Railway
In June 1857, during the Revolt, Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah and the rebels of Awadh defeated the British force of Sir Henry Lawrence in the Battle of:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option D — Chinhat
Detailed Solution
The Battle of Chinhat was fought on 30 June 1857, near Lucknow, in which the rebels of Awadh, including Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, defeated a British force led by Sir Henry Lawrence, the Chief Commissioner of Awadh.
About the battle:
- Chinhat is a village about 13 km north-east of Lucknow.
- Henry Lawrence led a small force of British and Indian soldiers out of Lucknow to attack the rebels gathering at Chinhat.
- The rebels, who had a large army with artillery, defeated the British force, and some of Lawrence's Indian soldiers changed sides during the battle.
- The British retreated to Lucknow in disorder, with heavy losses.
Results:
- After the defeat, the British were besieged in the Lucknow Residency for several months (the Siege of Lucknow).
- Henry Lawrence was mortally wounded by a shell in the Residency on 2 July 1857 and died two days later.
- The Residency was relieved first by Henry Havelock and James Outram (September 1857), and finally by Sir Colin Campbell (November 1857).
About Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah:
- He was a religious leader from Faizabad, who preached against British rule.
- He was one of the most important leaders of the Revolt of 1857 in Awadh and Rohilkhand.
- He fought the British at Lucknow, Shahjahanpur and other places.
- He was killed in June 1858 by the Raja of Powayn (near Shahjahanpur), who handed his head to the British for a reward.
- The British regarded him as one of their most dangerous enemies.
The revolt in Awadh:
- Awadh had recently been annexed by the British, which caused great resentment among its people and soldiers.
- Begum Hazrat Mahal, the wife of the deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, led the revolt at Lucknow, and declared her young son, Birjis Qadr, as the Nawab.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Badli-ki-Serai was a battle near Delhi (June 1857).
- ✗Kalpi was a centre of the rebels in Bundelkhand.
- ✗Jagdishpur was the base of a rebel leader in Bihar.
Quick tip
Remember: Battle of Chinhat (30 June 1857) = rebels of Awadh (Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah) defeated Sir Henry Lawrence; Siege of the Lucknow Residency followed; Lawrence killed in the Residency.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Revolt of 1857 Questions
View all ›More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Revolt of 1857 — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Revolt of 1857, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Revolt of 1857 was the first large-scale uprising against British rule in India. This topic covers its causes, the immediate trigger of the greased cartridges, its leaders and centres, the reasons for its failure, and its results, including the end of Company rule through the Government of India Act 1858. The most common questions match a leader with a centre of the revolt: Bahadur Shah Zafar and Bakht Khan at Delhi, Rani Lakshmibai at Jhansi, Nana Saheb and Tatya Tope at Kanpur, Begum Hazrat Mahal at Lucknow and Kunwar Singh at Arrah in Bihar. The revolt began at Meerut on 10 May 1857, and Mangal Pandey's protest at Barrackpore came earlier that year. Practise the Revolt of 1857 questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.