The provenance of a historic Koran Artefact as participant in the events of the Indian Mutiny of 1857 Daria Fedewytsch-Dickson

Provenance is one of the experiential his participation in the suppression of differences of encounter between a the Indian Mutiny. physical object and its photographic The uprising known as the Indian or digital image. Both provide content Mutiny was frightening, bloody and but physical objects do more. They cruel, with massacres perpetrated by also provide context. A physical object both sides.2 It replaced the rule of has shared in events that took place both the British around it and its owner. It is a and the Mughal Empire in India with witness. direct rule by the British government Sometimes this witness is also a () for the next 90 years, veteran. Such is the case of an 18th until independence in 1947. century leather-bound vellum Koran Many underlying causes festered recently catalogued for the Baillieu towards rebellion: political, economic, Library’s Special Collections by the military, religious and social. The old Arabic language and manuscripts aristocracy resented its power being cataloguer, Mahboubeh Kamalpour. eroded under British control. Some This is a single volume parchment Indians perceived British policies and Koran, 29.0 cm in height, with a practices as westernisation without handsome leather cover. The regard for Indian tradition or manuscript is very clear and the culture—such as the outlawing of sati writing beautifully executed. The first (widow burning) and child two pages are in colourful frames of Rau Sahib and Feroze Shah marriage—and the ban on some blue, red and yellow. The script part is surprised by Colonel Holmes’ column religious practices also suggested a framed in blue and red and consists of on the 21st Jan 1859 5 a.m. drive towards an imposed 11 lines per page. The Koran bears Christianisation. The justice system the bookplate of the George [signed] George G. Beazley Lt. was considered to be unfair to McArthur Bequest of 1903, and the HM 83rd Rgt. Indians. Land reorganisation and signature of Leigh Scott, the trade policies were skewed in favour University Librarian, dated 4 October Tatya Tope1 was one of the rebel of the economy of the British, not 1948. leaders of the Indian Mutiny who that of India and the Indians. An inscription on the front cover held out until 1859. January 21, 1859 The immediate trigger however verso reads: was the day of a surprise British for the uprising in 1857 was the attack on his camp (when this Koran controversy over the new Pattern Kuran picked up in the rebel camp was seized at 5.00 a.m.). Lieutenant 1853 Enfield rifle. To load the new at Seekur [i.e., Sikar] Shikawathee George Gant Beazley who wrote the rifle, the soldiers (sepoys) had to bite country camp under Tantiu Tope, inscription later received a medal for the cartridge open. A rumour gained

40 University of Melbourne Collections, Issue 2, July 2008 Koran, 18th century, one volume, manuscript on parchment with leather cover, 29.0 cm. George McArthur Bequest, 1903, MUL 170 KORA, Baillieu Library Special Collections, University of Melbourne.

currency: that the cartridges issued with the rifle were greased with lard (pork fat) which was regarded as unclean by Muslims, or tallow (beef fat) from cows, regarded as sacred to Hindus. In the minds of these soldiers, many of whom were high caste Hindus and sons of wealthy Muslims, this was an outrage; Hindus would lose caste by such contamination while Muslims would have transgressed a Koranic proscription. British military authorities became concerned about the rumour and ordered that cartridges issued from depots were to be free from grease and that soldiers could grease them themselves using whatever mixture they preferred (beeswax or vegetable oil for example). This edict however merely confirmed the Soon the rebellion spread beyond areas of India and was by and large soldiers’ suspicions that the rumours the armed forces. However, it did not confined to the Bengal army.3 had been true and their fears justified. become India-wide. On the Indian At first, the Indians made Several months of increasing side there were many diverging and headway against the shocked and tension and inflammatory incidents conflicting interests among those who undermanned British. But as the preceded the actual rebellion. Barrack aspired to reclaim dynastic rule or British received reinforcements and buildings (especially those occupied grasp new opportunities. Hindus, counter-attacked it became clear that by soldiers who had used the Enfield Muslims and Sikhs were not only not the Indian side suffered from a lack of cartridges) and European officers’ united in a common cause but also effective central command. bungalows were set on fire; at various had various separate agendas, some of Leadership fractured among the rajas, military cantonments soldiers refused which involved payback for prior princes and nobles. Whoever could to obey their British officers. Not conflicts or perceived collaboration seize the leadership initiative and long after, in April, actual rebellion with British authorities in past muster some troops around himself broke out and British soldiers and disputes. Conflict was centered became a contender for power in the civilians were attacked. mainly on the northern and central struggle. One such was Tatya Tope.

University of Melbourne Collections, Issue 2, July 2008 41 Bookplate and inscription in the Koran.

Tope was the only son of was routed at Betwa (where he 1858 the British had regained their Pandurang Rao Tope, a noble at the managed to field almost 20,000 men), hold and Tope was more of a fugitive court of the Baji Rao II. After and at Koonch and Kalpi, but than a seriously threatening foe. Baji Rao was exiled to , managed to reach . There he Nothing came of stirring up Pandurang Rao and his family also proclaimed Nana Sahib as Peshwa. Nagpur into rebellion, so Tope moved shifted there. Tatya Tope became the However, before he could consolidate on. So did more British forces sent to most intimate friend of the Peshwa’s his gain, Sir Hugh Henry Rose trap him. At Indragarh in Rajputana adopted son, Nana Dhondu Pant defeated him in a battle which saw in January 1859, Tope linked up with (known as Nana Sahib). Tope turned the end of the Rani of . She was Prince Firoz Shah (also mentioned in totally against the British when Nana killed leading her forces against the our inscription, nephew of the King Sahib was deprived of his father’s British assault, on 17 June 1858. of Delhi and leader of an earlier pension by Lord Dalhousie in 1851. Saul David notes that rebellion at Mandesar where the As the rebellion grew, in May 1857 contemporary British sources concur green flag of Muslim revolt was Tope won over the Indian troops of that Rani’s death ‘caused the greatest raised).5 But the British were more the East India Company at consternation among the rebel successful this time. (Cawnpore), established Nana Sahib’s troops’.4 Tatya Tope and Rao Sahib It was the fateful day—21 January authority and became the commander (also mentioned in our inscription, 1859—the date of our inscription. of his forces. nephew of Nana Sahib) fled into Colonel Holmes’ column, comprising Tope became feared and hated by Rajputana with just over 5,000 troops Her Majesty’s 83rd and 12th Native the British after the massacre of and ten guns. Tope nevertheless Infantry and four guns, marched 54 boatloads of British refugees (mostly continued his guerrilla warfare against miles through sandy desert in just women and children) at the the British for several months. Several over 24 hours and succeeded in Satichaura Ghat on the Ganges, in British columns were sent in pursuit surrounding Tope’s force near Sikar, spite of having been promised safe and marched over thousands of miles defeating it in a surprise attack at passage to Allahabad by Nana Sahib. in stifling heat to catch him. Tope and dawn.6 Our Koran was seized—at The exact order of events and who his army stood and fought the British 5.00 a.m. according to Lieutenant first fired on whom has become at Rajgarh in September 1858. Tope Beazley—during this very attack! historically controversial, but Tope’s lost the battle and all his guns but he Was it seized from a saddle bag? persona became firmly associated still managed to escape. With a hard From the hands of a terrified, fleeing with this event. core of supporters including Rao Muslim supporter of Firoz Shah? Or, Tope eventually moved his Sahib, Tope headed south to Nagpur, even more tantalisingly, was it a headquarters from around Kanpur to hoping to incite an uprising there. In personal copy owned by the prince Kalpi and joined with the famous the opinion of some, a successful himself? To whomever it belonged female rebellion leader Rani Lakshmi uprising here in the earlier period of (Tope and Sahib were Hindus so it Bai (also known as the ) the mutiny would have been very could not have belonged to them), and continued to lead the revolt. He dangerous to British rule, but by late this Koran witnessed historic events

42 University of Melbourne Collections, Issue 2, July 2008 and would have travelled the same Tatya Tope was finally captured in the assistance and information in preparing this article. thousands of miles that its owner did jungles of through betrayal by while taking part in attempts at his friend Man Singh, one of the Daria Fedewytsch-Dickson holds a Bachelor of insurrection and then escaping from Gwalior rebels who was lured into Arts (Honours) from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Arts (Librarianship) from British pursuers. this act by a British promise of Monash University. She is an original cataloguer Several British contemporaries amnesty. Tope was charged with specialising in pre-1800 imprints and has worked were impressed by the sheer amount rebellion, tried by a military court and and catalogued in several early and rare imprint collections including Monash University Library of territory the guerrilla leader hanged on 18 April 1859. At his trial, and the Sugden Collection, Queens College covered in his fight with and then Tope apparently stated that he ‘had Library, as well as the University of Melbourne. flight from them. Colonel Malleson nothing to do with the murder of any notes that during a nine month European men, women or children’ Notes period after Tope’s defeat at Jaura (presumably referring to the 1 The spelling of the Indian names varies from Alipur until his capture, ‘Tantia Tope Satichaura Ghat massacre).9 His lack source to source. I have followed the spelling used in Saul David, The Indian Mutiny, had baffled all the attempts of the of ultimate success notwithstanding, London: Penguin Books, 2003. British. During that period he had Tope is commemorated by a statue at 2 The rebellion is known by a number of more than once or twice made the the site of his execution in the town different names including the First War of Indian Independence, Indian Mutiny, Sepoy tour of Rajputana and Malwa, two of in . Nor Mutiny and Sepoy Rebellion. countries possessing jointly an area of was this the end of his memory. In 3 The East India Company had divided its a hundred and sixty-one thousand 2007, when India celebrated the Indian areas into three ‘presidencies’ (Bengal, 7 Bombay and Madras), each of which had its seven hundred square miles.’ 150th anniversary of the Indian own army. The army of Bengal was the largest. Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine Mutiny, the government announced 4 David, The Indian Mutiny, p. 368, quoting Sir reported: ‘The whole distance for that it would provide 1 lakh rupees of Robert Hamilton (Sir Hugh Rose’s political advisor). which they were pursued, between the financial aid, as well as assistance in 5 David, The Indian Mutiny, p. 369. Firuz Shah, 20th January 1858 and 1st March securing jobs and education, to Tope’s also Feroz Shah, Feroz Saha and other 1859 [when Tope was finally descendants, who live in Kanpur.10 variants. 6 Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 88, no. captured] was more than 3,000 miles. Rao Sahib was not caught until 538, August 1860, p. 191; Colonel Malleson General Michel marched 1,700, Parke 1862 but then he too was snared by (ed.), Kaye’s and Malleson’s history of the Indian 2,000 miles. Captain Clowe’s troop, betrayal, tried, and hanged on 20 Mutiny of 1857–9, new edition, London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1897, vol. 5, p. 256. 8th Hussars, was with Parke all the August 1862. Firoz Shah managed to 7 Malleson (ed.), Kaye’s and Malleson’s history, time and had marched 400 miles escape the British. He left India p. 266. under General Roberts before joining disguised as a pilgrim and died in 8 Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, p. 193. 8 11 9 David, The Indian Mutiny, p. 369. him.’ poverty in Mecca in 1877. 10 ‘Centre to help Tantya Tope’s heirs’, Rediff So what became of the three men India Abroad, 19 June 2007, in our inscription? All three managed Acknowledgement: I thank Mahboubeh http://ia.rediff.com/news/2007/jun/19tope. Kamalpour, Arabic language and manuscripts htm, accessed 29 January 2008. to escape the ambush of 21 January cataloguer in the University of Melbourne Library, 11 Malleson (ed.), Kaye’s and Malleson’s history, but they were finished as guerillas. who catalogued this Koran in 2007 and provided p. 258.

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