Question

Which of the following regions was not a major centre of the Revolt of 1857 ?

• A. Kanpur
• B. Meerut
• C. Lucknow
• D. Mysore

Hint:

• The revolt was mostly confined to the region between the Narmada in the south and the Himalayas in the north.
• Major leaders included Rani Lakshmi Bai (Jhansi), Kunwar Singh (Arrah), and Khan Bahadur Khan (Bareilly).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept:

• The Revolt of 1857, also known as the First War of Independence, was primarily concentrated in North and Central India.
• It began as a mutiny of sepoys in the East India Company's army but quickly spread to include various sections of society, including displaced royalty and peasants.
• Southern India remained largely stable and did not experience the same scale of coordinated rebellion as the Gangetic plains.

Step 1: Identifying the major centres in North India
Meerut is historically significant as the place where the revolt broke out on May 10, 1857, after sepoys refused to use the new greased cartridges.
Kanpur became a major hub under the leadership of Nana Sahib, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II, who joined the rebels to reclaim his pension and title.
Lucknow was another critical centre where Begum Hazrat Mahal led the resistance after the British annexed Awadh in 1856.

Step 2: Evaluating the status of Mysore
Mysore, located in South India, had already undergone significant administrative changes after the fall of Tipu Sultan in 1799.
During 1857, while there were isolated incidents of unrest in the South, Mysore did not emerge as a "major centre" of the uprising. The revolt was largely a phenomenon of the Bengal Army and the northern feudal lords.
Therefore, Mysore is the correct answer as it was not a focal point of the 1857 rebellion.