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| Visakhapatnam, AP First rebellion against the British thehindu.com |
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| 1780 revolt at Visakhapatnam Facebook.com |
While the Great Rebellion of 1857 is widely celebrated as the First War of Independence, the coastal city of Visakhapatnam (then Vizagapatam) witnessed a significant military revolt seventy-seven years earlier. Occurring on October 3, 1780, this mutiny predates the better-known uprisings at Vellore (1806) and Barrackpore (1824), making it arguably the first organized sepoy mutiny against the British East India Company (EIC). This pre independence revolt event fails to secure a spot in the pages of Indian history books,,apart there is no commemorative monument worth its name in memory of those who gave their lives for the nation, Will the local leaders and politicians take steps to build a memorial of 1780revolt,first against the British.
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| Inner Old cottage 1780 Visakhapatnam rebellion timesofindia.com |
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| outer Old cottage 1780 Visakhapatnam rebellion timesofindia.com |
Above image: The old round cottage at the Old-Post office junction, a remnant and the sole surviving witness of the Sepoy Mutiny in Visakhapatnam. The Vizagapatam mutiny took place on October 3, 1780, and this was the first Sepoy mutiny in India, as recorded in the Gazetteer in the London Archives. timesofindia.com.............
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| Lighthouse,Visakapatnam thehindu.com |
Above image: A view of the Old Lighthouse, where the Sepoy Mutiny of 1780 is supposed to have taken place in Visakhapatnam. It is recorded in the Gazetteer in the London Archives,according to Andhra University Professor Suryanarayana. Shots rang out for the first time from the guns of the native sepoys against the unjust ruler East India Company in an unknown fishing village along the Coromandel Coast that became a popular port city and a major shipyard of India.........
Historical Background and Causes
The 1780s were a period of aggressive British expansion in Southern India. The primary obstacle to the EIC's hegemony was Hyder Ali and later his son Tipu Sultan the ruler of Mysore. To bolster their forces against him, the Governor of Madras, John Whitehall, ordered troops from the Vizagapatam and Masulipatam settlements to reinforce the southern front.
The causes of the mutiny were both economic and ideological. The native sepoys, primarily Muslims from the Circars battalions, were deeply aggrieved by the Company’s refusal to pay additional allowances for "extra duties," such as tax collection. Furthermore, there was a profound religious and patriotic reluctance among the Muslim soldiers to take up arms against a fellow Muslim ruler like Hyder Ali on behalf of a foreign, often arrogant, colonial power.
The Outbreak of Violence
The tension reached a breaking point on the afternoon of October 3, 1780. As the sepoys were ordered to board the ship Sartine to sail for Madras, many refused. When British officers attempted to use physical force to compel them, a group of rebels led by Subedar Sheikh Mohammed Khan opened fire with their muskets.
The volley killed three British officers: Lt. Crisps, Cadet Kingsford Venner, and Robert Rutherford, the paymaster. The rebels quickly took control of the town, capturing civil servants—including the settlement chief, James Henry Casamajor—and looting the Company’s treasury of approximately ₹21,999.
Aftermath and Legacy
The rebels initially attempted to march out of the town to join Hyder Ali’s forces, bringing their captives with them. However, they were persuaded by local Zamindars to release the British officials. This proved to be a fatal strategic error. Once freed, Casamajor alerted the British military, who pursued the rebels. The sepoys were eventually apprehended near Gudderallywanka in Payakaraopeta. Historical accounts suggest that many, including Sheikh Mohammed Khan, were executed "mercilessly" by the Company.
Despite its historical priority, the 1780 mutiny remains largely eclipsed in Indian history books. Today, the only physical evidence of the event is the weathered tomb of Kingsford Venner in the Old Town European Cemetery, which bears an inscription confirming his death during the "Sepoy Mutiny." Heritage conservationists continue to urge the government to recognize this site and the Surendar's bravery, ensuring that the first spark of resistance on the Coromandel Coast is never fully extinguished.
https://timescontent.timesofindia.com/photo/feature/Sepoy-Mutiny/538622
K. N. Jayaraman (Author: navrangindia.blogspot.com)
