Was 1857 a sepoy mutiny or India’s First War of Independence? This paper revisits the uprising through colonial, nationalist, Marxist, and subaltern lenses, tracing how anxieties over greased cartridges, caste and religious sensitivities, and fears of forced conversion created a combustible climate across North and Central India. It reconstructs early signals from Dum Dum, Barrackpore, Raniganj, and the strategic arson of telegraph lines; situates Mangal Pandey’s March 29 outburst within broader coordination; and underscores the catalytic mutiny at Meerut on May 10. Often-overlooked actors—women, courtesans, clerics, and local priests—emerge as mobilizers and legitimizers alongside figures like Begum Hazrat Mahal and Ahmadullah Shah. The study argues that 1857 was a complex, multi-causal revolt where military disaffection, popular participation, religious motivation, and political symbolism converged to challenge British power on a scale unmatched before 1947.
