagonistic to their beliefs. They were forced to tear off the cover of cartridges made of cow and pig fats by their mouth. Nothing was done by the callous British authorities to allay the fears of the sepoys.
The sudden outburst of sepoys against this measure gained strength and momentum in a very short span of time. Once they rebelled, the movement soon spread to other parts of India. The revolt soon spread to Kanpur, Allahabad, Awadh, Banaras, Agra, Jhansi and other areas.
However, the most important thing was their demand for the restoration of Bahadur Shah Zafar as the sovereign of India. Their organised movement and march towards Delhi suggest that they strongly believed that Mughal king was still their most legitimate representative, and not the British. Centuries of Mugal rule had given them a legitimacy and nativeness which the British did not enjoy.
This declaration symbolized that the revolt was much more than the expression of some hurt religious sentiment and much more. Moreover, the Sepoys tried to find out an alternate vision and path for the administration of India and weren't disposed of restoring absolute monarchy in any sense.
It might not be conclusively held that the revolt began as a fight for religion because though the immediate trigger was the introduction of Enfield rifles there were strong differences and resentment among the sepoys earlier itself. Withdrawal of Foreign Allowance for serving in Awadh, Annexation of Awadh, Revised General Enlistment Rules which demanded that a soldier serve anywhere on British Territories, Discriminatory ranking and treatment of soldiers etc had already sowed the seeds of revolt.
The Revolt of 1857 was more anti-British than pro-nationalist. It was the first organised effort to wipe out the British rule. But the motive was not to restore the old order in the old form.