SSC CGL History · Modern India

Revolt of 1857 and Popular Uprisings

The great revolt of 1857 with its dates, centres and leaders, the tribal and peasant risings before and after it, and the resistance in Manipur and the Naga hills.

All Modern India notes

Why this matters

Eighteen questions in the bank, and half of them (nine) come from the 2025 shifts alone, against five from the 2023 shifts and four from the 2024 shifts. The 2025 papers turned to tribal and North-East leaders such as Budhu Bhagat, Tikendrajit Singh and Rani Gaidinliu, so a leader-and-place table is the whole page.

Concept 1 of 3: The revolt of 1857: dates and leaders

The revolt began as a mutiny in one cantonment and spread to a dozen towns, each with its own leader. SSC asks two things: the date and place it began, and who led which town.

Definition

The dates:

29 March 1857: Mangal Pandey attacked his officers at Barrackpore.
10 May 1857: the sepoys at Meerut rose and set out for Delhi the same night, reaching it on 11 May.
The rebels proclaimed Bahadur Shah II (Bahadur Shah Zafar), the last Mughal emperor, their leader. After the revolt he was exiled to Rangoon.

Who led where is in the table. Nana Sahib was the adopted son of the last Peshwa, Baji Rao II; the British refused to continue Baji Rao's pension to him.

Centre	Leader
Delhi	Bahadur Shah II, with Bakht Khan leading the sepoysQ
Kanpur	Nana Sahib, with Tantia Tope; Azimullah was his adviserQ
Lucknow	Begum Hazrat Mahal
Jhansi	Rani Lakshmibai
Bareilly	Khan Bahadur KhanQ
Bihar (Jagdishpur, near Arrah)	Kunwar SinghQ
Faizabad	Maulvi Ahmadullah

Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps

The same idea in a real exam question:

SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 23 Sep 2025, Shift 1 · Q45Moderate

Example 1 · Modern India · Revolt of 1857 and Popular Uprisings

Peer Ali Khan was a prominent figure in the 1857 Revolt who organized rebels and challenged British rule in which major city of Bihar?

Bahadur Shah II, not Bahadur Shah I

The emperor of 1857 is Bahadur Shah II (Zafar). Bahadur Shah I ruled 150 years earlier, after Aurangzeb.

Two leaders in Bihar

Kunwar Singh led from Jagdishpur near Arrah; Peer Ali Khan, a bookseller, organised the rising in Patna. Both count as Bihar.

Drill 6 more on the revolt of 1857: dates and leaders

Concept 2 of 3: Tribal and peasant risings

Company rule took tribal land, let in moneylenders and closed the forests. Each tribe rose in its own region under its own leader, and SSC asks the leader, the tribe or the state.

Definition

In time order:

Paika rebellion (1817): at Khurda in Odisha, led by Bakshi Jagabandhu.
Kol revolt (1831 to 1832): in Chotanagpur, led by Budhu Bhagat.
Santhal Hul (1855 to 1856): in the Rajmahal hills, led by the brothers Sido and Kanhu Murmu against moneylenders, zamindars and the British.
Moplah (Mappila) risings: Muslim peasants of Malabar (Kerala) against landlords, through the 19th century and again in 1921.
Munda Ulgulan (1899 to 1900): around Ranchi in present Jharkhand, led by Birsa Munda.
Rampa rebellion (1922 to 1924): in the Godavari hills, now Andhra Pradesh, led by Alluri Sitarama Raju.

Rising	Years	Region	Leader
Paika rebellion	1817	Khurda, Odisha	Bakshi JagabandhuQ
Kol revolt	1831 to 1832	Chotanagpur	Budhu BhagatQ
Santhal Hul	1855 to 1856	Rajmahal hills	Sido and Kanhu MurmuQ
Malabar (Moplah) rising	1921	Malabar, Kerala	Mappila peasantsQ
Munda Ulgulan	1899 to 1900	Ranchi, Jharkhand	Birsa Munda
Rampa rebellion	1922 to 1924	Andhra Pradesh	Alluri Sitarama RajuQ

Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps

The same idea in a real exam question:

SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 23 Sep 2025, Shift 2 · Q48Easy

Example 2 · Modern India · Revolt of 1857 and Popular Uprisings

Which tribal leader from Jharkhand led the 'Ulgulan' (Great Rebellion) movement against British exploitation of tribal lands?

Santhal and Munda are different risings

Sido and Kanhu led the Santhals (1855); Birsa Munda led the Mundas (1899). SSC lists each as a wrong option for the other.

Two Rampa risings

Alluri Sitarama Raju's Rampa rebellion is 1922 to 1924. An earlier Rampa rising of 1879 had other leaders, so do not tie Alluri to the 1870s.

Drill 6 more on tribal and peasant risings

Concept 3 of 3: Resistance in Manipur and the Naga hills

The North-East came under British rule late, and its resistance came late too: a war in Manipur in 1891 and a Naga faith movement in the 1930s. The 2025 shifts asked about both.

Definition

The facts:

Anglo-Manipur War (1891): Tikendrajit Singh, the Senapati (army chief) of Manipur, led the resistance. Its decisive battle was at Khongjom. He was publicly hanged at Imphal.
Heraka movement: begun by Haipou Jadonang among the Zeliangrong Nagas to revive their own faith against British rule and missionary conversion. After the British hanged him in 1931, his young cousin Rani Gaidinliu led it.
Gaidinliu came from Manipur (Tamenglong). She was jailed from 1932 to 1947, and Nehru called her Rani of the Nagas.

Leader	Movement or war	Fact
Tikendrajit Singh	Anglo-Manipur War, 1891	Fought at Khongjom; hanged at ImphalQ
Haipou Jadonang	Heraka movement	Founded it; hanged by the British in 1931
Rani Gaidinliu	Heraka movement	Led it after 1931; jailed 1932 to 1947Q

Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps

The same idea in a real exam question:

SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 24 Sep 2025, Shift 3 · Q49Easy

Example 3 · Modern India · Revolt of 1857 and Popular Uprisings

Rani Gaidinliu, a prominent freedom fighter, is best known for her leadership in which movement during British India?

Heraka was a faith and a revolt, not a literacy drive

The Heraka movement revived the Naga faith and became a revolt against British rule. A reason that calls it a literacy campaign is false.

Drill 3 more on resistance in manipur and the naga hills

Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance

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Reference tables (3)

The revolt of 1857: dates and leaders7 rows

Centre	Leader
Delhi	Bahadur Shah II, with Bakht Khan leading the sepoysQ
Kanpur	Nana Sahib, with Tantia Tope; Azimullah was his adviserQ
Lucknow	Begum Hazrat Mahal
Jhansi	Rani Lakshmibai
Bareilly	Khan Bahadur KhanQ
Bihar (Jagdishpur, near Arrah)	Kunwar SinghQ
Faizabad	Maulvi Ahmadullah

Tribal and peasant risings6 rows

Rising	Years	Region	Leader
Paika rebellion	1817	Khurda, Odisha	Bakshi JagabandhuQ
Kol revolt	1831 to 1832	Chotanagpur	Budhu BhagatQ
Santhal Hul	1855 to 1856	Rajmahal hills	Sido and Kanhu MurmuQ
Malabar (Moplah) rising	1921	Malabar, Kerala	Mappila peasantsQ
Munda Ulgulan	1899 to 1900	Ranchi, Jharkhand	Birsa Munda
Rampa rebellion	1922 to 1924	Andhra Pradesh	Alluri Sitarama RajuQ

Resistance in Manipur and the Naga hills3 rows

Leader	Movement or war	Fact
Tikendrajit Singh	Anglo-Manipur War, 1891	Fought at Khongjom; hanged at ImphalQ
Haipou Jadonang	Heraka movement	Founded it; hanged by the British in 1931
Rani Gaidinliu	Heraka movement	Led it after 1931; jailed 1932 to 1947Q

Watch out for (5)

Bahadur Shah II, not Bahadur Shah I
→ The revolt of 1857: dates and leaders
Two leaders in Bihar
→ The revolt of 1857: dates and leaders
Santhal and Munda are different risings
→ Tribal and peasant risings
Two Rampa risings
→ Tribal and peasant risings
Heraka was a faith and a revolt, not a literacy drive
→ Resistance in Manipur and the Naga hills

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