Tatya Tope
Tantia Tope (also spelled Tatya Tope,[a] Marathi pronunciation: [t̪aːt̪ʲa ʈoːpe]; 16 February 1814 — 18 April 1859) was a notable commander in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.[1]
Tatya Tope
Rao Sahib
16 February 1814
Yeola, Nasik, Maratha Confederacy
(present-day Nashik district, Maharashtra, India)
18 April 1859
(aged 45)
Sipri, Gwalior State, British India
(present-day Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh, India)
Execution by hanging
Early Life[edit]
Born as Ramachandra Panduranga Yewalkar to a Marathi Deshastha Brahmin[2][1] family, in Yeola, (near Nasik). Tantia took on the title Tope, meaning commanding officer. His first name Tantia means General. 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.[3]
According to an official statement, Tantia Tope's father was Panduranga Yewalkar and his mother was Rukhma Bai.[4] Tope was a Maraṭha Vashista Brahman by birth.[4] In a government letter, he was said to be the minister of Baroda, while he was held identical to Nana Saheb in another communication.[4] 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".
Tope was executed by the British Government at Sipri (now Shivpuri) on 18 April 1859.
Initial engagement at the Indian rebellion of 1857[edit]
After the rebellion in Cawnpore (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.[5] After a defeat, Nana's troops had to withdraw to Bithur, after which Havelock crossed the Ganges and retreated to Awadh.[5] 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.[6] 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[edit]
Later on Tantia and Rao Saheb, after assisting Jhansi during the British assault successfully helped Rani Lakshmibai escape the attack.[7] Together with Rani Lakshmibai, they took control of Gwalior Fort declaring Hindavi Swaraj (Free Kingdom) 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.