1857 The Forgotten Year

DELHI
BRITISH MAGAZINE: Located in the middle of Lothian Road in front of the post office are two structures called the British Magazine. It was a fortified building used to store the ammunition for the British troops, and came under from the Indian soldiers on May 11, 1857. Lt. Geo Dobson Willoughby, the officer in charge, and his men defended it for four hours, but eventually blew it up to prevent the mutineers from using the ammunition. The blast killed 400 Indian soldiers and three Victoria Crosses were awarded to officers who escaped. Today, the building is notorious as much for the criminals and drug addicts it harbours as for the many murders that have taken place here.
GENERAL POST OFFICE: Telegraphy, whose introduction is also said to have triggered the mutiny, came to the Britishers’ aid on May 11, the day of the Magazine blast. The holed up soldiers managed to send out a message to Ambala before being killed. A telegraph memorial, erected by the British to honour its dead, stands here.
FLAGSTAFF TOWER: When the dead soldiers were brought to the Flagstaff Tower at the Kamla Nehru ridge near the Delhi University, the Britishers knew that they had to flee, and left for Karnal. “The nawab of Karnal was a Free Mason, and as per protocol, helped them,” says Rampal. Today, the tower serves as a clearing in the ridge, and the poles that were probably critical for communication, stand bare.
BADLI KI SARAI: On June 8, the Britishers sought to avenge the blast killings. They took off from Alipur in Narela under Brigadier Neville Chamberlain and fought the Indian forces at Badli Ki Sarai near the Azadpur sabzi mandi. All that remains of the place are a playground and two gates, with a despondent ASI guard shooing away children when the tourists come calling. The outer area has been encroached upon by local residents, who have no idea about its historical importance. “This was a sarai (rest house) in the Mughal era,” says the guard. He, obviously, doesn’t know what followed.
AZADPUR MEMORIAL: At the Azadpur Mandi lies the most unkempt of monuments. Located high on a mound of cow-dung patties is the memorial for the British soldiers who died in the battle of Badli Ki Sarai. Close to it is the mass grave of Lt Alfred Harrison and 16 soldiers who died on June 8. “This area is rarely used, except for de-boarding consignments. I don’t own the place, I’m just a caretaker,” says Raj Singh, who is paid Rs 300 for its upkeep. Maintenance is not high on Singh’s agenda: he has set up a dairy business and uses the memorial and an adjacent tree to tie his buffaloes.
BELL OF ARMS: After capturing Badli Ki Sarai, the Britishers set up base at the Northern Ridge in twin bell-shaped structures called, what else, the Bell of Arms. Here, on June 21, the second wife of Robert Christopher Tytler of the 38th Native Infantry gave birth to a boy. Believing that the child heralded victory for them, he was christened Stanley Battlefield Force by the soldiers. Tytler, who was also a photographer, has written his memoirs on the mutiny. Here also, the top officers of the British Army held a meeting before the final attack on September 14, 1857. One of these structures serves as a romantic rendezvous today.
BARA HINDU RAO: The hospital on the Rani Jhansi road was originally called the Hindu Rao House, the British Army headquarters during the Mutiny. Built by William Fraser, the house was later bought by a Maratha, Hindu Rao. A baoli (water body) here was the only source of drinking water for the British forces. Afraid that the sepoys might poison the water, an officer Major Kerrines ordered a guard to be posted here permanently. “We haven’t been told by the ASI that it is a historical place, so we can’t allow you to go inside or take photographs. You can see the baoli, but I assure you there’s nothing historical about the building,” says Madhur Kudaisiya, medical superintendent of the hospital. The baoli, which was used to dump hospital waste, is being renovated. “We have been digging the baoli and have discovered a cave and some doors. The stairs leading to the bottom of the baoli are intact,” says Chandra Prakash, an ASI worker.
KASHMIRI GATE: In August 1857, Brig Gen John Nicholson came to Delhi and took charge along with General Wilson, who was in poor health. On September 14, Nicholson stormed Delhi, leading a 1,000-strong column to attack Kashmiri Gate, the northern entrance of Shahajanabad. While the Indians fired cannons from the ramparts of the gate, the approaching forces from Ludlow Castle lodged powder bags under the gate and blew up its left leaf. The site has given way to an akhara, the engravings have peeled off, the place smells like a urinal and the boundary wall is used for drying clothes. “The gate was used till the 1970s when the ISBT came up,” says Sher Singh Pahalwan, who stays at the Anni Singh Akhara behind the gate. Add to it the chaos of the Metro station and the neglect is complete.
NICHOLSON’S FALL: The British troops entered the city but were tired by the time they reached the Kabul Gate. To enthuse his men, Nicholson turned and raised an arm to beckon them, but was shot by an Indian sepoy from above. The spot at which he fell lies behind a garbage dhalao near Novelty cinema in old Delhi. A marble plaque does the explaining, but considering that it’s covered by a cloth hung by a tea-stall owner, it’s not easy to locate it. Another plaque near the dhalao doesn’t help either.
NICHOLSON’S CEMETERY: Located in front of the ISBT. Nicholson was buried here after he succumbed to his injuries on September 23. Surprisingly, there’s the odd tourist wanting to visit the grave. “I’ve come looking for some graves after reading William Dalrymple’s White Mughals,” says Peter Ervin from Scotland. He’s lucky to have found it.
KHOONI DARWAZA: A monument on the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, it is more a reminder of the MAMC rape case than the place where the three sons of the last Mughal king, Bahadur Shah Zafar, were killed by the British Intelligence officer William Hodson. The king took refuge at Humayun’s tomb in Nizamuddin, from where he was captured and exiled to Rangoon.
JEETGARH: On the road from the Bada Hindu Rao Hospital to Delhi University exists Jeetgarh. The memorial was built in 1863 by the Britishers “in the memory of the soldiers of the Delhi Field Force who were killed in 1857”. It was kept under wraps after Independence, finally converted to a memorial for Indian soldiers and opened on August 15, 1972. “The word enemy here has been used for the Indian soldiers,” says the new plaque put up in 1972. The monument stands tall in the forested area of the ridge, but the engravings are covered by graffiti and there’s no guard for its upkeep.

LUCKNOW
THE RESIDENCY COMPLEX: Situated near the banks of the Gomti river, the Residency is a prominent site related to the 1857 war. The house of the British resident and other important officials, the Residency campus was captured by the Indian soldiers and resident Henry Lawrence shot on July 2, 1857. Though treated at Dr Frayer’s house, which is still on the campus, he died on July 4. Soon after, the Indian soldiers seized the Residency and locked up 2,994 people, including the wives and children of British officials. Only 979 managed to survive after a 86-day siege. These included 50 students of the La Martiniere College, who tried to defend the Residency by locking the small gate near the Beli guard gate.
Today, the Residency has a museum inside the tehkhana (dungeon), where a lot of Britishers died. The Indian soldiers had put up cannons in the windows of the tehkhana and shot marks are still visible. The campus also has a banquet hall, which was the house of Dr Frayer, the Treasury house, which was converted into a hospital during the siege, and a cemetery. It’s not easy to go around the place without a guide, but there’s none available. Earlier, the office of the superintendent archaeologist helped, but it doesn’t exist any longer.
THE ALAMBAGH GATE : In 1858, Brig. Neil returned to avenge the Residency killings. He had every Indian in sight hanged at this gate, and even shot a few, with the gate carrying the blood stains for a long time. Today, the area is heavily encroached. Expectedly, not many people know of the gate’s history. “We have lived here since the time of our forefathers and no one has asked us to move,” say the shopkeepers. Near the gate is the grave of General Henry Havelock, who came to help the soldiers at the Residency.
DILKUSHA PALACE: The Dilkusha Palace at the Cantonment was the hunting lodge for the nawabs of Awadh. Just before the mutiny, Havelock arrived here and stayed till his death in 1857. The cemetery near the palace is also significant as it houses the grave of Keith Dashwood, one of the youngest British officers killed during the mutiny. He was just 19. The palace is still beautiful and the Cantonment board has constructed a garden here, a favourite for the residents of the Cantonment area and the Dilkusha Colony.

MOTI MAHAL, SHAHNAZAF IMAMBARA and SIKANDRABAGH GATE: The three sites form an important milestone in the war of 1857. During the outbreak of mutiny in Lucknow, the Indian forces reached Moti Mahal and Shahnazaf Imamabara on the banks of the Gomti river from all over the city. They met the British forces at the Sikandrabagh gate, and after a daylong clash, were overpowered. It is said that an unknown warrior shot dead many British soldiers by hiding in a tree and was later found to be a woman. Some years ago, the statue of the unknown woman warrior was renamed Uda Devi Pasi, and every year, the Pasi community holds a function here. Reveals Shriram Lal, the caretaker, “A dreadful battle between the Britishers and Indians.” He knows little besides this. The gate and the garden behind it stand amid modern buildings but have managed to keep alive the spirit of the mutiny.

KANPUR
WHEELER’S ENTRENCHMENT: The people of Cawnpore (now Kanpur), under Nana Sahib, declared independence from British rule on June 6, 1857. The Britishers, under Major General Hugh Wheeler, retreated into a trench, which later came to be known as Wheeler’s Entrenchment. Though a major portion of the entrenchment is covered, it is represented by a 3-ft pillar, with ‘Wheeler’s Entrenchment 1857’ inscribed on it. As the site is inside the church, not many people visit or know about it. According to Father F.G. Carroll of the All Souls Church, over 1,000 Christians who took shelter here, were slaughtered by the Indian sepoys.
SATI CHAURA GHAT: The Britishers who took refuge in the entrenchment agreed to surrender due to shortage of food and water. They did so on the promise that they would be given safe passage to Allahabad via Suttee Chaura Ghat (Sati Chaura) on boats. When the Britishers boarded the boats, they were fired at and hundreds of them died. Those alive were taken hostage and captured at Bibighar (House of Ladies). The Ghat was later known as Massacre or Nana Rao Ghat. There is, however, no signage to indicate the incident and the dilapidated ghat is used by washermen to wash and dry their clothes.
BIBIGHAR: When the Indians found out that General Henry Havelock was arriving with heavy forces to reoccupy Kanpur, they executed the captives and dumped their bodies in the well outside Bibighar on June 15, 1857. Havelock arrived on July 18 but Nana Sahib had disappeared. The British occupied Kanpur, dismantled Bibighar, and raised a memorial railing and cross near the well. The well is covered with bricks and the statue of Tantiya Tope, commander-in-chief of Nana Sahib has been installed over it. Surprisingly, the site is well known due to the statue and is visited by many people.
ALL SOULS CHURCH: The Kanpur Memorial Church or the All Souls Cathedral in the Cantonment area is the best preserved. It includes Wheeler’s Entrenchment, memorial railing and cross, graves of British officials and marble tablets with the names of 1,000 Britishers who died in the revolt. As permission is required to enter the church, the site doesn’t have too many visitors. However, to commemorate the 150th year of the revolt, some British tourists came here recently to pay homage to the dead. The church staff, on condition of anonymity, said that the government did not wish to promote it as a tourist site for fear of communal clashes.

AGRA
AGRA FORT: In 1803, the Britishers garrisoned the fort and converted it into an arsenal. The Diwan-e-aam holds the grave of John Russel Colvin, Lt Governor of the North-West Province of India, who died in 1857. Agra Fort was the scene of self-inflicted incarceration of 6,000 British residents in 1857 and the battle of Agra, according to Parveen Paul, who conducts Mutiny tours.
SOMESHWAR MANDIR: Given that this Gujarati temple in the marble market of Gokulpura can be approached only through the narrowest of alleys, it covets attention because it’s said to have sheltered Tantiya Tope, one of the heroes of the 1857 mutiny, when he went underground. Never mind that two dark cabins and a plaque are all that it has to prove the point. The rest is shrouded in leaves and is at the mercy of monkeys. While the ASI is examining the site, V.K. Verma, a resident of Gokulpura, says, “The plaque was put up about 40 years ago.”
AGRA COLLEGE LIBRARY: The library of one of the the oldest colleges in India—it was built in 1830—was burnt down on July 5, 1857 as it was owned by the British Government. “Some of the books were saved and taken to Naubasta. They were brought back when the library was reconstructed,” says Arunodya Bajpayee, a political science reader in the college.