1857 

For 

My Teacher 
DR. H. R. GUPTA 

Formerly Professor & Head 
Department of History 
Punjab University 
Chandigarh 




PREFACE 


There is perhaps no other event in the history of India 
which has interested both amateurs and professional historians 
so much as the Uprising of 1857. This has resulted in the 
proliferation of historical literature on the subject.* A careful 
study of these writings shows that the whole story has not yet 
been told, however; and many gaps still remain to be, filled. 
The role of the people of Haryana in the great Uprising, with 
which this study is concerned, represents a case in point. 

Like any modern study this work rests upon a triple base: 
material from the Public Archives (the National Archives of 
India, New Delhi; the Punjab State Archives, Patiala); 
private papers; and books. I must confess, however, that 
most of the material used here is primarily British. The Indians 
did not leave behind the accounts of their exploits. In such 
circumstances an author, who is supposed to approach his 
subject ‘as a judge’, to draw a picture in colours true to history 
— after listening to both sides involved in the case, must find his 
task rather difficult. Nevertheless, I have attempted to put 
all available evidence, as in the court of law, to a critical cross- 
examination in order to ascertain the truth. But how far I 
have succeeded in this task is for the readers to judge. 

Many are the debts of the gratitude which I have acquired 
during the preparation of this work. The most significant is 
the debt of my revered teachers. Dr. H.R. Gupta and Dr. Satish 
Chandra who gave me valuable guidance and insights. Professor 
V. N. Datta, Dr. N. G. Barrier, Dr. J. N. Singh and Shri 
N.K. Jain read the text and offered their criticisms; Dr. (Mrs.) 
Dolores Domin translated for me certain materials from the 

* For a useful description and critique of this literature, see Landendorf 
The Revolt in India 1857-58: An Annotated Bibliography (AG Swit- 
zerland; Inter Documentation Company, 1968). 



German language; and my wife Shashipriya assisted ine in many 
ways. I am thankful to all of them. 

I am also obliged to the staff of the following public Arch- 
ives and Libraries for their help : the National Archives of 
India, New Delhi; the Punjab State Archives, Patiala; the 
National Library, Calcutta; the Rajasthan University Library, 
Jaipur; the Naziria Library, Delhi; and the B.N. Chakravarty 
University Library, Kurukshetra. 

I am also grateful to the ICHR, New Delhi for giving 
financial support towards publication of this work; and to 
Shri Ramesh C. Jain, my publisher, for his unflagging interest 
and cooperation in bringing out in -such a Short time. 


Kurukshetra 
1 January, 1-977 


K.C. Yaddv