Revolt of 1857 (Andhra)
Andhra's limited but significant role in the First War of Independence
APPSC angle
Only three things matter: (1) date and leader of the Hyderabad Residency attack, (2) Salar Jung I's role in keeping the Nizam loyal, (3) the minor sparks at Kurnool, Cuddapah and the Rumpa agency. Do NOT confuse 1857 tribal unrest with Alluri Sitarama Raju's 1922 rebellion.
The British Residency (built by James Kirkpatrick, 1798) was the symbol of British power in the Deccan. On the night of 17 July 1857 Turrebaz Khan and Maulvi Allauddin led Rohilla horsemen and city rebels against it. Salar Jung's forces and the Nizam's police, along with Davidson's guards, beat back the attack. Turrebaz was captured within days; Maulvi Allauddin was transported to Kalapani (Andaman) and died there.
Rohilla leader; led attack on Residency; shot 1859 while escaping.
Ideologue; issued fatwa at Mecca Masjid; life at Kalapani.
PM of Hyderabad (1853–83); kept Nizam Afzal-ud-Daulah loyal; got 'Star of India' from the British.
5th Asaf Jahi; publicly declared loyalty to the Company.
British Resident at Hyderabad; defended the Residency.
Emissary of Pratap Singh of Satara; toured Deccan (incl. Andhra) urging revolt — largely unsuccessful.
May 1857
News reaches Hyderabad
Meerut and Delhi news inflames the Rohilla and Arab mercenaries in Hyderabad city.
17 Jun 1857
Meeting at Mecca Masjid
Maulvi Allauddin issues a call for jihad against the British; Turrebaz Khan joins.
17 Jul 1857
Attack on Hyderabad Residency
~500 Rohillas led by Turrebaz Khan storm the Residency; repulsed by Major Cuthbert Davidson and troops loyal to Salar Jung.
22 Jul 1857
Turrebaz Khan arrested
Captured near Toopran; sentenced to transportation for life.
1857 (Jun–Aug)
Kurnool Rohilla unrest
Small mutiny by Rohilla sepoys; quickly suppressed.
1857 (Aug)
Cuddapah / Bellary sepoy stirrings
Minor Madras Army disturbances; no mass revolt.
1857–58
Rumpa (Godavari agency)
Tribal Koya and Konda Reddi disturbances against Muttadars and forest laws.
24 Jan 1859
Turrebaz Khan killed
Shot while attempting escape from jail.
- 10 May 1857
Meerut Mutiny — sparks reach Andhra
- 17 Jul 1857
Attack on Hyderabad Residency
- 22 Jul 1857
Turrebaz Khan captured
- 1 Nov 1858
Queen Victoria's Proclamation
- 24 Jan 1859
Turrebaz Khan shot dead
- 1860
Raichur Doab restored to Nizam
Turrebaz Khan
Hero of Hyderabad 1857
Attacked Residency 17 Jul 1857; killed 24 Jan 1859
Maulvi Allauddin
Religious ideologue
Life imprisonment at Andaman
Salar Jung I
Nizam's Diwan
Kept Hyderabad pro-British; modernised administration
Nizam Afzal-ud-Daulah
5th Nizam of Hyderabad
Rewarded with return of Raichur & Osmanabad districts (1860)
Major Cuthbert Davidson
British Resident, Hyderabad
Directed the defence of the Residency
- The bulk of Andhra was under direct British rule (Madras Presidency) with no dispossessed ruler to rally around.
- The Madras Army had been comprehensively reformed after the 1806 Vellore Mutiny; caste-and-religion grievances that fuelled the Bengal Army revolt were largely absent.
- The Nizam of Hyderabad — the only major indigenous power — was kept firmly on the British side by his Prime Minister Salar Jung I.
- The Northern Circars (1765) and Ceded Districts (1800) had been under British administration for over half a century; Andhra elites were already co-opted.
- Communication and the telegraph reached Madras early — news of the Meerut mutiny (10 May 1857) triggered pre-emptive British troop movements.
- Government of India Act 1858 ended Company rule — Andhra passed from EIC to the Crown along with the rest of India.
- Queen Victoria's Proclamation (1 Nov 1858) reassured Indian princes — Hyderabad's autonomy was reaffirmed.
- British reorganised the Madras Army: reduced Indian to European ratio, banned high-caste-only recruitment.
- Rumpa unrest became a template for later tribal revolts (1879 Rampa, 1922–24 Alluri rebellion).
- Salar Jung's rise gave Hyderabad four decades of reformist administration.
| Person / place | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Nizam of Hyderabad | Rewarded — Raichur Doab & Osmanabad restored (1860); title 'Faithful Ally of the British Government' |
| Salar Jung I | Knighthood; 'Star of India' (GCSI) |
| Turrebaz Khan | Transportation for life; shot dead while escaping (1859) |
| Maulvi Allauddin | Transported to Andaman; died in captivity |
| Rohilla sepoys (Kurnool) | Disbanded, ringleaders hanged |
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Turrebaz = urban Hyderabad revolt during 1857. Alluri = later tribal Rampa rebellion in Godavari agency.
1857 = minor tribal unrest during First War. 1879 = organised revolt against Muttadars & Forest Act.
Only Salar Jung I is relevant to 1857. Salar Jung III (d.1949) built the Salar Jung Museum.
THREE-S
S — Seventeen July (attack date) · S — Salar Jung (saved the Nizam) · S — Suppression (revolt crushed in weeks).
- Andhra's only major 1857 event: Hyderabad Residency attack, 17 Jul 1857.
- Leaders: Turrebaz Khan + Maulvi Allauddin.
- Salar Jung I kept the Nizam loyal → no Deccan-wide revolt.
- Minor sparks: Kurnool Rohillas, Cuddapah sepoys, Rumpa tribals.
- Reward: Nizam got back Raichur Doab (1860).
Date & leader of Residency attack
MCQRole of Salar Jung I
MCQTurrebaz Khan ↔ Alluri distinction
Prelims trapNizam's reward after 1857
MCQ
Who led the attack on the British Residency at Hyderabad in 1857?
Which Nizam's Prime Minister prevented Hyderabad from joining the Revolt of 1857?