WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Rebel divisions Most of the sepoys hoped to restore Mughal rule under Bahadur Shah. But the inhabitants of Oudh wanted their Nawab back, and the people of Jhansi wanted their old state restored. The revolt was also divided on religious lines. Most sepoys were Hindus, but other rebels were Muslims fighting a holy war.

Detailed explanation-2: -Even so, the rebellion proved to be an important watershed in Indian and British Empire history. It led to the dissolution of the East India Company, and forced the British to reorganize the army, the financial system, and the administration in India, through passage of the Government of India Act 1858.

Detailed explanation-3: -The sepoys believed that the lubricant was a mixture of pig and cow lard, a religious insult to both Muslims and Hindus: Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, and the cow is sacred to Hindus. In April 1857 the sepoys at Meerut refused the cartridges and were punished with long prison terms.

Detailed explanation-4: -While the Great Mutiny had several causes, British insensitivity to and disrespect of the religions practiced in India, both Hinduism and Islam, provided the spark that began the rebellion. The soldiers objected not to the new gun itself, but to the religious transgression that biting its paper cartridges would cause.