Question

Write short note on any two heroes of revolt of 1857

Answer 1

rani laxmi bai:-  Rani Lakshmi Bai was one of the leading warriors of the India's first struggle for independence. A symbol of bravery, patriotism and honour, Rani Lakshmi Bai was born on 19 November 1828 at Poona. Her actual name was Manikarnika. Her father Moropant Tabme was a court advisor, and mother Bhagirathi was a scholarly woman. At a very early age she lost her mother. Her father raised her in an unconventional way and supported her to learn to ride elephants and horses and also to use weapons effectively. She grew up with Nana Sahib and Tatya Tope, who were active participants in the first revolt of independence.

In 1842, Rani Lakshmi Bai got married to Raja Gangadhar Rao who was the Maharaja of Jhansi. After her marriage, she came to be known as Lakshmi Bai. In 1851, she gave birth to a son but unfortunately he died in his fourth month. After this tragic incident, Damodar Rao was adopted by the Maharaja of Jhansi as his son. Moved by the death of his son and his poor health, Maharaja Gangadhar Rao also died on 21 November 1853. When the Maharaja died, Rani Lakshmi Bai was just eighteen years old, but she didn't lose her courage and took up her responsibility.


mangal pandey:-Mangal Pandey was born on 19 July 1827 in the village of Nagwa in the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. A sepoy in the 34th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) of the English East India Company, he entered the annals of Indian history for attacking his British officers, sparking off the First War of Indian Independence or as the British termed it, the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. At Barrackpore near Kolkata on 29 March 1857, Pandey attacked and injured his British sergeant, besides wounding an adjutant. A native soldier prevented him from killing the adjutant and the sergeant-major. He was arrested and sentenced to death. He was hanged on 8 April 1857. 
The primary reason behind Mangal Pandey's behavior was because of a new type of bullet cartridge used in the Enfield P-53 rifle.

It was rumoured that the cartridge was greased with animal fat (pig and cow fat), which neither Hindus nor Muslims consumed. The cartridges had to be bitten off to remove the cover, which was detested by both the Hindu and Muslim soldiers in the army. The general feeling was that British intentionally did it. What added to the discontent was that the Commandant of the 34th BNI (Bengal Native Infantry) was a known Christian preacher.

Answer 2

The two heroes of the revolt of 1857 are Rani Laxmi Bai and Mangal Pandey.  

Laxmibai (her actual name was Manikarnika) is known as the Rani of Jhansi. She was married to the Maharaja of Jhansi (a princely state). She was one of the leading personalities in the revolt of 1857 in India. To defence Jhansi from the attacks of the British army she even developed a force of rebellions, women were also a part of this force.

Mangal Pandey joined the Bengal army in the year 1849. During his service in the Bengal Infantry at Barrackpore, the British issued the sepoys with new gunpowder cartridges for the Enfield rifle. At the time when the Indian soldiers were provided with the rifles, a rumor spread around that the cartridges were manufactured from cow and pig fat. Therefore in order to load the Enfield required one to open the greased cartridge with the mouth. It was Mangal Pandey has led the group of Indian soldiers to prevent the use of the cartridge. He was jailed and killed for this act.