International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanities ISSN 2277 – 9809 (online) ISSN 2348 - 9359 (Print) An Internationally Indexed Peer Reviewed & Refereed Journal Shri Param Hans Education & Research Foundation Trust www.IRJMSH.com www.SPHERT.org Published by iSaRa Solutions IRJMSH YEAR[2013] Volume 4 Issue 1 online ISSN 2277 – 9809 A HISTORICAL STUDY ON THE VELLORE MUTINY Jadhav Nagendra Krishna1, MS Prashanth2 and Abraham Kulluvattum1 1Department of History, Bundelkhand University, Jansi, U.P. 2V K Chanvan- Patil Arts, Commerce and Science College, Karve-416507, Kolhapur, Maharashtra Abstract The nearness of the banished group of the late Tipu Sultan may likewise have added to the current of threatening vibe. Tipu Sultan`s children were detained at the Vellore stronghold since 1799. One of Tipu Sultan`s little girls was to be hitched on July 9 1806. The plotters of the mutiny amassed at the fortress under the stratagem of going to the wedding. Two hours after 12 pm, on July 10, the sepoys (warriors) encompassed the fortification and killed the greater part of the British. The agitators seized control by sunrise and raised the banner of the Mysore Sultanate over the fortress. Tipu`s second child Fateh Hyder was proclaimed King. Notwithstanding, a British officer had gotten away and cautioned the battalion in Arcot. After nine hours, the British nineteenth Light Dragoons, driven by Colonel Gillespie and the Madras Cavalry entered the stronghold through entryways that had not been completely secured by the sepoys. The staying of the Vellore Mutiny was an inevitable end product. After the episode, the detained royals were exchanged to Calcutta. The disputable intruding with social and religious traditions of the sepoys was nullified. Whipping additionally was separated with. Following the mutiny, both Cradock and Lord William Bentinck (1774-1839), Governor of Bombay, were sacked. Key Words: Vellore Mutiny, Cradock, Vellore Fort, Revolt. • Introduction The Vellore Mutiny was the first large-scale mutiny by Indian soldiers against the British, setting the stage for the 1857 mutiny. Even though this mutiny was short lived and lasted only one day, it was violent and bloody and mutineers stormed into the Vellore Fort and killed and wounded as many as 200 British soldiers. This sudden outbreak was suppressed by the British and around 100 mutineers were executed and a smaller number were court-martialed. 1.2 objectives 1. To know the territory of the foundation of vellore uprising 2. To investigation the reasons for vellore rebellion 3. To know the impacts of vellore rebellion International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanities Page 628 http:www.irjmsh.com IRJMSH YEAR[2013] Volume 4 Issue 1 online ISSN 2277 – 9809 1.3 Scope The paper covers Vellore mutiny in freedom struggle 1.4 Method By employing historical method the present paper is prepared 1.5 Development of thought Vellore Mutiny was a bloody affair, with both the British and native exiled rulers fighting for justice.The Vellore Mutiny was the first illustration of a mutiny by native sepoys (soldiers) against the British East India Company. It antedates even the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 by half a century. The revolt, which was waged in the South Indian town of Vellore, was rather brief, lasting only one full day. But the extent of brutality it had employed is unsurpassed in warring tactics of those times. Mutineers broke into the Vellore Fort and killed and injured 200 British troops, before they were hushed by reinforcements from nearby Arcot. The 1500 Sepoys located in the Vellore garrison mutinied and killed or wounded over 200 of 370 Europeans in the fort, on the fated day of July 10. The Vellore Mutiny was however rapidly smashed due to quick response of Colonel Robert Gillespie (1766-1814). The Colonel, coming from Arcot, sixteen miles away, brought cavalry and horse artillery to Vellore and immediately obliterated out of hand 300 to 400 mutineers. Indian disaffection appeared to have come in opposition to orders by Sir John Cradock, Commander in Chief of the Madras Army. Cradock had ordered the removal of caste marks by the sepoys while on duty and replaced the turban with a new-styled leather headgear. The presence of the exiled family of the late Tipu Sultan may also have contributed to the current of hostility. Tipu Sultan`s sons were imprisoned at the Vellore fort since 1799. One of Tipu Sultan`s daughters was to be married on July 9 1806. The plotters of the mutiny amassed at the fort under the ruse of attending the wedding. Two hours after midnight, on July 10, the sepoys (soldiers) surrounded the fort and killed most of the British. The rebels seized control by daybreak and raised the flag of the Mysore Sultanate over the fort. Tipu`s second son Fateh Hyder was declared King. However, a British officer had escaped and alerted the garrison in Arcot. Nine hours later, the British 19th Light Dragoons, led by Colonel Gillespie and the Madras Cavalry entered the fort through gates that had not been fully secured by the sepoys. The remaining of the Vellore Mutiny was a foregone conclusion. After the incident, the imprisoned royals were transferred to Calcutta. The controversial meddling with social and religious customs of the sepoys was abolished. Flogging also was parted with. Following the mutiny, both Cradock and Lord William Bentinck (1774-1839), Governor of Bombay, were sacked. The revolt: On July 10, 1806, at three in the morning, five hundred Indian soldiers from the Vellore fort, armed with hundreds of muskets and two small cannons, slithered out of the Indian barracks and stole their way to where the Europeans were stationed. Briefly, they waited outside the European International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanities Page 629 http:www.irjmsh.com IRJMSH YEAR[2013] Volume 4 Issue 1 online ISSN 2277 – 9809 barracks for a signal to be issued. Finally when the signal came, the doors of the Europeans barracks were blown away. Some Indian soldiers rushed into the barrack and opened fire on the British soldiers who were asleep. Others blasted the barrack from the outside. The British soldiers who were stationed in the Vellore fort did not fight back. They were gravely outnumbered and outgunned and so, they simply tried to flee. Two hours later, when the sound of gunshots died and the smoke cleared, fifteen British officers and over a hundred British soldiers were dead. Col. Fancourt, the commander of the fort, was one among them. At dawn, Jamaidar Shaik Cossim, one of the chief plotters and the leader of the rebellion, hoisted Tipu Sultan's Royal tiger flag over the fort. Tipu's second son Fateh Hyder Bahadur was declared king. However, a few hours later, the mutiny lost direction. While a few Indian soldiers started looting the houses of the Europeans, others kept themselves busy abusing the soldiers who did not join the rebellion. Meanwhile Shaik Cossim and some other leaders were holding talks with Tipu's sons who were reluctant to take charge. In this storm of confusions, a British officer escaped from the fort and alerted the garrison at Arcot. Nine hours after the break out of the mutiny, a relief force was sent from Arcot to Vellore under Sir Rollo Gillespie. Two cavalry units(19th light dragoons and a cavalry unit from Madras) with lots and lots of galloper guns arrived at the fort two hours later. Along with the few English men from the fort who had survived the initial shootout, Sir Rollo Gillespie took over the fort. The rebelling Indian soldiers were hunted down and killed. The few who took refuge inside the fort were brought out and executed at point blank range. In all, eight hundred Indian soldiers lost their lives in the mutiny which was completely silence by two in the afternoon. It is said that Rollo Gillespie could not get into the fort through the gates as it was heavily manned by Indian soldiers and he gained access by climbing a wall using a rope and sash that were lowered to him by the survivors of the shootout. Then, he seemed to have led an offensive with the survivors against the mutineers along the ramparts of the forts that were still under the control of the British. Later, the 19th regiment joined them and together, they put down the mutineers. The immediate cause: Just like the rebellion of 1857, the immediate cause of the rebellion of 1806 was also religious. In November 1805, General Sir John Craddock, the commander-in-chief of the Madras army ordered that the Indian soldiers must wear a round hat with a cow leather cockade in place of the turban that the Indians were used to wearing. In addition to that, Hindu soldiers were forbidden from wearing any religious marks on their forehead and the Muslim soldiers were asked to shave off their beards and regulate their moustaches. The Indian soldiers were enraged by this order as it interfered directly with their religious freedom. The order was also seen as the first step by the British towards converting Indians to Christianity. Other causes: The Fakeer movement that was gaining importance in the late 18th century contributed directly to the rebellion. The Fakeers were mystic mendicants who went from town International Research Journal of Management Sociology & Humanities Page 630 http:www.irjmsh.com IRJMSH YEAR[2013] Volume 4 Issue 1 online ISSN 2277 – 9809 to town conducting discourses, prayers and puppet shows. They insisted on unity among Indians and necessity to throw out the British. They fanned out all over South India speaking highly of rebels. Their message - We are many and they are few - was very well received by the Indians who were inspired by the message to rebel against the British.