Nana Sahib
Encyclopedia
Nana Sahib born as Dhondu Pant(Marathi
- धोंडू पंत ), was an India
n leader during the Rebellion of 1857
. As the adopted son of the exiled Maratha Peshwa
Baji Rao II
, he sought to restore the Maratha confederacy and the Peshwa
tradition.
exiled Baji Rao II to Bithoor
near Cawnpore (now Kanpur), where Nana Sahib was brought up.
Nana Sahib's close associates included Tantya Tope and Azimullah Khan
; Tatya Tope was the son of Pandurang Rao Tope, an important noble at the court of the Peshwa Baji Rao II. After Baji Rao was exiled to Bithoor, Pandurang Rao and his family also shifted t
On June 5, 1857, at the time of rebellion by forces of the East India Company at Cawnpore, the British contingent had taken refuge at an entrenchment in the southern part of the town. Amid the prevailing chaos in Cawnpore, Nana Sahib and his forces entered the British magazine
situated in the northern part of the town. The soldiers of the 53rd Native Infantry, which was guarding the magazine, thought that Nana Sahib had come to guard the magazine on behalf of the British. However, once he entered the magazine, Nana Sahib announced that he was a participant in the rebellion against the British, and intended to be a vassal
of Bahadur Shah II
.
After taking possession of the Company treasury, Nana Sahib advanced up the Grand Trunk Road
. He wanted to restore the Maratha confederacy under the Peshwa
tradition, and decided to capture Cawnpore. On his way, Nana Sahib met the rebel Company soldiers at Kalyanpur. The soldiers were on their way to Delhi, to meet Bahadur Shah II
. Nana Sahib wanted them to go back to Kanpur, and help him in defeating the British. The soldiers were reluctant at first, but decided to join Nana Sahib, when he promised to double their pay and reward them with gold, if they were to destroy the British entrenchment.
On June 5, 1857, Nana Sahib sent a letter to General Wheeler informing him to expect an attack next morning at 10 AM. On June 6, Nana Sahib's forces (including the rebel soldiers) attacked the British entrenchment at 10:30 AM. The British were not adequately prepared for the attack but managed to defend themselves as the attacking forces were reluctant to enter the entrenchment. Nana Sahib's forces had been led to falsely believe that the entrenchment had gunpowder
-filled trenches that would explode if they got closer. The British held out in their makeshift fort for three weeks with little water and food supplies, and lost many lives due to sunstroke and lack of water.
As the news of Nana Sahib's advances over the British garrison spread, several of the rebel sepoys joined him. By June 10, he was believed to be leading around twelve thousand to fifteen thousand Indian soldiers. During the first week of the siege, Nana Sahib's forces encircled the attachment, created loopholes
and established firing positions from the surrounding buildings. The British Captain John Moore retaliated and launched night-time sortie
s. Nana Sahib retreated his headquarter to Savada House (or Savada Kothi), which was situated around two miles away. In response to Moore's sorties, Nana Sahib decided to attempt a direct assault on the British entrenchment, but the rebel soldiers displayed a lack of enthusiasm.
The sniper
fire and the bombardment
continued until June 23, 1857, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Plassey
. The Battle of Plassey, which took place on June 23, 1757, was one of the pivotal battles leading to the expansion of the British rule in India
. One of the driving forces of the rebellion by sepoys, was a prophecy that predicted the downfall of East India Company
rule in India exactly one hundred years after the Battle of Plassey. This prompted the rebel soldiers under Nana Sahib to launch a major attack on the British entrenchment on June 23, 1857. However, they were unable to gain an entry into the entrenchment by the end of the day.
The British camp had been steadily losing its soldiers to successive bombardment
s, sniper
fire, and assaults by Nana Sahib's forces. It was also suffering from disease and low supplies of food, water and medicine. General Wheeler's personal morale had been low, after his son Lieutenant Gordon Wheeler was decapitated in an assault on the barracks. At the same time, Nana Sahib's forces were wary of entering the entrenchment, as they believed that it had gunpowder-filled trenches.
Nana Sahib and his advisers came up with a plan to end the deadlock. On June 24, Nana Sahib sent a female European prisoner, Rose Greenway, to the entrenchment to convey their message. In return for a surrender, he promised the safe passage of the British to the Satichaura Ghat, a dock on the Ganges from which they could depart for Allahabad
. General Wheeler rejected the offer, because it had not been signed, and there was no guarantee that the offer was made by Nana Sahib himself.
Next day, on June 25, Nana Sahib sent a second note, signed by himself, through another female prisoner, Mrs. Jacobi. The British camp divided into two groups with different opinions — one group was in favor of continuing the defence, while the second group was willing to trust Nana Sahib. During the next 24 hours, there was no bombardment from Nana Sahib's forces. Finally, General Wheeler decided to surrender, in return for a safe passage to Allahabad. After a day of preparation and burying their dead, the British decided to leave for Allahabad on the morning of June 27, 1857.
On the morning of the June 27 a large British column led by General Wheeler emerged out of the entrenchment. Nana Sahib sent a number of carts, dolis and elephant
s to enable the women, the children and the sick to proceed to the river banks. The British officers and military men were allowed to take their arms and ammunition with them, and were escorted by nearly the whole of the rebel army. The British reached the Satichaura Ghat (now Satti Chaura Ghat) by 8 AM. Nana Sahib had arranged around 40 boats, belonging to a boatman called Hardev Mallah, for their departure to Allahabad.
The Ganges river was unusually dry at the Satichaura Ghat, and the British found it difficult to drift the boats away. General Wheeler and his party were the first aboard and the first to manage to set their boat adrift. There was some confusion, as the Indian boatmen jumped overboard and started swimming toward the banks. During their jump, some of the cooking fires were knocked off, setting some of the boats ablaze. Though controversy surrounds what exactly happened next at the Satichaura Ghat, and it is unknown who fired the first shot, it is known that soon afterwards, the departing British were attacked by the rebel sepoys, and were either killed or captured.
Some of the British officers later claimed that Nana Sahib had placed the boats as high in the mud as possible, on purpose to cause delay. They also claim that Nana Sahib had previously arranged for the rebels to fire upon and kill all the English. Although the East India Company later accused Nana Sahib of betrayal and murder of innocent people, no definitive evidence has ever been found to prove that Nana Sahib had pre-planned or ordered the massacre. Some historians believe that the Satichaura Ghat massacre was the result of confusion, and not of any plan implemented by Nana Sahib and his associates.
Nevertheless, the fact that sniper fire from cannons pre-positioned along the riverbank was reported on the scene might suggest pre-planning. Whatever the case, amid the prevailing confusion at the Satichaura Ghat, Nana Sahib's general Tantya Tope allegedly ordered the 2nd Bengal Cavalry unit and some artillery units to open fire on the British. The rebel cavalry sowar
s moved into the water to kill the remaining British soldiers with swords and pistols. The surviving men were killed, while women and children were captured, as Nana Sahib did not approve of their killing. Around 120 women and children were taken prisoner and escorted to Savada House, Nana Sahib's headquarters during the siege.
The rebel soldiers also pursued General Wheeler's boat, which was slowly drifting to safer waters. After some firing, the British men on the boat decided to fly the white flag
. They were escorted off the boat and taken back to Savada house. The surviving British men were seated on the ground, as Nana Sahib's soldiers got ready to kill them. The women insisted that they would die with their husbands, but were pulled away. Nana Sahib granted the British chaplain Moncrieff's request to read prayers before they died. The British were initially wounded with the guns, and then killed with the swords. The women and children were taken to Savada House to be reunited with their remaining colleagues.
, and some other captive European women were also confined to Bibighar. In total, there were around 200 women and children in Bibighar.
Nana Sahib placed the care for these survivors under a prostitute called Hussaini Khanum (also known as Hussaini Begum). He decided to use these prisoners for bargaining with the East India Company. The Company forces consisting of around 1000 British, 150 Sikh
soldiers and 30 irregular cavalry had set out from Allahabad, under the command of General Henry Havelock
, to retake Cawnpore and Lucknow. Havelock's forces were later joined by the forces under the command of Major Renaud and James Neill
. Nana Sahib demanded that the East India Company
forces under General Havelock and Neill retreat to Allahabad. However, the Company forces advanced relentlessly towards Cawnpore. Nana Sahib sent an army to check their advance. The two armies met at Fatehpur
on July 12, where General Havelock's forces emerged victorious and captured the town.
Nana Sahib then sent another force under the command of his brother, Bala Rao. On July 15, the British forces under General Havelock defeated Bala Rao's army in the Battle of Aong
, just outside the Aong village. On July 16, General Havelock's forces started advancing to Cawnpore. During the Battle of Aong, Havelock was able to capture some of the rebel soldiers, who informed him that there was an army of 5,000 rebel soldiers with 8 artillery pieces further up the road. Havelock decided to launch a flank attack
on this army, but the rebel soldiers spotted the flanking maneuver and opened fire. The battle resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, but cleared the road to Cawnpore for the British.
By this time, it became clear that the Company forces were approaching Cawnpore, and Nana Sahib's bargaining attempts had failed. Nana Sahib was informed that the British troops led by Havelock and Neill were indulging in violence against the Indian villagers. Some believe that the Bibighar massacre was a reaction to the news of violence being perpetrated by the advancing British troops.
Nana Sahib, and his associates, including Tantya Tope and Azimullah Khan
, debated about what to do with the captives at Bibighar. Some of Nana Sahib's advisors had already decided to kill the captives at Bibighar, as revenge for the murders of Indians by the advancing British forces. The women of Nana Sahib's household opposed the decision and went on a hunger strike
, but their efforts went in vain.
Finally, on July 15, an order was given to kill the women and children imprisoned at Bibighar. Although some Company historians stated that the order for the massacre was given by Nana Sahib, the details of the incident, such as who ordered the massacre, are not clear.
According to some sources, Azimullah Khan ordered the killings of women and children at Bibighar.
At first, the rebel sepoys refused to obey the order to kill women and children. When they were threatened with execution for dereliction of duty some of them agreed to remove the women and children from the courtyard. Nana Sahib left the building because he didn't want to be a witness to the enfolding massacre.
The British women and children were ordered to come out of the assembly rooms, but they refused to do so. The rebel soldiers then started firing through the holes in the boarded windows. After the first round of firing, the soldiers were disturbed by the cries of the captives, and adamantly refused to fire at the women and children.
An angry Begum Hussaini Khanum termed the sepoys' act as cowardice, and asked her lover Sarvur Khan to finish the job of killing the captives. Sarvur Khan hired some butcher
s, who murdered the surviving women and children with cleavers
. The butchers left, when it seemed that all the captives had been killed. However, a few women and children had managed to survive by hiding under the other dead bodies. It was agreed that the bodies of the victims would be thrown down a dry well by some sweepers. The next morning, when the rebels arrived to dispose off the bodies, they found that three women and three children aged between four and seven years old were still alive. The surviving women were cast into the well by the sweepers who had also been told to strip the bodies of the murder victims. The sweepers then threw the three little boys into the well one at a time, the youngest first. Some victims, among them small children, were therefore buried alive in a heap of dead corpses.
. When the British soldiers came to know about the Bibighar massacre, they indulged in retaliatory violence, including looting and burning of houses. On July 19, General Havelock resumed operations at Bithoor, but Nana Sahib had already escaped. Nana Sahib's palace at Bithoor was occupied without resistance. The British troops seized guns, elephants and camels, and set Nana Sahib's palace to fire.
Nana Sahib disappeared after the British recapture of Cawnpore. His general, Tantya Tope, tried to recapture Cawnpore in November 1857, after gathering a large army, mainly consisting of the rebel soldiers from the Gwalior contingent. He managed to take control of all the routes west and north-west of Cawnpore, but was later defeated in the Second Battle of Cawnpore
.
In September 1857, Nana Sahib was reported to have fallen to malarious fever; however, this is doubtful. Rani Laxmibai, Tatya Tope and Rao Saheb (Nana Sahib's close confidante) proclaimed Nana Sahib as their Peshwa in June 1858 at Gwalior. By 1859, Nana Sahib was reported to have fled to Nepal
. In February 1860, the British were informed that Nana Sahib's wives had taken refuge in Nepal, where they resided in a house close to Thapathali. Nana Sahib himself was reported to be living in the interior of Nepal.
Nana Sahib's ultimate fate was never known. Up until 1888 there were rumours and reports that he had been captured and a number of individuals turned themselves in to the British claiming to be the aged Nana. As these reports turned out to be untrue further attempts at apprehending him were abandoned. There were also reports of him being spotted in Constantinople
.
Jules Verne
's novel The End of Nana Sahib (also published under the name "The Steam House
"), taking place in India ten years after the 1857 events, is based on these rumors.
In The Devil's Wind
, Manohar Malgonkar
gives a sympathetic reconstruction of Nana Saheb's life before, during and after the mutiny as told in his own words.
Another novel Recalcitrance published in 2008 the 150th anniversary year of the Great Uprising of 1857 and written by Anurag Kumar shows a character similar to Nana Sahab receiving blessings from an Indian sage who also gives him a special boon connected to his life and the battle of 1857.
After the independence of India, Nana Sahib was hailed as a freedom fighter, and the Nana Rao Park
in Kanpur was constructed in honor of Nana Sahib and his brother, Bala Rao.
states that after losing the battle with the British, Shree Nanasaheb Peshwe went to Naimisharanya, the Naimisha Forest in the vicinity of Sitapur
, Uttar Pradesh
where he met Shree Gondhavalekar Maharaj, who assured Shree Nanasaheb Tumachya Kesala dhakka lagnar naahi. Ya pudhil ayushya tumhi Bhagavantachya chintana madhe ghalavave. Me tumachya antakali hajar asen.(No one can harm you now. You should spend rest of your life in God's service. I will be near you at your last breath) Shree Nanasaheb then was living in a cave in Naimisharanya with his 2 servants (from 1860 to 1906, until his death). According to the book, he died on 30th / 31st Oct / 1st Nov 1906 at the age of 81 years, when Shree Gondhavalekar Maharaj was present with him. Shree Maharaj performed all his rituals.
Initially Shree Nanasaheb was very much upset from losing the kingdom in battle with the British. But Shree Gondhavalekar Maharaj explained to him the "Wish of God". He said, "It is very sad that Nanasaheb had to lose the battle and the kingdom in such a tragic way, but fighting with the British is totally different than fighting with Mughals. People from the middle class who know the British language will lead the next freedom war against British. Soon they will come into the picture. Your role as King or warrior has finished, and now you need to focus on the 'internal war'." Initially it was very difficult for him to accept this fact, but slowly, Nanasaheb accepted this and made progress on the path to God. He was staying in the cave along with his 2 servants who used to go to Ayodhya to bring newspapers (Kesari) and foodstuffs. Nanansaheb used to visit "Pashupatinath
" in Nepal and to meet his family - Samsherbahaddar & wife.
in Bhavnagar
District of Gujarat. Undocumented material also suggests Nana Sahib would keep changing his location between Sihor
and interior Shatrunjaya
Hills around Palitana periodically. However, references, mentions and evidences of Nana Sahib's consistent stay in Sihor
have been more dominant and documented in regional records and articles at regular intervals since many decades, for he spent his rest of the life in Sihor
, initially as a sage. There were some active freedom fighters and volunteers from Sihor during British rule, and one of them, had he been associated with Nana Sahib is often anticipated to have facilitated Nana Sahib's hideout and his group's safe passage to Sihor during early 60's (1860's), while he would leave Nepal and striving to settle out against British aggression in North India and Kanpur which became evident post 1857.
Sihor was a place still quiet, serene, surrounded by hills, with difficult passages and forests stretching up to Girnar
range. Religiously to interview the land and region of Kathiawar
or the Saurashtra (region), this province often known for its nobility, bravery, sacrifice and spirituality, the place of Sihor
in Bhavnagar, Kathiawar, its dormant hills and the jungle surrounding the town may have been a better option and success for Nana Sahib and his allies to settle out there post 1857 revolt and after leaving Nepal. Also with the fact Sihor and its people had continuing connections with Mumbai and various parts of now Maharashtra, which in turn seemed to have helped Nana Sahib to keep a regular touch with few his allies down in Mumbai and Maharashtra. This may be seen from the correspondence, people who kept coming to meet him in Sihor.
As per the records of Sihor
history, Nana Sahib passed away in 1909 in Sihor, but curiosity, facts and revelations had started emerging peculiarly post 1947 across the region (Sihor) and Saurashtra
, with some official efforts starting toward the 70's (1970's). Subsequently, opening of more links, correspondence, his writings, a few empirical archives, documents with the then state of Bhavnagar
, few his rare photographs, some events, altogether a reasonable span of his stay of 45 years in Sihor, and Nana Sahib's local as well as national allies & revolutionaries found reference, nearly to establish without efforts in an unbiased manner, the most probable account of disappearance of this historical figure. Most critically when all these secrets were rather for keeping them as secret and not for the claims, either to prove a personality as Nana Sahib or reveal if it was Sihor which was marked by Nana Sahib's remainder of life, which almost carried along for 45-46 years.
Among the locals, very interesting piece of history referring the remainder, Nana Sahib's life in Sihor, his character, his thoughts and deeds, his subtle nature and identity, his local and general involvement, all these conveyed by those who were close to him directly or indirectly in Sihor, periodically got published in the region. Adding to that, some steps and initiatives taken by him, and the belongings & remnants, these all when acknowledged and realized later, post 1947, eventually to acknowledge they were just Nana Sahib, are all a serious subject of learning and retrospection. This account poses re-evaluation of an incomplete task, a structured approach and serious initiative in asking for the state government of Gujarat and the Central Government, India
.
Presently, there is a house signified to Nana Sahib in old town of Sihor, remnants and materials, an old tomb as a tribute to him by the locals, a few existing connections/references and recently a recreational park named after Nana Sahib Peshwa in Sihor.
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
- धोंडू पंत ), was an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n leader during the Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
. As the adopted son of the exiled Maratha Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
Baji Rao II
Baji Rao II
Baji Rao II was the last Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy, and governed from 1796 to 1818. His reign was marked by confrontations with the British.-Biography:...
, he sought to restore the Maratha confederacy and the Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
tradition.
Early life
Nana Sahib was born as Dhondu Pant to Narayan Bhatt and Ganga Bai. In 1827, he was adopted by the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II. The East India CompanyEast India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
exiled Baji Rao II to Bithoor
Bithoor
Bithoor is a centre of Hindu pilgrimage in Kanpur District near Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh, India.-Location:Bithoor is situated on the Kannauj Road, 27 km from center of Kanpur. Situated on the banks of the Ganges. It is a tourist place....
near Cawnpore (now Kanpur), where Nana Sahib was brought up.
Nana Sahib's close associates included Tantya Tope and Azimullah Khan
Azimullah Khan
Azimullah Khan Yusufzai , also known as Dewan Azimullah Khan, was initially appointed Secretary, and later Prime Minister to Nana Sahib...
; Tatya Tope was the son of Pandurang Rao Tope, an important noble at the court of the Peshwa Baji Rao II. After Baji Rao was exiled to Bithoor, Pandurang Rao and his family also shifted t
Pension
Through his adoption, Nana Sahib was heir-presumptive to the throne, and was eligible for an annual pension of £80,000 from the East India Company. However, after the death of Baji Rao II, the Company stopped the pension on the grounds that Nana Sahib was not a natural born heir. Nana Sahib was highly offended, and sent his envoy (Azimullah Khan) to England in 1853 to plead his case with the British Government. However, Azimullah Khan was unable to convince the British to resume the pension, and returned to India in 1855.Role in the War of Independence of 1857
He won the confidence of Charles Hillersdon, the collector of Cawnpore. It was planned that Nana Sahib would assemble a force of 1,500 soldiers, in case the rebellion spread to Cawnpore.On June 5, 1857, at the time of rebellion by forces of the East India Company at Cawnpore, the British contingent had taken refuge at an entrenchment in the southern part of the town. Amid the prevailing chaos in Cawnpore, Nana Sahib and his forces entered the British magazine
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
situated in the northern part of the town. The soldiers of the 53rd Native Infantry, which was guarding the magazine, thought that Nana Sahib had come to guard the magazine on behalf of the British. However, once he entered the magazine, Nana Sahib announced that he was a participant in the rebellion against the British, and intended to be a vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
of Bahadur Shah II
Bahadur Shah II
His Royal Highness Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar , also known as Bahadur Shah or Bahadur Shah II was the last of the Mughal emperors in India, as well as the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty.He was the son of Akbar Shah II and Lalbai, who was a Hindu Rajput...
.
After taking possession of the Company treasury, Nana Sahib advanced up the Grand Trunk Road
Grand Trunk Road
The Grand Trunk Road also formerly known as Uttarapatha, Shah Rah-e-Azam or Sadak-e-Azam or Badshahi Sadak is one of South Asia's oldest and longest major roads...
. He wanted to restore the Maratha confederacy under the Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
tradition, and decided to capture Cawnpore. On his way, Nana Sahib met the rebel Company soldiers at Kalyanpur. The soldiers were on their way to Delhi, to meet Bahadur Shah II
Bahadur Shah II
His Royal Highness Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar , also known as Bahadur Shah or Bahadur Shah II was the last of the Mughal emperors in India, as well as the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty.He was the son of Akbar Shah II and Lalbai, who was a Hindu Rajput...
. Nana Sahib wanted them to go back to Kanpur, and help him in defeating the British. The soldiers were reluctant at first, but decided to join Nana Sahib, when he promised to double their pay and reward them with gold, if they were to destroy the British entrenchment.
Attack on Wheeler's entrenchment
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
-filled trenches that would explode if they got closer. The British held out in their makeshift fort for three weeks with little water and food supplies, and lost many lives due to sunstroke and lack of water.
As the news of Nana Sahib's advances over the British garrison spread, several of the rebel sepoys joined him. By June 10, he was believed to be leading around twelve thousand to fifteen thousand Indian soldiers. During the first week of the siege, Nana Sahib's forces encircled the attachment, created loopholes
Embrasure
In military architecture, an embrasure is the opening in a crenellation or battlement between the two raised solid portions or merlons, sometimes called a crenel or crenelle...
and established firing positions from the surrounding buildings. The British Captain John Moore retaliated and launched night-time sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
s. Nana Sahib retreated his headquarter to Savada House (or Savada Kothi), which was situated around two miles away. In response to Moore's sorties, Nana Sahib decided to attempt a direct assault on the British entrenchment, but the rebel soldiers displayed a lack of enthusiasm.
The sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
fire and the bombardment
Bombardment
A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire directed against fortifications, troops or towns and buildings.Prior to World War I the term term was only applied to the bombardment of defenceless or undefended objects, houses, public buildings, it was only loosely employed to describe artillery...
continued until June 23, 1857, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Plassey
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey , 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years...
. The Battle of Plassey, which took place on June 23, 1757, was one of the pivotal battles leading to the expansion of the British rule in India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. One of the driving forces of the rebellion by sepoys, was a prophecy that predicted the downfall of East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
rule in India exactly one hundred years after the Battle of Plassey. This prompted the rebel soldiers under Nana Sahib to launch a major attack on the British entrenchment on June 23, 1857. However, they were unable to gain an entry into the entrenchment by the end of the day.
The British camp had been steadily losing its soldiers to successive bombardment
Bombardment
A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire directed against fortifications, troops or towns and buildings.Prior to World War I the term term was only applied to the bombardment of defenceless or undefended objects, houses, public buildings, it was only loosely employed to describe artillery...
s, sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
fire, and assaults by Nana Sahib's forces. It was also suffering from disease and low supplies of food, water and medicine. General Wheeler's personal morale had been low, after his son Lieutenant Gordon Wheeler was decapitated in an assault on the barracks. At the same time, Nana Sahib's forces were wary of entering the entrenchment, as they believed that it had gunpowder-filled trenches.
Nana Sahib and his advisers came up with a plan to end the deadlock. On June 24, Nana Sahib sent a female European prisoner, Rose Greenway, to the entrenchment to convey their message. In return for a surrender, he promised the safe passage of the British to the Satichaura Ghat, a dock on the Ganges from which they could depart for Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
. General Wheeler rejected the offer, because it had not been signed, and there was no guarantee that the offer was made by Nana Sahib himself.
Next day, on June 25, Nana Sahib sent a second note, signed by himself, through another female prisoner, Mrs. Jacobi. The British camp divided into two groups with different opinions — one group was in favor of continuing the defence, while the second group was willing to trust Nana Sahib. During the next 24 hours, there was no bombardment from Nana Sahib's forces. Finally, General Wheeler decided to surrender, in return for a safe passage to Allahabad. After a day of preparation and burying their dead, the British decided to leave for Allahabad on the morning of June 27, 1857.
Satichaura Ghat massacre
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s to enable the women, the children and the sick to proceed to the river banks. The British officers and military men were allowed to take their arms and ammunition with them, and were escorted by nearly the whole of the rebel army. The British reached the Satichaura Ghat (now Satti Chaura Ghat) by 8 AM. Nana Sahib had arranged around 40 boats, belonging to a boatman called Hardev Mallah, for their departure to Allahabad.
The Ganges river was unusually dry at the Satichaura Ghat, and the British found it difficult to drift the boats away. General Wheeler and his party were the first aboard and the first to manage to set their boat adrift. There was some confusion, as the Indian boatmen jumped overboard and started swimming toward the banks. During their jump, some of the cooking fires were knocked off, setting some of the boats ablaze. Though controversy surrounds what exactly happened next at the Satichaura Ghat, and it is unknown who fired the first shot, it is known that soon afterwards, the departing British were attacked by the rebel sepoys, and were either killed or captured.
Some of the British officers later claimed that Nana Sahib had placed the boats as high in the mud as possible, on purpose to cause delay. They also claim that Nana Sahib had previously arranged for the rebels to fire upon and kill all the English. Although the East India Company later accused Nana Sahib of betrayal and murder of innocent people, no definitive evidence has ever been found to prove that Nana Sahib had pre-planned or ordered the massacre. Some historians believe that the Satichaura Ghat massacre was the result of confusion, and not of any plan implemented by Nana Sahib and his associates.
Nevertheless, the fact that sniper fire from cannons pre-positioned along the riverbank was reported on the scene might suggest pre-planning. Whatever the case, amid the prevailing confusion at the Satichaura Ghat, Nana Sahib's general Tantya Tope allegedly ordered the 2nd Bengal Cavalry unit and some artillery units to open fire on the British. The rebel cavalry sowar
Sowar
Sowar , meaning 'The one who rides' in Persian, was originally a rank during the Mughal period. Later during the British Raj it was the name in Anglo-Indian usage for a horse-soldier belonging to the cavalry troops of the native armies of British India and the feudal states...
s moved into the water to kill the remaining British soldiers with swords and pistols. The surviving men were killed, while women and children were captured, as Nana Sahib did not approve of their killing. Around 120 women and children were taken prisoner and escorted to Savada House, Nana Sahib's headquarters during the siege.
The rebel soldiers also pursued General Wheeler's boat, which was slowly drifting to safer waters. After some firing, the British men on the boat decided to fly the white flag
White flag
White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.-Flag of temporary truce in order to parley :...
. They were escorted off the boat and taken back to Savada house. The surviving British men were seated on the ground, as Nana Sahib's soldiers got ready to kill them. The women insisted that they would die with their husbands, but were pulled away. Nana Sahib granted the British chaplain Moncrieff's request to read prayers before they died. The British were initially wounded with the guns, and then killed with the swords. The women and children were taken to Savada House to be reunited with their remaining colleagues.
Bibighar massacre
The surviving British women and children, around 120 in number, were moved from the Savada House to Bibighar ("the House of the Ladies"), a villa-type house in Cawnpore. They were later joined by some other women and children, the survivors from General Wheeler's boat. Another group of British women and children from FatehgarhFatehgarh
Fatehgarh is a cantonment town in Farrukhabad district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located on the right bank of the Ganges River. It is the administrative headquarters of Farrukhabad District. Fatehgarh derives its name from an old fort. It is a small city with no significant...
, and some other captive European women were also confined to Bibighar. In total, there were around 200 women and children in Bibighar.
Nana Sahib placed the care for these survivors under a prostitute called Hussaini Khanum (also known as Hussaini Begum). He decided to use these prisoners for bargaining with the East India Company. The Company forces consisting of around 1000 British, 150 Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
soldiers and 30 irregular cavalry had set out from Allahabad, under the command of General Henry Havelock
Henry Havelock
Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, KCB was a British general who is particularly associated with India. He was noted for his recapture of Cawnpore from rebels during Indian Rebellion of 1857.-Early life:...
, to retake Cawnpore and Lucknow. Havelock's forces were later joined by the forces under the command of Major Renaud and James Neill
James George Smith Neill
Brigadier-General James George Smith Neill was a British soldier.Neill was born near Ayr, Scotland and educated at the University of Glasgow. Entering the service of the British East India Company in 1827, he received his lieutenant's commission a year later...
. Nana Sahib demanded that the East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
forces under General Havelock and Neill retreat to Allahabad. However, the Company forces advanced relentlessly towards Cawnpore. Nana Sahib sent an army to check their advance. The two armies met at Fatehpur
Fatehpur, Fatehpur
Fatehpur is a city and a municipal board in Fatehpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Geography:Fatehpur is located at . It has an average elevation of 110 metres...
on July 12, where General Havelock's forces emerged victorious and captured the town.
Nana Sahib then sent another force under the command of his brother, Bala Rao. On July 15, the British forces under General Havelock defeated Bala Rao's army in the Battle of Aong
Battle of Aong
The Battle of Aong took place on July 15, 1857, during the Indian rebellion of 1857, between the East India Company forces and Nana Sahib's forces....
, just outside the Aong village. On July 16, General Havelock's forces started advancing to Cawnpore. During the Battle of Aong, Havelock was able to capture some of the rebel soldiers, who informed him that there was an army of 5,000 rebel soldiers with 8 artillery pieces further up the road. Havelock decided to launch a flank attack
Flanking maneuver
In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
on this army, but the rebel soldiers spotted the flanking maneuver and opened fire. The battle resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, but cleared the road to Cawnpore for the British.
By this time, it became clear that the Company forces were approaching Cawnpore, and Nana Sahib's bargaining attempts had failed. Nana Sahib was informed that the British troops led by Havelock and Neill were indulging in violence against the Indian villagers. Some believe that the Bibighar massacre was a reaction to the news of violence being perpetrated by the advancing British troops.
Nana Sahib, and his associates, including Tantya Tope and Azimullah Khan
Azimullah Khan
Azimullah Khan Yusufzai , also known as Dewan Azimullah Khan, was initially appointed Secretary, and later Prime Minister to Nana Sahib...
, debated about what to do with the captives at Bibighar. Some of Nana Sahib's advisors had already decided to kill the captives at Bibighar, as revenge for the murders of Indians by the advancing British forces. The women of Nana Sahib's household opposed the decision and went on a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
, but their efforts went in vain.
Finally, on July 15, an order was given to kill the women and children imprisoned at Bibighar. Although some Company historians stated that the order for the massacre was given by Nana Sahib, the details of the incident, such as who ordered the massacre, are not clear.
According to some sources, Azimullah Khan ordered the killings of women and children at Bibighar.
At first, the rebel sepoys refused to obey the order to kill women and children. When they were threatened with execution for dereliction of duty some of them agreed to remove the women and children from the courtyard. Nana Sahib left the building because he didn't want to be a witness to the enfolding massacre.
The British women and children were ordered to come out of the assembly rooms, but they refused to do so. The rebel soldiers then started firing through the holes in the boarded windows. After the first round of firing, the soldiers were disturbed by the cries of the captives, and adamantly refused to fire at the women and children.
An angry Begum Hussaini Khanum termed the sepoys' act as cowardice, and asked her lover Sarvur Khan to finish the job of killing the captives. Sarvur Khan hired some butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
s, who murdered the surviving women and children with cleavers
Cleaver (knife)
A cleaver is a large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a rectangular-bladed hatchet. It is used mostly for hacking through bones as a kitchen knife or butcher knife, and can also be used for crushing via its broad side, typically garlic....
. The butchers left, when it seemed that all the captives had been killed. However, a few women and children had managed to survive by hiding under the other dead bodies. It was agreed that the bodies of the victims would be thrown down a dry well by some sweepers. The next morning, when the rebels arrived to dispose off the bodies, they found that three women and three children aged between four and seven years old were still alive. The surviving women were cast into the well by the sweepers who had also been told to strip the bodies of the murder victims. The sweepers then threw the three little boys into the well one at a time, the youngest first. Some victims, among them small children, were therefore buried alive in a heap of dead corpses.
Recapture of Cawnpore by the British
The Company forces reached Cawnpore on July 16, 1857. General Havelock was informed that Nana Sahib had taken up a position at the Ahirwa village. His forces launched an attack on Nana Sahib's forces, and emerged victorious. Nana Sahib then blew up the Cawnpore magazine, abandoned the place, and retreated to BithoorBithoor
Bithoor is a centre of Hindu pilgrimage in Kanpur District near Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh, India.-Location:Bithoor is situated on the Kannauj Road, 27 km from center of Kanpur. Situated on the banks of the Ganges. It is a tourist place....
. When the British soldiers came to know about the Bibighar massacre, they indulged in retaliatory violence, including looting and burning of houses. On July 19, General Havelock resumed operations at Bithoor, but Nana Sahib had already escaped. Nana Sahib's palace at Bithoor was occupied without resistance. The British troops seized guns, elephants and camels, and set Nana Sahib's palace to fire.
Disappearance
Second Battle of Cawnpore
The Second Battle of Cawnpore was a battle of Indian rebellion of 1857. It was decisive as it thwarted the rebels' last chance to regain the initiative and recapture the cities of Kanpur and Lucknow.-Background:...
.
In September 1857, Nana Sahib was reported to have fallen to malarious fever; however, this is doubtful. Rani Laxmibai, Tatya Tope and Rao Saheb (Nana Sahib's close confidante) proclaimed Nana Sahib as their Peshwa in June 1858 at Gwalior. By 1859, Nana Sahib was reported to have fled to Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. In February 1860, the British were informed that Nana Sahib's wives had taken refuge in Nepal, where they resided in a house close to Thapathali. Nana Sahib himself was reported to be living in the interior of Nepal.
Nana Sahib's ultimate fate was never known. Up until 1888 there were rumours and reports that he had been captured and a number of individuals turned themselves in to the British claiming to be the aged Nana. As these reports turned out to be untrue further attempts at apprehending him were abandoned. There were also reports of him being spotted in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's novel The End of Nana Sahib (also published under the name "The Steam House
The Steam House
The Steam House is a Jules Verne novel recounting the travels of a group of British colonists in the Raj in a wheeled house pulled by a steam-powered mechanical elephant...
"), taking place in India ten years after the 1857 events, is based on these rumors.
In The Devil's Wind
The Devil's Wind
The Devil's Wind is a historical novel by Manohar Malgonkar that tells the story of Nana Saheb, the heir of the last Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy, who played a leading role in the Indian Mutiny. It provides a sympathetic portrait of a man whom the British portrayed as a great villain, and is...
, Manohar Malgonkar
Manohar Malgonkar
Manohar Malgonkar was an Indian author in the English language of both fiction and nonfiction....
gives a sympathetic reconstruction of Nana Saheb's life before, during and after the mutiny as told in his own words.
Another novel Recalcitrance published in 2008 the 150th anniversary year of the Great Uprising of 1857 and written by Anurag Kumar shows a character similar to Nana Sahab receiving blessings from an Indian sage who also gives him a special boon connected to his life and the battle of 1857.
After the independence of India, Nana Sahib was hailed as a freedom fighter, and the Nana Rao Park
Nana Rao Park
Nana Rao Park / Company Bagh is an public city park in Kanpur city, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh in North India...
in Kanpur was constructed in honor of Nana Sahib and his brother, Bala Rao.
Belsare's account
Shree K. V. Belsare's book on the Maharashtrian Saint Shree Brahmachaitanya Gondhavalekar MaharajBrahma Chaitanya
Shri Brahma Chaitanya , born on 'Maagha Shuddha Dwadashi' of 'Shake 1766' in Gondavale Budruk, Taluka Maan, District Satara.A Hindu...
states that after losing the battle with the British, Shree Nanasaheb Peshwe went to Naimisharanya, the Naimisha Forest in the vicinity of Sitapur
Sitapur
Sitapur formerly spelled as Citapore is a town and a municipal board in Sitapur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is in the Lucknow Division of Uttar Pradesh...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
where he met Shree Gondhavalekar Maharaj, who assured Shree Nanasaheb Tumachya Kesala dhakka lagnar naahi. Ya pudhil ayushya tumhi Bhagavantachya chintana madhe ghalavave. Me tumachya antakali hajar asen.(No one can harm you now. You should spend rest of your life in God's service. I will be near you at your last breath) Shree Nanasaheb then was living in a cave in Naimisharanya with his 2 servants (from 1860 to 1906, until his death). According to the book, he died on 30th / 31st Oct / 1st Nov 1906 at the age of 81 years, when Shree Gondhavalekar Maharaj was present with him. Shree Maharaj performed all his rituals.
Initially Shree Nanasaheb was very much upset from losing the kingdom in battle with the British. But Shree Gondhavalekar Maharaj explained to him the "Wish of God". He said, "It is very sad that Nanasaheb had to lose the battle and the kingdom in such a tragic way, but fighting with the British is totally different than fighting with Mughals. People from the middle class who know the British language will lead the next freedom war against British. Soon they will come into the picture. Your role as King or warrior has finished, and now you need to focus on the 'internal war'." Initially it was very difficult for him to accept this fact, but slowly, Nanasaheb accepted this and made progress on the path to God. He was staying in the cave along with his 2 servants who used to go to Ayodhya to bring newspapers (Kesari) and foodstuffs. Nanansaheb used to visit "Pashupatinath
Pashupatinath temple
Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most significant Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The temple served as the seat of the national deity, Lord Pashupatinath, Nepal is a secular country...
" in Nepal and to meet his family - Samsherbahaddar & wife.
The Sihor account and secret
But a critical fact and secret remains intact, that is Nana Sahib's remnants at SihorSihor
Sihor is an ancient, historical medium sized town, a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Placed along the river Gautami, this erstwhile capital of the Gohil Rajputs, surrounded by hills is situated about 20 km from Bhavnagar...
in Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar
-Topography:Bhavnagar is a coastal city in the eastern coast of Saurashtra, also known as Kathiawar, located at . It has an average elevation of 24 metres . It occupies area of 53.30 km². General slope dips in the northeasterly direction at the apex of Gulf of Khambhat...
District of Gujarat. Undocumented material also suggests Nana Sahib would keep changing his location between Sihor
Sihor
Sihor is an ancient, historical medium sized town, a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Placed along the river Gautami, this erstwhile capital of the Gohil Rajputs, surrounded by hills is situated about 20 km from Bhavnagar...
and interior Shatrunjaya
Shatrunjaya
The Palitana Temples of Jainism on Mount Satrunjaya, Palitana, Gujarat are considered the holiest of all pilgrimage places by the Svetambara Jain community. There are 863 temples exquisitely carved in marble located on the hills. This temple-city has been built as an abode for the divine; hence,...
Hills around Palitana periodically. However, references, mentions and evidences of Nana Sahib's consistent stay in Sihor
Sihor
Sihor is an ancient, historical medium sized town, a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Placed along the river Gautami, this erstwhile capital of the Gohil Rajputs, surrounded by hills is situated about 20 km from Bhavnagar...
have been more dominant and documented in regional records and articles at regular intervals since many decades, for he spent his rest of the life in Sihor
Sihor
Sihor is an ancient, historical medium sized town, a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Placed along the river Gautami, this erstwhile capital of the Gohil Rajputs, surrounded by hills is situated about 20 km from Bhavnagar...
, initially as a sage. There were some active freedom fighters and volunteers from Sihor during British rule, and one of them, had he been associated with Nana Sahib is often anticipated to have facilitated Nana Sahib's hideout and his group's safe passage to Sihor during early 60's (1860's), while he would leave Nepal and striving to settle out against British aggression in North India and Kanpur which became evident post 1857.
Sihor was a place still quiet, serene, surrounded by hills, with difficult passages and forests stretching up to Girnar
Girnar
Girnar is a collection of mountains in the Junagadh District of Gujarat, India, situated near Junagadh at a distance of 327 km from Ahmedabad. It is a holy place and an important pilgrimage for both Hindus and Jains. There are a number of temples located here. Amidst the lush green Gir...
range. Religiously to interview the land and region of Kathiawar
Kathiawar
Kathiawar or Kathiawad is a peninsula in western India, which is part of the Saurashtra region on the Arabian Sea coast of Gujarat state. It is bounded on the north by the great wetland of the Rann of Kutch, on the northwest by the Gulf of Kutch, on the west and south by the Arabian Sea, and on...
or the Saurashtra (region), this province often known for its nobility, bravery, sacrifice and spirituality, the place of Sihor
Sihor
Sihor is an ancient, historical medium sized town, a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Placed along the river Gautami, this erstwhile capital of the Gohil Rajputs, surrounded by hills is situated about 20 km from Bhavnagar...
in Bhavnagar, Kathiawar, its dormant hills and the jungle surrounding the town may have been a better option and success for Nana Sahib and his allies to settle out there post 1857 revolt and after leaving Nepal. Also with the fact Sihor and its people had continuing connections with Mumbai and various parts of now Maharashtra, which in turn seemed to have helped Nana Sahib to keep a regular touch with few his allies down in Mumbai and Maharashtra. This may be seen from the correspondence, people who kept coming to meet him in Sihor.
As per the records of Sihor
Sihor
Sihor is an ancient, historical medium sized town, a municipality in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Placed along the river Gautami, this erstwhile capital of the Gohil Rajputs, surrounded by hills is situated about 20 km from Bhavnagar...
history, Nana Sahib passed away in 1909 in Sihor, but curiosity, facts and revelations had started emerging peculiarly post 1947 across the region (Sihor) and Saurashtra
Saurashtra
Saurashtra is a region of western India, located on the Arabian Sea coast of Gujarat state. It is a peninsula also called Kathiawar after the Kathi Darbar who ruled part of the region once. The Peninsula is shared with the Kachchh region which occupies the north, Saurashtra or Sorath forming the...
, with some official efforts starting toward the 70's (1970's). Subsequently, opening of more links, correspondence, his writings, a few empirical archives, documents with the then state of Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar
-Topography:Bhavnagar is a coastal city in the eastern coast of Saurashtra, also known as Kathiawar, located at . It has an average elevation of 24 metres . It occupies area of 53.30 km². General slope dips in the northeasterly direction at the apex of Gulf of Khambhat...
, few his rare photographs, some events, altogether a reasonable span of his stay of 45 years in Sihor, and Nana Sahib's local as well as national allies & revolutionaries found reference, nearly to establish without efforts in an unbiased manner, the most probable account of disappearance of this historical figure. Most critically when all these secrets were rather for keeping them as secret and not for the claims, either to prove a personality as Nana Sahib or reveal if it was Sihor which was marked by Nana Sahib's remainder of life, which almost carried along for 45-46 years.
Among the locals, very interesting piece of history referring the remainder, Nana Sahib's life in Sihor, his character, his thoughts and deeds, his subtle nature and identity, his local and general involvement, all these conveyed by those who were close to him directly or indirectly in Sihor, periodically got published in the region. Adding to that, some steps and initiatives taken by him, and the belongings & remnants, these all when acknowledged and realized later, post 1947, eventually to acknowledge they were just Nana Sahib, are all a serious subject of learning and retrospection. This account poses re-evaluation of an incomplete task, a structured approach and serious initiative in asking for the state government of Gujarat and the Central Government, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Presently, there is a house signified to Nana Sahib in old town of Sihor, remnants and materials, an old tomb as a tribute to him by the locals, a few existing connections/references and recently a recreational park named after Nana Sahib Peshwa in Sihor.