Pandey Ganpat Rai | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1809-01-17)17 January 1809 |
| Died | 21 April 1858(1858-04-21) (aged 49) |
| Occupations | Diwan andCommander |
| Known for | Freedom struggle inIndian Rebellion of 1857 |
| Parents |
|
Pandey Ganpat Rai (Born as Pandey Ganpat Rai; 1809-1858) was a rebel leader in theIndian Rebellion of 1857 and a chieftain inLohardaga district ofBihar (now a part ofJharkhand).[1][2]
He was born on January 17, 1809, in Bhaunro,Lohardaga district,Bihar (now a part ofJharkhand).[1][2] He was born in aKayasthaZamindar family. His family was of Srivastava Kayastha subcaste.[3] His father was Ramkishun Rai and Mother Sumitra Devi. His uncle Sadashiv Rai was Dewan ofNagvanshi MaharajaJagannath Shah Deo. After the death of his uncle Maharaja appointed him as Dewan after seeing his capability.[4][5]
Pandey Ganpat Rai waszamindar of Bhunra and served as the diwan to theMaharaja ofChota Nagpur who belonged to theNagvanshi dynasty. He was initially sceptical of the British presence in the region and believed them to be interfering in his work. Ganpat Rai eventually became opposed to British colonial rule and tried to convince Maharaja Jagannath Shahdeo to united with him against the British but not succeed.[6] His refusal to work with British officials led to him being dismissed from his role and in response he started to organise like-minded people to help him gain revenge.[6]
He formed an alliance with fellow chieftains includingThakur Vishwanath Shahdeo and Nadir Ali Khan before being subsequently hanged by theBritish authorities.[7]
As the rebellion spread throughout the various regions ofNorth India, both Ganpat Rai and Vishwanath Shahdeo decided to assume leadership with Ganpat Rai being named as the commander-in-chief.[8] They assembled a force of around 1,100 men.[9] They managed to recruit mutinyingsepoys fromRamgarh and proceeded to throw the region into a state of anarchy causing many British officials to flee the area. Their end goal was to proceed throughPalamu district and reachArrah where they would join their forces withKunwar Singh who was the leader of the rebel forces in North Bihar.[8] Much of their initial success was due to the terrain of the region which was mainly forested and hilly allowing the rebels to escape easily. One of these conflicts later became known as theBattle of Chatra, in which British troops, assisted bySikh sepoys, besieged rebels in the village of Chatra with each side suffering heavy losses before the British eventually stormed and captured the village.[10]
During this period, he declared that theBritish Raj had supposedly come to an end.[11] In the meantime, the British forces led by ColonelEdward Tuite Dalton were assisted by loyal zamindars including those ofRamgarh Raj.[6]
However, as they attempted to march towards Kunwar Singh's position, they were intercepted by a battalion led by Major English on the 2nd of October. In the ensuing battle both rebel leaders were defeated and retreated.[1] Eventually after numerous skirmishes and battles with both local zamindars and the British, the authorities had managed to create a robust intelligence network and they were captured in March 1858 and then hanged on the 21st of April that same year.[1]
The governments of Jharkhand and Bihar have made many efforts to preserve the memory of Pandey Ganpat Rai.[12]In 2012, the Jharkhand government organised the redevelopment of Pandey Ganpat Rai's village in Lohardaga district including the creation of new roads, a cultural centre and improved electric supplies.[13]
In 2017, members of theIndian National Congress also paid tribute to the rebel leader and referred to him by the title ofShaheed which means martyr.[14]
There is also a memorial badminton championship named after Ganpat Rai called the Pandey Ganpat Ray Memorial Badminton Championship which was inaugurated in 2018.[15]