Mangal Pandey: The Spark of 1857

Mangal Pandey was a sepoy at Barrackpore. His act on 29 March 1857 came weeks before the great Revolt.

A rumour about rifle grease had unsettled the army. This lesson covers his life, the attack, the punishments that followed and the exam traps.

1Who was Mangal Pandey?

He was an ordinary sepoy, and little is known about his early life.

• He came from a Brahmin family in Nagwa village, Ballia district.
• That area is now in Uttar Pradesh.
• His exact birth year is uncertain. Tradition places it in 1827.
• He joined the Bengal Army in 1849.
• By 1857 he was a private in the 5th Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry.
• His regiment was stationed at Barrackpore, near Calcutta.
• Only a small part of his story is documented.
• He was a Brahmin, and caste mattered a great deal to sepoys of his background.
• Many Bengal Army sepoys came from high-caste families in Awadh and Bihar.
• That is one reason the cartridge rumour spread so fast.
• Most details come from the army’s own inquiry after the attack.

2Why was the army uneasy?

A rumour about rifle cartridges had spread through the camps.

• The Bengal Army was about to bring in the new Enfield rifle.
• Its paper cartridges had to be bitten open before use.
• A rumour said the grease on them was cow and pig fat.
• Cow fat offended Hindu soldiers.
• Pig fat offended Muslim soldiers.
• Many sepoys feared the British wanted to break their caste and faith.
• Unrest had already shown itself at Berhampore, in the 19th Native Infantry.
• That was about four weeks before Barrackpore.
• Sepoys also had other grievances, such as pay and treatment.
• Sepoys also feared being sent overseas, which some believed would cost them caste.
• Each small fear added to the larger mistrust.

3What happened on 29 March 1857?

One sepoy’s outburst shocked the cantonment.

• On the afternoon of 29 March 1857, Pandey stood armed before the guard room.
• He called on the sepoys to rise.
• He is reported to have shouted that biting the cartridges would make them lose their faith.
• Lieutenant Baugh, the regiment’s adjutant, rode out to the parade ground.
• Pandey fired at him and hit his horse.
• He then attacked Baugh with a sword and wounded him.
• Sepoy Shaikh Paltu tried to hold Pandey back.
• Other sepoys stood by. Some threatened Paltu.
• Sergeant-Major Hewson also came to help and was attacked.
• Pandey fought on until General Hearsey arrived.
• General Hearsey rode up and ordered the guard to seize Pandey.
• Pandey turned his musket on himself and fired.
• He was badly hurt but did not die.

4What came after?

The punishments came fast and fell on many men.

• He was tried within a week.
• He was sentenced to death by hanging.
• He was hanged on 8 April 1857, before all the troops at Barrackpore.
• Jemadar Ishwari Prasad had refused to arrest him.
• He was hanged separately on 21 April 1857.
• On 6 May 1857, seven of the ten companies of the 34th were disbanded.
• They were sent away “with disgrace”.
• Their uniforms were taken off in front of the other troops.
• Many of these men had served for years without complaint.
• Shaikh Paltu was promoted and honoured by the British.
• He was killed soon afterward, before the regiment was disbanded.
• The wider Revolt began at Meerut on 10 May 1857.
• For that story, see The Revolt of 1857.

5What do historians debate?

His motives are still unclear.

• At his court-martial, Pandey said he had taken bhang and opium.
• He said he was not aware of what he did.
• Historians doubt there was any wider plot behind his act.
• He seems to have acted without taking other sepoys into his confidence.
• Even so, the sight of armed guards doing nothing alarmed the British.
• They decided the whole regiment could not be trusted.
• His name outlived the man. British soldiers later used “Pandy” for rebel sepoys.
• India issued a stamp in his memory in 1984.
• A memorial park at Barrackpore also carries his name.
• He is remembered today as an early symbol of resistance.

6What are the exam traps?

Exams confuse the spark with the full uprising.

• Pandey’s act was on 29 March 1857 at Barrackpore.
• The Revolt began on 10 May 1857 at Meerut.
• Pandey was hanged on 8 April, not killed in action.
• His unit was the 34th Bengal Native Infantry.
• The officer he attacked was Lieutenant Baugh.
• The cartridge rumour spoke of cow and pig fat.
• Greased cartridges were one cause. The revolt had many causes.
• Do not credit him with starting the Revolt alone.