Tatya Tope

The Story

Born Ramachandra Pandurang Tope at Yeola, he was a childhood friend of Nana Sahib, the adopted son of the last Peshwa. When the revolt broke out in May 1857, Tatya became its most effective general — raising armies, capturing the arsenal at Kanpur, and besieging the British with a speed that made him their most feared opponent.

He fought through the campaigns of Kanpur, Jhansi, and Kalpi, and in 1858 he marched to Gwalior, whose forces joined the revolt, recapturing the city and crowning the struggle's last great success. It was at Gwalior that the Rani of Jhansi fell, and Tatya, refusing to surrender, took to the jungles with a band that the British army hunted for months.

For over a year he slipped through central Bhārat, crossing from Malwa to Rajasthan and the Narmada country, always one step ahead — until an ally betrayed him for a reward. He was tried by a summary court-martial and hanged on 18 April 1859. The British called his capture 'the end of the rebellion'; the people called him the war's greatest hero.