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Background of the Revolt

The Raghuvanshi Rajputs of the Dobhi region in Jaunpur emerged as one of the strongest anti-British forces in eastern Uttar Pradesh during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After news spread in June 1857 that British troops had fired upon Indian soldiers at Varanasi (Banaras), unrest quickly spread to Jaunpur. On 5 June 1857, British magistrate Fane fled the district, and the British attempted to maintain control by handing administration to Raja Shiv Gulam Dubey. However, the people of Dobhi refused to accept British authority. Under the leadership of Thakur Dayal Singh Raghuvanshi of Senapur, Abhilakh Singh, and Jai Mangal Singh, the Raghuvanshi Rajputs launched an armed revolt against British rule.

Organization of the Rebels

The rebels organized armed village militias, disrupted British communication and supply lines, and established control over the Banaras–Dobhi–Azamgarh route. Through village panchayats, they recruited and trained local youth for military action, attacked British officials and their collaborators, destroyed government buildings in Kerakat, and burned indigo (neel) warehouses, which had become symbols of colonial economic exploitation.

The Attempts to Capture Banaras

After capturing the Banaras–Dobhi–Azamgarh route and disrupting British communications, the rebels launched their first military advance toward Banaras. Although they faced strong resistance from regular British troops and suffered setbacks in the early clashes, the Raghuvanshi Rajputs regrouped and made another bold attempt to seize Banaras.

Battle of Pisnaharia-ka-Inar

During this second advance, in late June 1857, British forces under Taylor, supported by Sikh regiments and cavalry, confronted the rebels near Pisnaharia-ka-Inar, about five miles north of Banaras. Heavy monsoon rain soaked the rebels’ gunpowder, making many firearms useless. Despite this setback, the fighters continued battling with swords, spears, and traditional weapons before retreating across the Gomti River. British troops later crossed the river and destroyed several Rajput villages in the Dobhi region.

Alliance with Kunwar Singh

The rebellion intensified again when Kunwar Singh entered Azamgarh with his forces. The Raghuvanshi Rajputs of Dobhi joined and supported his anti-British campaign, and together they fought British forces in the Azamgarh region. The Banaras army sent against Kunwar Singh initially suffered defeat, but after his withdrawal British repression became much harsher.

Executions at Senapur (1858)

In May 1858, British officials invited the leading rebels of Dobhi to Senapur village under the pretext of negotiations and peace talks. Once the rebel leaders assembled there, many were arrested and publicly executed without formal trial. Around 23 revolutionaries, including Dayal Singh, Chhangur Singh, Abhilakh Singh, Madho Singh, Ram Dular Singh, Ram Bhairoo Singh, Shiv Brat Singh, Sheerbarat Singh, Thakur Singh, Yadubir Singh, Bisheshar Singh, Devaki Singh, Jaglal Singh, and Randulaar Singh, were hanged from a large mango tree in Senapur. According to local tradition, British soldiers later reportedly fired upon the hanging bodies to terrorize the local population, and the bodies remained suspended for several days before villagers secretly cremated them at night.

Sources

Benares - A Gazetteer, Η. R. Νevil

Freedom Struggle In Uttar Pradesh Vol-iv (1959) by S. A. A. Rizvi

Jaunpur: A Gazetteer, H. R. Nevill

WHO'S WHO OF INDIAN MARTYRS, VOL 3

DICTIONARY OF MARTYRS

INDIA'S FREEDOM STRUGGLE (1857-1947), Vol. 2

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In the Revolt of 1857, while Veer Kunwar Singh is widely remembered, several local leaders from the Ballia–Shahabad diara region also played significant roles but remained largely outside mainstream historical accounts.

One such figure was the Rajput rebel Siddha Singh from the Shivpur–Sahatwar area of ballia.

According to the British-era Gazetteer, Siddha Singh’s ancestor Dharu Sah had migrated from the Bheria region of Shahabad and settled in the diara lands of Ballia around 200 years earlier.

Siddha Singh actively participated in the 1857 uprising. As a direct consequence, the British confiscated a portion of his property. The British Gazetteer explicitly records the confiscation of his land on account of rebellion.

In 1858, during Babu Kunwar Singh’s movement towards Ballia to cross the Ganga after the Azamgarh campaign, while being pursued by British forces, Siddha Singh led the people of the Sahatwar–Shivpur region in support. Under his leadership, the local rebels launched a sudden attack on nearby British troops.

In this engagement, around 100–106 British soldiers were killed. The stream where the severed heads were disposed of later became known as “Mudkatwa Nala.”

In 1857, Ballia was not a separate district; it was a subdivision of Ghazipur and was a strong base of Rajput clans like the Sengar, Bais, and Kaushik.

Many local Rajput youths were serving in the East India Company’s army, so when the revolt began, it quickly created unrest among them.

When news of the Meerut uprising reached Azamgarh and Ballia, the region quickly rose against British rule. The 17th Native Infantry at Azamgarh mutinied and spread the rebellion to nearby areas, and Ballia became an important center of the revolt.

Taking advantage of the situation, local Rajputs openly challenged British authority. British records even described the “turbulent Rajputs” of Ballia as a major threat to their rule.

By early 1858, the situation had become chaotic. Rebel Rajputs destroyed roads and bridges, cut communication lines, and pushed out British control, setting up their own authority. In many villages, small groups of Rajputs joined with rebel sepoys and carried out organized attacks on British positions.

The revolt was strongest in Rasra tehsil. The Sengar Rajputs of Lakhanasar and the Kaushik Rajputs of Kopachit openly opposed British rule, and records say that almost all of them were involved in the rebellion.

The Kaushik Rajputs of Baragaon and nearby areas also played an active role. They gave shelter to rebel sepoys and damaged roads and bridges to block British movement.

In response, a British officer named L. Probyn convinced Colonel Cumberlege to attack Baragaon. However, when British troops reached the area, the Kaushik Rajputs had already scattered into nearby villages and forests, so the British could not achieve any major success.

Along with the Kaushik and Sengar Rajputs, other groups like the Ujjainiya and Lohatamia Rajputs were also active. Under leaders such as Kunwar Singh, Amar Singh, and Siddha Singh Lohatamia, they took part in the fight against the British in this region.

In June 1857, as soon as the spark of the soldiers' revolt ignited in Banaras, the Barhauliya Rajputs of Barah Pargana in Chandauli (then part of Banaras district) also rose in rebellion.

They attacked the government tehsil and police station at Sakaldiha, completely eliminating British control in the area.

These zamindars openly refused to pay revenue to the East India Company and clearly declared that British rule had come to an end.

Strategically, they blocked the Grand Trunk Road between Mughalsarai and Saiyadraja, which completely disrupted the British military supply lines and postal system.

When the Maharaja of Banaras, who was an ally of the British, arrived with his forces to restore order, the Barhauliya Rajputs confronted him fiercely.

Moreover, they had strong ties with the Ujjainiya Rajputs of Shahabad. When Babu Amar Singh crossed the Karmanasa River and entered this region, the Barhauliya Rajputs provided him with local support and supplies, further strengthening the rebellion.

The 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry, which revolted along with the 11th and 20th Bengal Native Infantry at Meerut, was predominantly composed of Ranghar Rajputs and Pathans, along with Hindu Rajputs.

On 10 May 1857, they revolted, freed the imprisoned soldiers, killed British officers, set fire to government buildings and triggered the uprising.

They then marched overnight to Delhi, seized control of the city, and proclaimed Bahadur Shah II as the Emperor of India, giving the revolt a political and symbolic center.