SSC
Tantia Tope, one of the most famous leaders of the Revolt of 1857, was captured and hanged by the British in:
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Answer: Option B — 1859
Detailed Solution
Tantia Tope (Ramachandra Pandurang Tope), one of the most famous leaders of the Revolt of 1857, was betrayed, captured, and hanged by the British at Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh) on 18 April 1859.
About Tantia Tope:
- He was born around 1814 in a Marathi Brahmin family, at Yeola, near Nashik.
- He was a close associate and commander of Nana Sahib.
During the Revolt:
- He played a major role in the fighting at Kanpur.
- He defeated the British commander General Windham at Kanpur (November 1857), but was later defeated by Sir Colin Campbell.
- He then fought alongside other rebel leaders in central India.
His guerrilla warfare:
- After the rebels lost their main centres, he carried on a remarkable guerrilla campaign for about ten months, across central India and Rajputana.
- He moved rapidly through the forests and hills, escaping the British forces again and again.
- He tried to win the support of the princely states and the people.
His capture and death:
- He was betrayed by Raja Man Singh of Narwar, a former ally, who handed him over to the British while he was asleep in the Paron forest.
- He was tried by a military court and hanged at Shivpuri.
- He is remembered as a great hero of the Revolt and a brilliant guerrilla leader.
- Some later accounts claim that the man hanged was not Tantia Tope, but this is not generally accepted.
Fate of some other leaders:
- Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur died of his wounds in April 1858.
- Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh escaped to Nepal.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1857 was the year the Revolt began.
- ✗1860 and 1862 were not the years of his execution.
Quick tip
Remember: Tantia Tope = hanged at Shivpuri, 18 April 1859 (betrayed by Man Singh of Narwar); guerrilla campaign in central India; associate of Nana Sahib.
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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.