The revolt of 1857 was the most severe outburst of anger and discontent accumulated in the
hearts of various sections of the Indian society ever since the inception of British rule in Bengal,
following the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and the Battle of Buxar 1764. British historians called it a
"Sepoy Mutiny" and the Indian historians termed it as the "First War of Independence".
Jawaharlal Nehru in his book "Discovery of India" described it as the Feudal Revolt of 1857 and
added that "it was much more than a military mutiny and it rapidly spread and assumed the
character of a popular rebellion and a war of Indian Independence".
Though the revolt was started by the Indian soldiers in the service of the East India Company, it
soon proliferated all over the country. Millions of peasants, artisans and soldiers fought
heroically for over a year and sacrificed their life so that others might live. Hindus and Muslims
kept their religious differences aside and fought together in order to free themselves from
foreign subjugation.
The British tried to dismiss this Revolt by merely calling it a "Sepoy Mutiny", but this Revolt
clearly shows the hatred that the Indians had for the foreigners. The Revolt did not take place
overnight. There were many causes that added fuel to the fire. The British were exploiting the
Indians and the following reasons led to revolt.
