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Freedom Struggle In Uthar Pradesh Volume 2
The basic cause Of and the strongest stimulant to, revolt in 1857 in the case of Awadh was a consciousness, on the part of the people, of the loss of their freedom following the annexation of Awadh to the British empire. The plea, of a "mismanaged native rule in Awadh", advanced by the British authorities in justification of the policy of annexation of Lord Dalhousie seemed least convincing to the people. Hardly had the British rulers been in authority in Awadh for fourteen months, when they found people writhing under discontentment and disposed to shake off the foreign yoke. A large number of documents and excerpts have been repro duced in the First Volume of the Series dealing with the background, nature and origin of the freedom struggle, which clearly bring to the fore that the people of Awadh, be they landlords or common people, could not reconcile themselves to the so-called 'benign government' of the East India Company Lord Canning, the then Governor General of India, found to his great dismay and chagrin that even those Taluqadars, who were substantially benefited under the Summary Settlement, joined the ranks of the revolutionaries and were most active in challenging the authority of the British rule. He wrote to the Chief Commissioner of Awadh on March 31. 1858 that No chiells have been more open in their rebellion than the rajas of Churda, Bhinga, and Gonda. The Governor-General believes that the first of these did not lose a single village by the Summary Settlement and certainly his assessment was materially reduced. The second was dealt with in a like liberal manner. The rajah of Gonda lost about thirty villages out of 400, but his assessment was lowered by some 10,000 rupees No one was more benefited by the change of government than the young rajah of Naunpara. His estates had been the object of a civil war with a rival claimant for three years, and of these he was at once recognised as sole proprietor by the British government, losing only six villages out of more than a thousand. His mother was appointed guardian, but her troops have been fighting against us at Lucknow from the beginning The Rajah of Dhowrera, also a minor, was treated with equal libera lily. Every village was settled with his family; yet these people turned upon Captain Hearsey and his party, refused them shelter, pursued them, captured the ladies. and sent them into Lucknow

Freedom Struggle In Uthar Pradesh Volume 2

  • Subclass: Religions. Mythology. Rationalism

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