Mangal Pandey | Biography & Facts

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</span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mangal-Pandey/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Mangal-Pandey">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mangal-Pandey/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/05/171605-050-863320AE/Image-postage-stamp-Mangal-Pandey-India-government-1984.jpg" data-href="/media/1/1978989/187301" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" 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He was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Hinduism\">Hindu<\/a> of the aristocratic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Brahman-social-class\">Brahman<\/a> caste, which had been especially dispossessed under British paramountcy. Pandey inspired the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Indian-Mutiny\">Indian Mutiny<\/a> (also called the Indian Rebellion of 1857, among other names) after rumours circulated that cow lard was used to grease rifle cartridges, which was repugnant to Hindus." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>What is Mangal Pandey\u2019s legacy?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Mangal Pandey\u2019s actions in 1857 sparked the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Indian-Mutiny\">Indian Mutiny<\/a>, also often called India\u2019s First War of Independence. The rebellion led to the abolition of the British <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/East-India-Company\">East India Company<\/a> in favour of direct British rule. This initiated a period when heightened Indian nationalism steered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/India\">India<\/a> toward independence." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : "<div>How did Mangal Pandey die?<\/div><em><\/em>", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Mangal Pandey was arrested and sentenced to death after he attacked British officers in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Barrackpore\">Barrackpore<\/a> on March 29, 1857. Anticipating a revolt, British authorities moved up his initial execution date from April 18 to April 8, when he was hanged." } } ] } </script> <div class="top-questions qa-accordion d-flex flex-column module-spacing"><div class="font-weight-bold font-14 mb-5"> Top Questions </div><div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion"><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="1"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>Who was Mangal Pandey?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Mangal Pandey was an Indian sepoy in the service of the British <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/East-India-Company" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">East India Company</a>. He was a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hindu</a> of the aristocratic <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brahman-social-class" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Brahman</a> caste, which had been especially dispossessed under British paramountcy. Pandey inspired the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Indian-Mutiny" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indian Mutiny</a> (also called the Indian Rebellion of 1857, among other names) after rumours circulated that cow lard was used to grease rifle cartridges, which was repugnant to Hindus.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="2"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>What is Mangal Pandey鈥檚 legacy?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Mangal Pandey鈥檚 actions in 1857 sparked the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Indian-Mutiny" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indian Mutiny</a>, also often called India鈥檚 First War of Independence. The rebellion led to the abolition of the British <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/East-India-Company" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">East India Company</a> in favour of direct British rule. This initiated a period when heightened Indian nationalism steered <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/India" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">India</a> toward independence.</p></div></div></div><div class="top-question bg-gray-50 rounded" data-value="3"><h3 class="accordion--question font-14 font-weight-normal cursor-pointer rounded"><div class="pe-none d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"><div>How did Mangal Pandey die?</div><em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></em></div></h3><div class="accordion--answer hidden p-15 pt-5 font-16 mb-5"><div class="accordion--answer-copy"><p>Mangal Pandey was arrested and sentenced to death after he attacked British officers in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Barrackpore" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Barrackpore</a> on March 29, 1857. Anticipating a revolt, British authorities moved up his initial execution date from April 18 to April 8, when he was hanged.</p></div></div></div></div></div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1199740"></span>Mangal Pandey</strong> (born July 19, 1827, Akbarpur, India鈥攄ied April 8, 1857, Barrackpore) was an Indian soldier whose attack on British officers on March 29, 1857, was the first major incident of what came to be known as the <span id="ref1201264"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Indian-Mutiny" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indian, or Sepoy, Mutiny</a> (in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/India" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">India</a> the uprising is often called the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Indian-Mutiny" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">First War of Independence</a> or other similar names).</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Pandey was born in a town near <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Faizabad" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Faizabad</a> in what is now eastern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Uttar-Pradesh" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Uttar Pradesh</a> state in northern India, although some give his birth place as a small village near <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lalitpur-India" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Lalitpur</a> (in present-day southwestern Uttar Pradesh). He was from a high-caste <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brahman-social-class" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Brahman</a> landowning family that professed strong <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hindu</a> beliefs. Pandey joined the army of the British <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/East-India-Company" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">East India Company</a> in 1849, some accounts suggesting that he was recruited by a brigade that marched past him. He was made a soldier (sepoy) in the 6th Company of the 34th Bengal Native Infantry, which included a large number of Brahmans. Pandey was ambitious and viewed his profession as a sepoy as a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="stepping-stone" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/stepping-stone" data-type="EB">stepping-stone</a> to future success.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Pandey鈥檚 career ambitions, however, came into conflict with his religious beliefs. While he was posted at the garrison in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Barrackpore" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Barrackpore</a> in the mid-1850s, a new <span id="ref1201265"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Enfield-rifle" class="md-crosslink ">Enfield rifle</a> was introduced into India that required a soldier to bite off the ends of greased cartridges in order to load the weapon. A rumour spread that the lubricant used was either <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/cattle-livestock" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cow</a> or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/pig-mammal-group" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">pig</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/lard" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">lard</a>, which was repugnant to Hindus or Muslims, respectively. The belief arose among the sepoys that the British had deliberately used the lard on the cartridges.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">There have been various accounts of the events of March 29, 1857. However, the general agreement is that Pandey attempted to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="incite" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/incite" data-type="EB">incite</a> his fellow sepoys to rise up against their British officers, attacked two of those officers, attempted to shoot himself after having been restrained, and eventually was overpowered and arrested. Some contemporary reports suggested that he was under the influence of drugs鈥攑ossibly <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/cannabis-plant" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cannabis</a> or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/opium" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">opium</a>鈥攁nd was not fully aware of his actions. Pandey was soon tried and sentenced to death. His execution (by hanging) was set for April 18, but British authorities, fearing the outbreak of a large-scale revolt if they waited until then, moved the date up to April 8. Resistance to the use of Enfield cartridges later that month in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Meerut" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Meerut</a> led to the outbreak of a revolt there in May and the start of the larger <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="insurrection" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/insurrection" data-type="EB">insurrection</a>.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In India, Pandey has been remembered as a freedom fighter against British rule. A commemorative postage stamp with his image on it was issued by the Indian government in 1984. In addition, a movie and stage play that depicted his life both appeared in 2005.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Shanthie-Mariet-DSouza/7638007">Shanthie Mariet D'Souza</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":1978989,"pageLength":435,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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