Kalu Singh Mahara

Kalu Singh Mahara led an armed uprising against the British, in the hills of Kumaon, during the Revolt of 1857. He is regarded as the first major freedom fighter from present-day Uttarakhand.

Must Know

• Kalu Singh Mahara was a Thakur from Bisung Patti, near Lohaghat, in present-day Champawat district, Uttarakhand.
• He is regarded as the first major freedom fighter from the Uttarakhand region.
• In 1857, he received a letter from Awadh, inviting Kumaoni leaders to join the rebellion.
• The letter promised that hill areas would be governed by local Pahadi people, once British rule ended.
• He accepted, and formed a youth militia called “Krantiveer,” which gained wide support across Kumaon.
• His riflemen, known as Bandukchi, launched skirmishes and ambushes against British forces.
• He led an attack that set fire to British barracks at Lohaghat, forcing a British retreat.
• Sir Henry Ramsay, the British Commissioner of Kumaon, sent troops in retaliation. They defeated Mahara’s forces at the Battle of Bastia.

Good to Know

• Ramsay, nicknamed “King of Kumaon,” served as Commissioner from 1856 to 1884. He helped keep the rebellion from spreading further across the region.
• British authorities imprisoned Mahara after his defeat. Records of his exact later fate remain unclear.
• His campaign covered fighting across Kali, Sui, Gumdesh, and nearby areas of Kumaon.
• India Post has also released a commemorative first-day cover in his honour.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Kalu Singh Mahara was a Thakur from which area, near Lohaghat?

Champawat town centre

Lohaghat market

Almora district

Bisung Patti

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Great to Know

• Unlike many national 1857 leaders, exact birth and death dates for Kalu Singh Mahara are not well documented — a common gap for regional figures of the revolt.
• A statue honouring him was installed in Dehradun, in 2009.
• In 2010, an intersection at Lohaghat was named after him.