<P> The Indian rebellion of 1857 was a large - scale rebellion in the northern and central India against the British East India Company's rule . It was suppressed and the British government took control of the company . The conditions of service in the company's army and cantonments increasingly came into conflict with the religious beliefs and prejudices of the sepoys . The predominance of members from the upper castes in the army, perceived loss of caste due to overseas travel, and rumours of secret designs of the government to convert them to Christianity led to deep discontent among the sepoys . The sepoys were also disillusioned by their low salaries and the racial discrimination practised by British officers in matters of promotion and privileges . The indifference of the British towards leading native Indian rulers such as the Mughals and ex-Peshwas and the annexation of Oudh were political factors triggering dissent amongst Indians . The Marquess of Dalhousie's policy of annexation, the doctrine of lapse (or escheat) applied by the British, and the projected removal of the descendants of the Great Mughal from their ancestral palace at Red Fort to the Qutb Minaar (near Delhi) also angered some people . </P> <P> The final spark was provided by the rumoured use of tallow (from cows) and lard (pig fat) in the newly introduced Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle cartridges . Soldiers had to bite the cartridges with their teeth before loading them into their rifles, and the reported presence of cow and pig fat was religiously offensive to both Hindu and Muslim soldiers . </P> <P> Mangal Pandey, a 29 - year - old sepoy, was believed to be responsible for inspiring the Indian sepoys to rise against the British . Pandey revolted against his army regiment for protection of the cow, considered sacred by Hindus . In the first week of May 1857, he killed a higher officer in his regiment at Barrackpore for the introduction of the rule . He was captured and was sentenced to death when the British took back control of the regiment . On 10 May 1857, the sepoys at Meerut broke rank and turned on their commanding officers, killing some of them . They reached Delhi on 11 May, set the company's toll house on fire, and marched into the Red Fort, where they asked the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, to become their leader and reclaim his throne . The emperor was reluctant at first, but eventually agreed and was proclaimed Shehenshah - e-Hindustan by the rebels . The rebels also murdered much of the European, Eurasian, and Christian population of the city . </P> <P> Revolts broke out in other parts of Oudh and the North - Western Provinces as well, where civil rebellion followed the mutinies, leading to popular uprisings . The British were initially caught off - guard and were thus slow to react, but eventually responded with force . The lack of effective organisation among the rebels, coupled with the military superiority of the British, brought a rapid end to the rebellion . The British fought the main army of the rebels near Delhi, and after prolonged fighting and a siege, defeated them and retook the city on 20 September 1857 . Subsequently, revolts in other centres were also crushed . The last significant battle was fought in Gwalior on 17 June 1858, during which Rani Lakshmibai was killed . Sporadic fighting and guerrilla warfare, led by Tatya Tope, continued until spring 1859, but most of the rebels were eventually subdued . </P>

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