SSC
Tantia Tope (Ramachandra Pandurang) led the Revolt of 1857 mainly from:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option C — Kanpur
Detailed Solution
Tantia Tope (also spelt Tatya Tope), whose real name was Ramachandra Pandurang Tope, was one of the most capable military leaders of the Revolt of 1857. He was born around 1814 in Yeola, near Nashik, in present-day Maharashtra, in a Marathi Brahmin family. His father worked at the court of the exiled Peshwa Baji Rao II at Bithoor, near Kanpur, and Tantia Tope grew up there as a close friend and companion of Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Baji Rao II.
When the British refused to continue Baji Rao II's pension to Nana Saheb after the Peshwa's death in 1851, Nana Saheb became bitter towards them. In June 1857, when the revolt reached Kanpur, Nana Saheb took charge of the rebels, and Tantia Tope became his trusted general. The British garrison at Kanpur under General Wheeler surrendered after a siege, but many British soldiers, women and children were killed at the Satichaura Ghat and later at the Bibighar. The British recaptured Kanpur in July 1857 under General Havelock.
Tantia Tope continued to fight brilliantly using guerrilla tactics. He defeated the British at Kanpur in November 1857 for a time, and later joined forces with Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. Together, they captured the fort of Gwalior in June 1858. After the Rani's death in battle near Gwalior (18 June 1858), Tantia Tope continued his guerrilla campaign across central India and Rajasthan for nearly a year, evading large British forces.
In April 1859, he was betrayed by his friend Raja Man Singh of Narwar, captured in the forests of Paron, tried by a British military court and hanged at Shivpuri, in Madhya Pradesh, on 18 April 1859.
Other centres of the revolt:
- Jagdishpur (Bihar): Kunwar Singh.
- Bareilly: Khan Bahadur Khan.
- Faizabad: Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah.
- Jhansi: Rani Lakshmibai.
- Lucknow: Begum Hazrat Mahal.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Jagdishpur was the centre of Kunwar Singh.
- ✗Bareilly was led by Khan Bahadur Khan.
- ✗Faizabad was the base of Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah.
Quick tip
Remember: Kanpur = Nana Saheb and Tantia Tope (captured Gwalior with Rani Lakshmibai, 1858); Tantia Tope hanged at Shivpuri (18 April 1859); Bareilly = Khan Bahadur Khan; Faizabad = Ahmadullah Shah.
💬 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.