13. Defeat, Grief, Panic

As native soldiers started fleeing, Balasaheb himself took charge of one of the unmanned cannons. It's gunner had got killed. Balasaheb loosed off a few shots; but English shells soon picked off other gunners. Infantry and cavalry took to heels. 

Nanasaheb, Raosaheb and Balasaheb agreed that the battle was lost. There was no point in dying a dog's death. It was better to run away, regroup armies, and fight again for the victory.

The (surviving) native army then took the road to Brahmavart. The English commander ordered that victory trumpets be blown. The English army pressed on, and seized the place where mutineers had camped. 

Lot of men died on either side. Survivors (among natives) fled to Fatehpur, some went to Brahmavart.

Nanasaheb reached Brahmavart at sun-down. The news of defeat hadn't reached there. Some of the townsfolk met Nanasahib on the outskirts. Seeing the expression on his face, they realized that victory had eluded him. He was greeted, but nothing was spoken. Nanasaheb sighed. Then he said unto the crowd: We embarked on this venture for the sake of Hindus. It has failed. I do not hope to live through this. Goddess Ganges willed so.

 Then he retreated into his palace.

A great confusion ensued. People said: His Highness would soon leave with the army; where do we go? English would surely follow, and massacre us.

People buried the valuables in the earth. Some dumped it into wells. Everybody was now for himself; women and children were left in the lurch. Grief engulfed Brahmavart. 

 

12. Reverses

(After killing English women and children at Brahmavart) The native soldiers wrote to other mutineers: The enemy's women are clever and scheming; they tried to smuggle a letter out of prison camp. Hence, as soon as you get this missive, kill the English women in your custody. Upon receipt of the letters, English women and children were executed at Delhi, Jhansi, Agra, etc.

The old and the wise among the men said: We were hoping that natives would win, Englishmen would return to their land, and Hindus and Muslims would once again rule. But now that hope has died. For, Vedas do not sanction killing of women. Scriptures say that even a gravest offence by a women can't warrant execution. And yet this vile deed took place: natives wouldn't win now.

A fortnight later, English troops amassed outside Kanpur. Native troops (loyal to the English) marched from Madras and Kolkata. When the news reached Nanasaheb, he dispatched Tantya Topi and Lalpuri Baba Gosavi with army to Kanpur.

Nanasaheb, Raosaheb and Bal-saheb set out for Kanpur later. But there were omens portending calamity: a 

cat crossed their path. A brahmin carrying ashes came upon them; Nanasaheb's horse balked.

They ignored the signs, and full of warrior spirit, reached Kanpur.

A big battle broke out. Artillery of both parties kept up a barrage. Men fought day and night; they didn't stop even for eating. After the dusk, flame throwers were lit, and the fighting continued. Several officers, and countless troops died. This went on for ten-twelve days. Then the tide turned; and providence prevailed over men's efforts. Natives panicked and broke ranks. The English pushed forward with the artillery.   

11. Slaughter of English Women

One day, a galleon carrying English people was spotted by native soldiers downstream from Brahmavart.

It was heading for Allahabad.  Around sixty English women and some twenty children were on board.

The native army had kept the river bank under vigilance. A gunner saw the boat through his binoculars, and rushed to His Highness Nanasaheb. He said: a boat full of English people is coming; as soon as it reaches Dhruv-ghat, we would fire a shell.

Nanasaheb said: If the boat is carrying women and children, we mustn't shell it. Let them pass unharmed. But fate had willed otherwise. When the boat approached Dhurv-ghat,  a sand dune formed in its way, and it ran aground. The passengers panicked. 

The gunners saw that boat had been stranded. They sent a message to Nanasaheb: You didn't give the order to shell, but now the boat is stranded in our territory, it's the will of Goddess Ganga. Now you must give the order. 

Then they fired a shell into the boat.  Store of gunpowder on the boat exploded. The fire killed everybody who was on board, save a few. Survivors were taken into custody.

Some more English women and children had been kept in the captivity at Brahmavart. They were taken out to the river every morning for ablutions. One of the  English women was clever and scheming. She persuaded a low-caste woman attendant to dispatch a letter to Allahabad. 

A guard saw the attendant woman picking up the letter. She was arrested, and taken to Nanasaheb. Upon flogging, she confessed. The native soldiers were peeved. Someone who could read English was summoned to read the letter. The letter said: Enemy is busy celebrating the capture of Kanpur. There are daily nautch, singing. The guard has slackened. The English troops should attack now.

The native soldiers said: Allow us to kill the English. Nanasaheb said: Killing women and children is not permissible.

Soldiers were livid. They rushed to the place where prisoners had been kept. Those butchers shot and hacked all the women and children to death.

10. Kanpur

Queen of Jhansi: Marriage

The prince's men came to know about Tambe's daughter. They learned she was a mother-less girl, fair, and of marriageable age. A royal agent then came to Brahma-vart. The middleman, who represented Tambe, said: we do not seek dowry for the girl. But Tambe himself is widower; he wants to remarry. Hence, the prince may finance Tambe's remarriage, and provide him with a house at Jhansi.

Prince's agent agreed. Tambe's daughter's maiden name was Chhabeli; upon marriage she was renamed Laxmi. The family moved to Jhansi. Within a few days, Tambe also remarried. He has had a son and a daughter from this marriage.

(Uncle said) Let's now proceed to Jhansi.  We won't face much turmoil on the way; because now the war has shifted to Kanpur. 

We needed some company. A Maratha general from Gwalior was going to visit his brother, we followed along.

Tantya

We met several men on the way; they told us stories of the war. The whole of North India was roiling. Native armies  had marched on Kanpur, a great battle had ensued.  

Two gentlemen told us that Tantya Topi landed in Gwalior army camp a few weeks ago with 25 horsemen. He won over four companies of men. Topi told Scindia, the king of Gwalior: we won't harm you or your province. But kindly make arrangement for some carts, horses and camels. We would leave your territory. 

Later, Topi's army moved on Kanpur

Battle of Kanpur 

(At Kanpur)The English army had walled off the bank of Ganges by sandbags. Natives attacked from outside; but their artillery couldn't breach this barrier. The battle went on for several days, but the city didn't fall.

Nanasaheb hired a Nepali brahmin. He came to Kanpur, saw the barrier, and repositioned the native guns. A barrage ensued. The English artillery too responded. The battle started in earnest; men yelled battle-cries at each other. Natives bombarded the barrier with poison-shells. These shells gave off poisonous fumes upon bursting. Those on the other side of barrier were blinded by the fumes. Several Englishmen died. Some tried to escape, and were captured. The providence finally handed victory to Nanasaheb Peshwe. 

*Nanasaheb was the adoptive son of Peshwe Bajirao II - Kapil

9. We All Wear Bangles

(Uncle continued) Gangadhar, the ruler of Jhansi, was hard pressed to get a bride. The reason: he was a queer, one of the eight types described in ancient texts. He was known to wear women's clothing when indoors. He would also wear jewelery, and sometimes,  plait of false hair. He talked like a woman. Therefore, no alliances were offerred to him; it would be better for a girl to drown than becoming his bride, it was said.

Ancient texts speak of eight types of queers. In one of them, person likes to touch other man's organ. It was surmised that the king of Jhansi was like that.  And the king must be a man enough, because his wife had borne a child. She was not known to be adulteress.

Every month, he would segregate himself for a couple of days, much like menstruating women.

And yet, despite these eccentric habits, he ruled the state with a firm hand. His subjects and servants feared him and respected him. He carried himself well when amongst the Englishmen.

Once the (English) Regent said to the king: `My Lord, pardon the impudence, but I want to ask you something... You are a prince, and a brahmin. I have heard that you dress like a woman, and segregate yourself like a menstruating lady. You wear bangles. Is it becoming of a king?'

The king, it is said, smiled, and replied:  `Sir, I am a minor vassal. There are far mightier princes in this land, and yet, before the English, they all behave as if they are wearing bangles.  You Englishmen came from across the seas, and decimated us. Is there a brave man left here?

8. The Queen of Jhansi

At Ujjain, I and Uncle parted ways with the other companions; they went to their relative's place. We stayed at Ujjain for some time, and then proceeded to Dhar, and then on to Gwalior.

The chief of charity took us to her ladyship Bayaja-bai Scindia. Because of the uprising, the Yagna had been called off. Yet, every brahmin who had reached Gwalior for the Yagna received meal allowance of rupees ten a month. We stayed there through the month of Kartik (October-November). Then we thought of going to Jhansi.

The Queen of Jhansi: Childhood

The Uncle had lived at Brahma-vart, as in-charge of the Hom-shala (where sacred fire is lit), for fifteen years. (After the collapse of Maratha state in 1818, and take -over of Pune by the British,  Peshwa Bajirao II settled down, in exile, at Brahmavart in central India. - Kapil)

Uncle knew the past of  the Queen of Jhansi. This is what he told me:

Moro-pant Tambe and his family lived under the patronage of the late Peshwa at Brahmavart. Tambe worked under me (Uncle said) at Hom-shala; he was my apprentice. Tambe's wife passed away when their daughter, the (future) Queen of Jhansi, was five years old. Tambe raised her by himself. She had no companion at home, hence she would come to Hom-shala with her father. She studied letters, both Dev-nagari and cursive. She was a darling of her father's. A bustling, bubbly girl. Everyone in the Peshwa's palace pampered her, because she was a mother-less child. She had fair complexion, straight nose, high forehead; she was well-endowed and had a small waist. 

When she was eleven, her father started looking for a groom. It was a bit difficult, because Tambes were Karha-de Brahmin, there were few of them in the area.  He grew anxious.

The rulers of Jhansi belong to the same sub-caste. Years ago, when Mahadaji Scindia was installed at Gwalior as the regent of Peshwa in the North India, the Peshwa carved out province of Bundel-khand for himself. (Rest of the North was governed by Scindia, and Peshwa wanted a foothold for himself.) Jhansi became the headquarters of this province, and Shivrao Parolkar was sent as Peshwa's deputy there.

When the Peshwa's rule ended, Jhansi became an independent state. Gangadhar was the last prince of Jhansi. His wife passed away around this time, and he wanted to remarry. He wanted a girl from a good family, even if poor.

7. The Burning Cantonment

We said to the sepoys: We are brahmins and traders from Pune, Nasik, Konkan. We are heading for the Yad-nya organised by her highness Bayaja-baee Scindia. You may look at the scriptures that we are carrying.

...You launched this battle to defend the Hinduism, didn't you? We are poor brahmins, we have read Vedas. Would it be proper for you to set upon us and rob us? Protect us in this tumult; set us up in one of the towns en route, and then you may go off. This will surely bring you victory. We knew about today's outbreak three days in advance, but we are fearless. For, blacks are fighting for the religion. We are men of learning, we fear no harm.

Upon this, and after seeing the books we were carrying, the sepoys said: Forget about Yad-nya now, but you may travel with us without fear. Don't bother about expenses (of living and travelling).

Then a buggy carrying mail came up.Sepoys killed the buggy-driver, and dumped off the sacks of letters. There were some parcels, which were seized.

Sepoys also felled the telegraph pillars. Telegraph wires were cut, and twined into staves. We were given a place by a neem tree. We had our ablutions and ate there. In the afternoon we went to see the scene of cantonment which was burning. We saw corpses of Englishmen, as well those of the natives. Around twenty natives had died. By evening we returned to our place, and did the evening ablutions.