The 7th battalion of the army initiated the insurrection in Gujarat in Ahmedabad in June 1857, however it was put to an end right away. Revolt incidents were witnessed in the months of July in Panchmahal, Dahod, Jhalod, and Godhra. The military managed to capture the company office with the aid of the populace, but government forces ultimately prevailed. For almost a year, the Panchmahal Naykada people persisted in their uprising. An uprising started in various regions of Gujarat against the backdrop of the uprising in northern and central India. There were a few isolated clashes against British control at Godhra, Dahod, and Ahmadabad. In July 1857, Surajmal, the charan landlord of the Dakor neighborhood in the Kheda district, raided Lunawada with the aid of Kandas, the charan landlord of Pal village. Surajmal claimed to be the rightful ruler of Lunawada. Major Andrews’ army’s unit of the East India Company assaulted and destroyed Pal village. Surajmal managed to escape after Kandas was taken into custody.
Surajmal was wanted by the British authorities, who offered a reward of Rs 1000 for his capture. To maintain order in Lunawada, about a thousand soldiers were stationed there under the command of Captain Calling. The Lunawada region’s Kolis of Khanpur then rose up in rebellion in December 1857. Capt. Buckle’s British troops assaulted and destroyed Khanpur. The tribal Nayakadas attacked the British forces in Sankheda in the Panchmahals district. Rupa and Kewal Naik, who had both been urged by Bhausaheb Pawar to carry out this attack, took the initiative in leading it. At JambuGhoda, colonial forces under the command of Capt. Bates routed the tribal Nayakadas. Up March 1859, the Bhausaheb representative Ganpatrao was detained, and Rupa and Kewal Naik turned themselves in.

The first monarch in this area to take charge of the uprising was Thakore Jivabhai of Khanpur, which is adjacent to Anand. Mukhi Patel Garbaddas of Anand and his comrades backed Thakore Jivabhai. They assembled a 2000-strong army made up of Kolis, Bhils, Nayakadas, Sibandis, etc. From the princely state of Baroda, the British dispatched troops. These soldiers intimidated the populace, stole crops, and put down the uprising. The insurrection’s leader, Jivabhai, was executed by hanging. At LotiaBhagol of Anand, the British army had set up camp. In order to disturb the British soldiers, the youthful MukhiGarbaddas and his pals traveled through the night to LotiaBhagol. Some of the soldiers, who were sound asleep, had their arms taken from them, and some of their horses’ tails were cut off. They managed to flee, but the next day they were hunted down and taken prisoner at Khanpur.

The rebels were shot while being bound to weapons. Mukhi Garbaddas could not be detained at this time since he had traveled to his native village of Asoj for his wedding. He was nonetheless detained shortly after and given a life sentence of imprisonment in the Andaman Islands, where he later passed away. In addition, we have proof of rebellions in many other locations, including Bharuch, Khambat, Surat, and Baroda, as well as Chandup (near Idar), Vijapur, and Mandetti in Mahikantha, Nandool, and Rajpipla in Rewakantha.

GREAT UPRISING

The Gujarat peninsula experienced a significant rebellion. The name of this region is Saurashtra or Kathiawad. The Saurashtra peninsula was home to 222 princely realms, both large and minor. In the arm, there was a significant uprising in Gujarat.

The Gujarat peninsula experienced a significant rebellion. The name of this region is Saurashtra or Kathiawad. The Saurashtra peninsula was home to 222 princely realms, both large and minor. The Gujarat peninsula experienced a significant rebellion. The name of this region is Saurashtra or Kathiawad. The Saurashtra peninsula was home to 222 princely realms, both large and minor. The Waghers of Okhamandal’s insurrection were the most significant in this area (comprising Dwarka, Bet, and Okha). Until the Gaekwads established their dominance in Okhamandal, the Waghers dominated the area. Even after the Gaekwad kingdom of Baroda acceded to general British dominance, Okhamandal remained a part of it. The Waghers observed the Gaekwads as well as the British as their enemies.

There was a rumor at Okhamandal on the eve of the 1857 rebellion that the rebels had been successful in driving the British out of India. Visitors from North India visited the well-known Dwarka temples and disseminated rumors of the Revolt spreading to other regions of the subcontinent (which are located in Okhamandal). The Waghers believed that now was the perfect time to rise up against the Gaekwads and their colonial oppressors and free the area. JodhaManek and his nephew MuluManek organized the Waghers in 1858 to take part in a revolt against the Gaekwads.

The Gaekwad arm and British soldiers stationed in the Baroda state were assaulted by the Waghers.

The Gaekwad arm and British soldiers stationed in the Baroda state were assaulted by the Waghers. As a result of the forces’ forced retreat, the rebels took captured Dwarka and Bet. The insurgents’ leader, JodhaManek, was anointed “king of Dwarka.” Govind Rao, the Gaekwad’s thanedar, was driven out by him, and he assumed control of the region’s governance. The people slaughtered a large number of Gaekwad’s army soldiers as they fled. 28 guns, 2000 weapons, 1000 maunds of gunpowder, 700 pounds of sulfur, and 125 vessels from Dwarka, Bet, and Okha were taken by the Waghers.

Up until 1859, the rebels maintained authority over the entire region.

In this crucial situation, the British acted swiftly, which led to the liberation of Okhamandal. The administration of Bombay requested that troops be sent right once to assist the Baroda state in putting down the uprising. Col. Donavan led a group of 1350 soldiers sent to deal with the uprising. Col. Scribe’s men were to accompany this group as reinforcements as they marched from Rajkot to Dwarka. However, there was a delay in the Rajkot forces’ arrival.
On October 4, 1859, Col. Donavan’s troops arrived in Bet and immediately launched a significant land and sea offensive. The warships Empress of India, Victoria, and Clide conducted the naval assault. The warships heavily bombarded the rebels’ fortifications.

The Waghers put up a valiant fight. Williams of the 6th Regiment and Capt. Mecormack of the 28th Regiment both lost their life in this battle, along with eleven other British soldiers. Officers and troops were wounded in greater numbers. The tombs of the two officers who died in this conflict are still visible at Bet, where they were buried. Deva Chhabani, the leader of the Wagner, was also murdered. The rebels suffered a severe defeat in this. But the majority of the rebels succeeded in traveling from Bet to Dwarka. On Dussehra, they took over control of Dwarka. After retaking Bet, the British forces burned the fort, damaged temples, and other buildings, and took more than three lakh rupees worth of valuables from the temples.

The cruelty the British demonstrated at Bet incited intense resentment among the Waghers and other locals. They now started putting plans in place to confront the British from their headquarters in Dwarka. Col. Donavan quickly arrived there with his soldiers after learning of this. Both land and the maritime attack occurred on Dwarka. On October 31, 1859, the battleships Zonabia and Firoz engaged in intense shelling. Although the rebels fought valiantly, the British force emerged victorious. Dwarka was taken over when the rebels were routed. Many Waghers made their way to the adjacent Abhapara hills.

The British carried out the same atrocities they had in Bet in Dwarka.

Temples and other buildings were destroyed, people and animals were slain, and valuables were looted. The leaders of Jamnagar, Porbandar, and Kutch all protested in response to this. The protest was also supported by chambers of commerce. There were requests made for the restitution of stolen goods from temples. The Gaekwad and British authorities were warned that the region would see massive unrest if the treasure was not returned. The princely state leaders were compelled to take notice of the episodes, therefore the Bombay government took action to convince them that the treasure would be returned and that similar incidents would not happen again.

Most of the Waghers gave up their weapons by 1859 when the rebels were routed at Dwarka. Some of the leaders were detained and given sentences ranging from two to twelve years in prison. However, numerous further rebels led by JodhaManek and MuluManek persisted in evading the law. They found refuge in the Abhapara hill range. From this point on, they engaged in guerilla warfare. The 1857 Revolt was seen as continuing by the British. There was an urgent need to put an end to the ongoing conflict in the Abhapara region. The royal kings of Saurashtra were requested to provide their assistance with this project.

As a result, the princely rulers of Saurashtra were requested to provide their support in this endeavor. The Jamnagar state sent Jalan Sinh Jadeja with 1000 warriors, the Porbandar state sent DiwanKaramchand Gandhi with 200 men, and the Gondal state sent Diwan Anantji Amarchand with 700 soldiers. As a result, the state of Junagadh dispatched DiwanAnantjiAmarchand and 700 warriors; Jamnagar State sent 1000 soldiers; Porbandar State sent 200 soldiers and Gondal State sent soldiers under Diwan Karamchand Gandhi. They enlisted in Major Homer’s British troops. Together with the British army, this royal army of 2300 engaged in military operations against the last of the Wagher rebels in the Abhapara highlands, forcing them to disband by the end of 1859.

Jodha Manek managed to escape with some of his supporters before passing away in 1860 and being cremated at Sasan in Gir.

In the hills of Barda and Gir, a small group of Waghers continued to fight under the leadership of Deva and MuluManek, who was subsequently betrayed, apprehended, and given a fourteen-year prison term, though he also managed to escape from it. The conflict had already been fully put down by this point.

This neglected episode in the Revolt’s history must be viewed as a component of Gujarat’s greater struggle against colonial domination and the collaborationist behavior of other princely rulers. Gujarat was not immune to the upheaval of 1857, which emphasizes how widely spread out the Revolt was geographic. The uprising in Saurashtra’s Okhamandal region continued past 1857–1858, as it did in many other areas of the subcontinent, creating a connection to the struggles that persisted after 1857.

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