Tatya Tope
Leader of the Indian War of Independence in 1857
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Through Indian Rebellion of 1857 and Marathi people
Early life
Born as Ramachandra Panduranga Yewalkar to a Marathi Deshastha Brahmin family, in Yeola, (near Nasik). A personal adherent of Nana Saheb of Bithoor, he progressed with the Gwalior contingent after the British reoccupied Kanpur (then known as Cawnpore) and forced General Windham to retreat from the city. Later on, Tantia Tope came to the relief of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and with her seized the city of Gwalior. However, he was defeated by General Napier's British Indian troops at Ranod and after a further defeat at Sikar, he abandoned the campaign.
According to an official statement, Tantia Tope's father was Panduranga Yewalkar and his mother was Rukhma Bai. Tope was a Maraṭha Vashista Brahman by birth. In a government letter, he was said to be the minister of Baroda, while he was held identical to Nana Saheb in another communication. A witness at his trial described Tantia Tope as "a man of middling stature, with a wheat complexion and always wearing a white chukri-dar turban".
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Initial engagement at the Indian rebellion of 1857
After the rebellion in (Kanpur) broke out on 5 June 1857, Nana Saheb became the leader of the freedom fighters. When the British forces at Cawnpore surrendered on 25 /June 1857, Nana was declared Peshwa in late June. After a defeat, Nana's troops had to withdraw to Bithur, after which Havelock crossed the Ganges and retreated to Awadh. Tantia Tope began to act in Nana Saheb's name from Bithur.
Tantia Tope was one of the leaders of the massacre of Cawnpore, which occurred on 27 June 1857. Afterwards, Tope held a good defensive position until he was driven out by the British force on 16 July 1857. Afterward, he was defeated by General Cyrill in the Second Battle of Cawnpore, which started on 19 November 1857 and continued for seventeen days. Tope and his army were defeated when the British counterattacked under Sir Colin Campbell. Tope and other rebels fled the scene and had to take shelter with the Rani of Jhansi, while aiding her as well.
Clash with Colonel Holmes
Later on Tantia and Rao Saheb, after assisting Jhansi during the British assault successfully helped Rani Lakshmibai escape the attack. Together with Rani Lakshmibai, they took control of Gwalior Fort declaring Hindavi Swaraj (Hindu Self Rule) under the name of Nana Saheb Peshwa from Gwalior. After losing Gwalior to the British, Tope and Rao Saheb, nephew of Nana Saheb, fled to Rajputana (present-day Rajasthan). He was able to induce the army of Tonk to join him.
Continued resistance
Even after the Revolt of 1857 was put down by the British, Tantia Tope continued resistance as a guerrilla fighter in the jungles. He also defeated Ratan Singh in Siege of Charkhari. He induced the state forces to rebel against the Raja and was able to replace the artillery he had lost at the Banas River. Tope then took his forces towards Indore, but was pursued by the British, now commanded by General John Michel as he fled towards Sironj. Tope, accompanied by Rao Saheb, decided to divide their combined forces so that he could make his way to Chanderi with a bigger force, and Rao Saheb, on the other hand, with a smaller force to Jhansi. However, they combined again in October and suffered yet another defeat at Chhota Udaipur.
After Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's book on " 1857 - First War of Independence" another book entitled "The 1857" by Srinivas Balaji Herdikar was published by Satsahitya Prakasan in the year "1957". In its third edition Sri Srinivas Balaji Herdikar allotted a separate chapter with the title "Tantya Tope was not hanged". A similar title appeared in "Swatantra Bharat" a daily from Lucknow on April 13 by A.R.Gokhale, He wrote in his letter in that paper quite authentically that Tantya Tope was not hanged and that he miraculously escaped from captivity and that in his place, Narayan Rao Bhagvat, was hanged.
Execution
Tope admitted the charges brought before him, but noted that he might be held accountable only before his master, the Peshwa. He was executed on 18 April 1859 at Sipri. Every year State Government and locals pay tribute to Tatya Tope on this day and organised Shaheed Mela.