Home > Indian History > History of India > Tantia Tope
Tantia Tope
Tantia Tope was the eminent revolutionist of India who fought against British to keep them at bay.

Share this Article:

Tantia Tope, Indian RevolutionistOne of the remarkable Indian leaders in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 was Ramachandra Pandurang Tope who was also known as Tantia Tope.

This efficient son of Pandurang Rao Tope was born in the village Yeola in Maharashtra and grew to become one of the important personalities during the Indian freedom fighting. His father was an important noble at the court of the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II. Tantia Tope later developed intimate friendship with the Peshwa`s adopted son, Nana Dhondu Pant (known as Nana Sahib) and Maharaja Madhav Singhji.

The first move of Tantia against the British was taken in 1851, when Lord Dalhousie deprived Nana Sahib of his father`s pension. He joined the political movements and established Nana Sahib`s authority in May 1857. The British people were in chance of seizing the wealth, kingdom and the whole empire of the country and this served as the biggest reason for the discontent and revolt. During the period of his revolutionary activities, he occupied Kanpur and then shifted to Kalpi to join Rani Lakshmi Bai to occupy Gwalior. After reaching Gwalior, he declared Nana Sahib as Peshwa with the support of the Gwalior contingent. Before being able to consolidate his position he was defeated by Hugh Henry Rose, 1st Baron Strathnairn and their unfortunate defeat in the battle resulted in the death of Rani Lakshmi Bai. After that the Britishers expanded their rule in Gwalior. The defeat in the battle led him to create a huge force to fight against British and he was successful in capturing many forts of India and he had established a center to manufacture arms in Kalpi. Being defeated in the Gwalior battle, he launched a successful guerrilla campaign in the Sagar and Narmada regions and in Khandesh and Rajasthan. When he came to know that Britishers are short of resources, he took advantage of it and confronted Kanpur. He had fought altogether 150 battles being involved in his revolutionary activities.

In 1857, the contingent of General Wheeler incurred heavy losses due to the successive bombardments, sniper fire, and assault when the force of Nana Sahib attacked the British entrenchment. The scarcity of food, water and medicine was an added problem for which they decided to surrender, in return for a safe passage to Allahabad. Due to the raise of some confusion at Satichaura ghat, the departing British were attacked by the rebel sepoys, and were either killed or captured in spite of the arrangements made by Nana Sahib. The British women and children who survived were moved from the Savada House to Bibighar, a villa-type house in Kanpur. As the Company forces started approaching Kanpur, the bargaining attempts of Nana Sahib had failed and revenge was occurred. Later it was informed that the British troops led by Havelock and Neill were indulging in violence against the Indian villagers. Nana Sahib along with his associates started thinking on the next step with the captives at Bibighar. In the meantime, some of the advisors of Nan Sahib had already decided to kill the captives at Bibighar, as revenge for the murders of Indians by the advancing British forces but the details of the atrocity remained in veil. The people indulged in the massacre had no intension to kill the women and children but the growing severity of the situation took several innocent lives.

Failing to restrain him, the British tried another way to teach him a lesson by betraying him by his trusted friend Man Singh, Chief of Narwar, while asleep in his camp in the Paron forest. He was captured and taken to Shivpuri. There in 1859, he was captured by British General Richard John Meade`s troops tried by a military court and was taken to Shivpuri and was executed at the gallows on April 18, 1859. He admitted the charges brought before him and said that he was answerable to his master Peshwa alone. On his memory there is a statue of Tantia Tope at the site of his execution in Shivpuri town in Madhya Pradesh.


Share this Article:

Subscribe to Newsletter
Learn unknown facts about India from a curated list of informative articles.

Related Articles

More Articles in History of India

History of Indian Drama
History of Indian Drama is rich with Vedas and Indian epics and has gradually changed with time and remains unaffected by any foreign influence.
History of Khajuraho Temple
Located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho is country’s most magnificent groups of temples.
History of Ayurveda
History of Ayurveda dates back to 5,000 years old and is widely considered to be the oldest form of health care in the world.
History of Uttar Pradesh
The state was the heart of Mahabharata war and the history of Uttar Pradesh is very much the history of India. The place finds its mentions in Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
History of Indian Photography
An overview of the development of photography, through the various stages in India.
History of Delhi
History of Delhi began with the advent of Indian regal dynasties. Delhi witnessed the rise and fall of Hindu dynasties, Muslims and the British as well.
History of Indian Radio
History of Indian Radio dates back to late 1930s with the first establishment of All India Radio in 1936 that improved further after independence.
History of Punjab
History of Punjab dates back to the 16th century; however its formation is traced in the great epic Mahabharata.
History Of Archaeology In India
History of archaeology in India contributes a lot to define the past history and the social life of India.
History of Maharashtra
Maharashtra, the land of charismatic Marathas, unfolds the legend of diverse culture and tradition, keeping in pace with the modernity. The gallant history of Maharashtra is still echoed amidst its historical relics and archeological wonders.
History of Kerala
History of Kerala can be interpreted from the inscriptions of Ashoka, Mauryan Emperor. History of Kerala is as interesting as its wide-ranging geographical features that make the land a place of versatile appeal.
History of Bihar
History of Bihar goes back to the very dawn of the human civilizations. Many eminent personalities and leaders from Bihar contributed for India’s freedom struggle.
History of Assam
In the ancient Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, Assam was known as `Kamarupa` or `Pragjyotish`. In the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras there are references of Assam as Kamrupa kingdom.
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands dates back to the settlement of the East India Company in the territory of the Islands.
History of West Bengal
History of West Bengal is rooted in richness and is an important episode in the history of India. The history of Bengal played an important role in shaping the history of India.
History of Jharkhand
One of the fairly newer states, Jharkhand was carved out of the southern portion of Bihar in 2000. The history of Jharkhand is seeped with a variety of cultural significances starting from the Vedic era to Mughal period and finally the British administration.
History of Sikkim
History of Sikkim declares the pre historic culture and the colonial era hilly politics and the rules of Sikkim.
History of Nagaland
The history of Nagaland mainly revolves around and deals with the customs and economic activities of the Naga Tribes and how the state has evolved since the Indian Independence.
History of Mizoram
History of Mizoram includes the various historical events and incidents which occurred during the various ages, right from before the age of the Mughals.
History of Jammu & Kashmir
History of Jammu and Kashmir involves a series of political and geographical transformations from every ancient era to the modern times also. Even now, Jammu and Kashmir has its political tension between Pakistan and India.
History of Puducherry
Puducherry was invaded by different invaders in different times. The invaders include Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram, dynasties of the South, Cholas of Thanjavur, Pandyas and Muslim invaders.
History of Chandigarh
In 1947, the British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Punjab was also included in this partition. So, there was a need for a new capital for Punjab, as the old capital Lahore became part of Pakistan during the partition. So, in 1948, under the leadership of chief architect Mr. P.L. Verma the construction of Chandigarh city began.
History of Daman and Diu
During the early stage, i.e. from 8th to 13th century, Daman and Diu was part of Goa.
History of Lakshadweep
History of Lakshadweep defines the first settlement on these islands under the Union Territory of India that was ruled by Cheraman Perumal, who was the last king of Kerala.
History of Karnataka
History of Karnataka comprised of the different rulers of different dynasties of various religions like Hindus, Buddhists, and later the Muslims.
History of Goa
History of Goa dates back to the 3rd century BC and reflects the rule of the mighty rulers and gained its independence under Jawaharlal Nehru.
History of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh possesses a rich historical heritage of culture of the ancient tribes. Being a bordering state of India, Arunachal Pradesh also has a history of military unrest since ancient Indian age.
History of Andhra Pradesh
History of Andhra Pradesh traces its origin back to the 5th century BC. According to the inscriptions, Kuberaka, the oldest Kingdom in South India had an empire in the coastal Andhra during that period.
History of Himachal Pradesh
History of Himachal Pradesh narrates about the various settlements and dynasties that emerged in the region over time.
History of Uttarakhand
History of Uttarakhand finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand, Manaskhand and Himavat. Uttarakhand is called as the Land of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi) because of its various holy places and shrines.
History of Rajasthan
The history of Rajasthan is dotted with tales of valor, chivalry, camaraderie and romance.
History of Tamil Nadu
History of Tamil Nadu reveals that this ancient place in South India was ruled by various kingdoms like the Pandyas Dynasty, Cholas Dynasty, Nayakas Dynasty and Pallavas Dynasty.
History of Haryana
History of Haryana depicts various events and influences that have cast a profound effect on the culture and people of the district. The place gained statehood on 1st of November 1966
History of Odisha
History of Odisha goes back a rather long way. Most of the history of the state is replete with the dynastic as well as tribal struggle for territorial superiority. Odisha is a place where one can find the religion, culture and history flow in away that lead to cultural amalgamation of early India.
History of Manipur
History of Manipur can be traced back to the prehistoric ages and this was followed by a number of rulers who reigned the land from age to age till it came under British rule and later joined the union of India.
History of Gujarat
History of Gujarat can be dated back to the 14th century that later witnessed the supremacy of many powerful dynasties.
History of Tripura
History of Tripura is dealing with the early mythological history and the history of British rule in North eastern part of India.
History of Meghalaya
The history of Meghalaya predominantly comprises of the three tribes of the state- Garo, Khasi and Jaintia tribes. Later on Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam.
History of Chhattisgarh
History of Chhattisgarh dates back to the era of epics and traces through the reign of powerful dynasties in India like Marathas. The area developed a rich cultural heritage during British era.