Turrebaz Khan

The Revolt of 1857 is often placed in the north. But in July 1857 rebels also attacked the British Residency in Hyderabad.

One of their leaders was Turrebaz Khan. His name is still used in Hyderabad as a word for a brave person.

1Who was Turrebaz Khan?

Few records of his early life survive.

• He came from a Rohilla Pathan family in Begum Bazar, Hyderabad.
• His family was Pathan and Muslim.
• He is also called Turram Khan.
• Some accounts call him a soldier in the Nizam’s army.
• Very little is documented about his life before 1857.
• No sketch or portrait of him is known to survive.
• He rose against the British despite the Nizam’s opposition.
• His co-leader was Maulvi Alauddin.
• Maulvi Alauddin was an imam at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.

2Why was Hyderabad unusual in 1857?

Its ruler was a British ally.

• Hyderabad was the state of the Nizam.
• The Nizam stayed on the British side during 1857.
• Hyderabad was among the largest princely states in India.
• It had accepted a subsidiary alliance with the Company in 1798.
• Under that deal the Nizam kept a British force and paid for it.
• He also gave up an independent foreign policy.
• So the rising was a local, popular act and not state policy.
• The British Resident watched over the state from the Residency.
• The Residency stood at Koti, beside the Musi river.
• James Achilles Kirkpatrick had it built, around 1803 to 1805.
• He was Resident from 1798 to 1805.
• Today the building houses the University College for Women.
• Many people see 1857 as a north Indian event.
• Hyderabad shows that anger against the British also spread to the south.

3What happened at the Residency?

A march turned into a night of fighting.

• The attack took place on 17 July 1857.
• The crowd set out from Mecca Masjid.
• It went to the Residency at Koti.
• The goal was to free Jamedar Cheeda Khan.
• Cheeda Khan was a soldier held inside the Residency.
• He had been jailed for rebelling against the British.
• Sources disagree on the size of the crowd.
• One account says about 500 people.
• Others say thousands.
• Accounts say the rebels broke through walls to reach the Residency.
• The British opened fire.
• The rebels fought for some hours.
• Some accounts say the fight went on through the night.
• Then they had to retreat.
• The British Resident of the day was Major Cuthbert Davidson.

4What happened after the attack?

Both leaders were caught, but their stories differ.

• Turrebaz Khan was arrested after the attack.
• He was given a sentence of life imprisonment.
• He escaped on 18 January 1859.
• A reward of Rs 5,000 was offered for him.
• That was a large sum at the time.
• He was killed near Tupran on 24 January 1859.
• Most accounts say he was shot.
• One account places the shooting in a forest.
• Accounts of his final days differ in detail.
• Many accounts say his body was displayed near the Residency.
• The display was meant as a warning to others.
• Maulvi Alauddin escaped on the night of the attack.
• He was caught later.
• He was sent away from Hyderabad in 1859, to the Andamans.
• He is said to have died in prison in 1889.

5How is he remembered?

Hyderabad kept his name alive in daily speech.

• A street in Begum Bazar carries his name.
• People use “Turram Khan” as slang for a brave person.
• In Hyderabad the name now stands for courage.
• After independence, a memorial was raised at Koti.
• It honours those who joined the 1857 attack.
• The historical record about him is thin.
• Much of it comes from later accounts.
• Details such as numbers and the manner of death vary.
• So good answers hedge on those details.

6What are the exam traps?

Place, ruler and date are the usual traps.

• The attack was in Hyderabad, not in Delhi or Awadh.
• The date is 17 July 1857.
• The Nizam did not lead the revolt.
• The Nizam was a British ally.
• The stated goal was to free Cheeda Khan.
• Cheeda Khan was the prisoner, and Turrebaz Khan was the leader.
• Do not swap the two names.
• It was not to seize the treasury.
• The co-leader was Maulvi Alauddin.
• Maulvi Alauddin was an imam, not a soldier.
• The Residency stood at Koti, not at Golconda.
• His death came in January 1859, not in 1857.
• Do not state the crowd size as a fixed number.
• Read about the Revolt of 1857.
• Read about Nana Sahib.
• Read about Bakht Khan.