Bisheshar Singh Thakur was a landlord of the Reghuvanshi clan of Rajputs and played a significant role in the Great Revolt against British rule in 1857. He hailed from the village of Diha in Dobhi Taluka, Dist. Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. When news of the patriotic uprisings against British rule in the surrounding districts of Ghazipur, Azamgarh, and Banaras reached Dobhi, the proud Rajputs organized themselves into an armed force and attacked the British and their Indian collaborators in the region, severing the communication along the Banaras-Azamgarh road and advancing towards the former Banaras State.
Although the Rajputs suffered heavy losses in their first encounter with the British regular troops, they regrouped and launched a bold attempt to capture Banaras. Meanwhile, Azamgarh had been besieged by another large force of Indian Patriots. The British were unable to send reinforcements to Azamgarh due to the challenge posed by the Dobhi Rajputs. However, a clash with the British became inevitable, and at the end of June 1857, the British attacked the Rajputs with the help of the Sikhs and the Hindustani Cavalry.
The Rajputs were handicapped as the torrential monsoon rains soaked their supplies of gunpowder, but they fiercely opposed the British advance with swords, spears, and the few serviceable guns and muskets they had. The unequal battle took place about five miles north of Banaras at a place called Pisnahariaka-Inar. The Rajputs were driven back with heavy losses across the Gomti River. The British army crossed the river and sacked every Rajput village in the area.
A few months later, Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur (District Arrah, Bihar), the hero of the Great Revolt, advanced and occupied Azamgarh. The Banaras Army sent against him was defeated outside Azamgarh. The British rushed reinforcements, and there was a furious battle in which the Rajputs of Dobhi helped Kunwar Singh, their distant relative. Kunwar Singh had to withdraw, and the Rajputs became the target of cruel reprisals by the British.
The leaders of the Dobhi Rajputs were “invited” to a conference and treacherously arrested by the British troops who had surrounded the place in Senapur village in May 1858. Bisheshar Singh Thakur, along with 12 of his kinsmen and 9 other followers, was summarily executed by hanging from a mango tree. The dead bodies were further shot with muskets and left hanging from the trees. After some days, the bodies were taken down by the villagers and cremated.
Bisheshar Singh Thakur
(Uttar Pradesh)
Bisheshar Singh Thakur was a landlord of the Reghuvanshi clan of Rajputs and played a significant role in the Great Revolt against British rule in 1857. He hailed from the village of Diha in Dobhi Taluka, Dist. Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. When news of the patriotic uprisings against British rule in the surrounding districts of Ghazipur, Azamgarh, and Banaras reached Dobhi, the proud Rajputs organized themselves into an armed force and attacked the British and their Indian collaborators in the region, severing the communication along the Banaras-Azamgarh road and advancing towards the former Banaras State.
Although the Rajputs suffered heavy losses in their first encounter with the British regular troops, they regrouped and launched a bold attempt to capture Banaras. Meanwhile, Azamgarh had been besieged by another large force of Indian Patriots. The British were unable to send reinforcements to Azamgarh due to the challenge posed by the Dobhi Rajputs. However, a clash with the British became inevitable, and at the end of June 1857, the British attacked the Rajputs with the help of the Sikhs and the Hindustani Cavalry.
The Rajputs were handicapped as the torrential monsoon rains soaked their supplies of gunpowder, but they fiercely opposed the British advance with swords, spears, and the few serviceable guns and muskets they had. The unequal battle took place about five miles north of Banaras at a place called Pisnahariaka-Inar. The Rajputs were driven back with heavy losses across the Gomti River. The British army crossed the river and sacked every Rajput village in the area.
A few months later, Kunwar Singh of Jagdishpur (District Arrah, Bihar), the hero of the Great Revolt, advanced and occupied Azamgarh. The Banaras Army sent against him was defeated outside Azamgarh. The British rushed reinforcements, and there was a furious battle in which the Rajputs of Dobhi helped Kunwar Singh, their distant relative. Kunwar Singh had to withdraw, and the Rajputs became the target of cruel reprisals by the British.
The leaders of the Dobhi Rajputs were “invited” to a conference and treacherously arrested by the British troops who had surrounded the place in Senapur village in May 1858. Bisheshar Singh Thakur, along with 12 of his kinsmen and 9 other followers, was summarily executed by hanging from a mango tree. The dead bodies were further shot with muskets and left hanging from the trees. After some days, the bodies were taken down by the villagers and cremated.
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