Page 97 - SST Class 05

Unit VI : Our Freedom Struggle

16 The First War of

Independence

1857 Uprising and I

Independence is the most important need for a person; he cannot develop himself if he is a slave to others’
wishes. India, which once was a prosperous land called the Golden Bird, was ruled by foreign powers for
several centuries, so it turned into a poor country. We have achieved independence after a long struggle.
The 1857 uprising, popularly called the First War of Independence, was a major milestone in this struggle.

Foreign Invasions

India is blessed with a vast and fertile land with abundant natural resources like water,
minerals and so on. It has been a prosperous country ever since the ancient period
which happened due to its high literacy and work in different fields of science like
medicine and astronomy. India was essentially a Hindu country, with some Buddhist
and Jain kings.
Attracted by the riches of India, many invaders came to plunder and occupy this land.

At that time, there were a large number of kingdoms in the country. Their rulers
fought with one another, so unity lacked. They did not stand united when the foreign
invaders attacked. Due to this, our land became a slave country.
About 1,000 years ago, the Muslims Know It!

invaded several times, and occupied
v Aryabhatta (mathematician), Varahamihira (scientist),
this land about 800 years ago. The Charak (medicine) and Patanjali (Yoga) are only a few
Hindu kings fought with them, but well-known scholars from ancient India.
they did not unite to fight against the
invaders. It resulted into a long foreign rule, first by the Muslims for about 600 years
and then by the British for about 200 years. The Muslim rule can be divided into two
periods : the Delhi Sultanate period and the Mughal period. The British period can also
be divided into two periods : rule by the British East India Company and rule by the

British crown. All along this time, several Indian kings and people tried to fight with
these invaders and succeeded to some extent. Yet, the effort was not enough. A major
struggle by the Indians to gain independence occurred in 1857. It was very widespread
covering a large part of India, so it is called the First War of Independence.

The First War of Independence 97