Kalu Singh Mahara was a prominent freedom fighter and Kumaoni leader who played a pivotal role during the initial Indian Rebellion of 1857. He is recognized as the foremost freedom fighter from the region that is now Uttarakhand, which was then part of the United Province. Kalu Singh Mahara held the title of Thakur of Bisung Patti in Kumaon (Kumaun), presently known as Karnakarayat. This area is situated near Lohaghat in the Champawat district of Uttarakhand.
Upon receiving a discreet and confidential letter from Oudh (Awadh), inviting him and other followers to join the growing rebellion against the British, Kalu Singh Mahara made the significant decision to support the cause. The letter from the Awadh government proposed that, in the event of regaining power from the British, the hill areas would be administered by the local hill residents, while the Tarai (plain areas) below the hills would come under Oudh’s governance. Kalu Singh Mahara accepted this proposal and initiated a campaign involving local youth called “Krantiveer,” which garnered widespread support in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Skirmishes and confrontations occurred in areas such as Kali, Sui, Gumdesh, and their surroundings, causing significant frustration for the British. His militia, primarily composed of riflemen called Bandukchi, conducted ambushes and engaged British forces on numerous occasions.
Kalu Singh Mahara once led a group of young fighters in setting fire to the British Barracks in Lohaghat, leading to a British army retreat. In retaliation, Commissioner Ramsey dispatched military units from Tanakpur and Lohaghat to counter the freedom fighters. Kalu Mahara and his followers fiercely battled the British in Bastia but were eventually compelled to withdraw. During this period, he was incarcerated in several jails. Tragically, two other revolutionaries, Anand Singh Fartyal and Bishan Singh Karayat, were executed by the British. Although the British eventually suppressed the rebellion across northern India, it prompted Queen Victoria to declare India as no longer a company territory, leading to its transformation into what is now known as British India.
In 2007, the Pawan Maati program was organized at his ancestral home. In 2010, with the presence of the District Magistrate at the time, the Lohaghat intersection was named in his honor. Kalu Singh Mahara is celebrated as a hero in the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand. In 2009, a statue of this freedom fighter was erected in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand.
Kalu Singh Mahara
(Uttarakhand)
Kalu Singh Mahara was a prominent freedom fighter and Kumaoni leader who played a pivotal role during the initial Indian Rebellion of 1857. He is recognized as the foremost freedom fighter from the region that is now Uttarakhand, which was then part of the United Province. Kalu Singh Mahara held the title of Thakur of Bisung Patti in Kumaon (Kumaun), presently known as Karnakarayat. This area is situated near Lohaghat in the Champawat district of Uttarakhand.
Upon receiving a discreet and confidential letter from Oudh (Awadh), inviting him and other followers to join the growing rebellion against the British, Kalu Singh Mahara made the significant decision to support the cause. The letter from the Awadh government proposed that, in the event of regaining power from the British, the hill areas would be administered by the local hill residents, while the Tarai (plain areas) below the hills would come under Oudh’s governance. Kalu Singh Mahara accepted this proposal and initiated a campaign involving local youth called “Krantiveer,” which garnered widespread support in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Skirmishes and confrontations occurred in areas such as Kali, Sui, Gumdesh, and their surroundings, causing significant frustration for the British. His militia, primarily composed of riflemen called Bandukchi, conducted ambushes and engaged British forces on numerous occasions.
Kalu Singh Mahara once led a group of young fighters in setting fire to the British Barracks in Lohaghat, leading to a British army retreat. In retaliation, Commissioner Ramsey dispatched military units from Tanakpur and Lohaghat to counter the freedom fighters. Kalu Mahara and his followers fiercely battled the British in Bastia but were eventually compelled to withdraw. During this period, he was incarcerated in several jails. Tragically, two other revolutionaries, Anand Singh Fartyal and Bishan Singh Karayat, were executed by the British. Although the British eventually suppressed the rebellion across northern India, it prompted Queen Victoria to declare India as no longer a company territory, leading to its transformation into what is now known as British India.
In 2007, the Pawan Maati program was organized at his ancestral home. In 2010, with the presence of the District Magistrate at the time, the Lohaghat intersection was named in his honor. Kalu Singh Mahara is celebrated as a hero in the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand. In 2009, a statue of this freedom fighter was erected in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand.
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