Revolt of 1857

The revolt of 1857 forms one of the most important chapters in the history of the struggle of the Indian people for liberation from the British rule.It shook the foundation of the British empire in India and at some points it seemed as though the British rule would end for all time to come.What started merely as a sepoy mutiny soon engulfed the peasantry and other civilian population over wide areas in northern India.The upsurge was so widespread that some of the contemporary observers called it a "national revolt". The hatred of the people foe the ferangis was so intense and bitter that one observer,W.H. Russell,was forced to write:

In no instance is a friendly glance directed to the white man's carriage...Oh!that language of the eye!Who can doubt!Who can misinterpret it?It is by it alone that i have learnt our race is not even feared at times by many and that by all it is disliked.