Story: British India's First Sepoy Mutiny Broke Out At Vellore Fort In The Year 1806

Story: British India's First Sepoy Mutiny Broke Out At Vellore Fort In The Year 1806

Aniruddha Sarkar

18 September 2024

#01

Vellore Fort - A Brief History:

Vellore Fort was built during 1566 by the rulers of the Vijayanagara Empire. Later, this fort was under the Bijapur Sultans (1656–1678), under the Marathas (1678–1707), under the Mughals (1707–1760), and later, under the control of the British (1799–1947) until India won freedom.

On the 10th of July, 1806, a Sepoy Mutiny broke out. Aggrieved by the imposition of a uniform dress code, the Indian sepoys killed a few British officers (14 nos) and British soldiers (115 nos). The sepoys captured the fort. A large cavalry of British soldiers came within hours and put down the mutiny. Casualty among Indian Sepoy mutineers: 350 executed, 350 wounded. (All statistics on casualties are referred from Wikipedia.)

Later, another Sepoy Mutiny took place in Bengal in the year 1857.

For a detailed history of Vellore Fort, one may browse the Wikipedia page on Vellore Fort.

#02

Vellore is a beautiful city in Tamil Nadu, India, located 130 km west of Chennai and 100 km south of Tirupati. Bengaluru is 211 km from Vellore by road.

On August 2024 at noon, during a weekend, my daughter, Sudeshna, and I reached Chennai and proceeded to Vellore by the road. We planned a doctor consultation at CMC Vellore.

In between, we received a 3-day break. We availed this opportunity to roam around the city of Vellore. Fortunately, we stayed very close to Vellore Fort.

One morning, after breakfast, we walked by Arcot Road to reach Vellore Fort's main entrance.

Vellore Fort is a heritage site.

The Archaeological Survey of India maintains this fort.

Places of worship for three different faiths have been co-located inside the fort for ages: a Temple, a Mosque, and a Church.

There are government offices, e.g., the Treasury Office, the Government Museum, and a Police Training School. The large playgrounds, tall old trees, and well-maintained roads inside the campus are a treat for the eyes.

The Tamil Nadu Government Museum is modest in space. However, this museum has a rich collection of artefacts. These artefacts portray life during the pre-historic, historic, and contemporary periods in the adjoining area.

The next day, we took another trip to collect more photographs of this huge campus.

I am presenting here a few such photographs that we clicked.

Photo 01. Daughter Sudeshna in front of the CSI Central Church on Arcot Road, opp. Vellore Fort.

Photo 02. Interior view of the CSI Church, Vellore, on Arcot Road, opp. Vellore Fort.

Photo 03. The outside boundary of Vellore Fort and an adjoining green belt.

Photo 04. The outside boundary of Vellore Fort and an adjoining green belt.

Photo 05. The outside boundary of Vellore Fort and an adjoining green belt

Photo 06. The outside boundary of Vellore Fort and an adjoining green belt

Photo 07. The outside boundary of Vellore Fort and an adjoining green belt

Photo 08. The outside boundary of Vellore Fort and an adjoining green belt. Undulating hills on the horizon.

Photo 09. The outside boundary of Vellore Fort and an adjoining green belt. Undulating hills on the horizon.

Photo 10. The outside boundary of Vellore Fort and an adjoining green belt. A deep canal encircles the fort.

Photo 11. The outside boundary of Vellore Fort and an adjoining green belt. A bird is on its wings.

Photo 12. A canal encircling Vellore Fort.

Photo 13. Blooming Flowers around Vellore Fort.

Photo 14. Blooming Flowers around Vellore Fort. Hills on the horizon.

Photo 15. The canal outside Vellore Fort.

Photo 16. The hills on the horizon.The lush green cover. A deep canal encircles Vellore Fort.

Photo 17. Outside corner view of Vellore Fort at a turning point.

Photo 18. The outside Arcot Road near Vellore Fort. This road is also known as the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway.

Photo 19. Beautiful greenery outside Vellore Fort.

Photo 20. Board from Archeological Survey of India outside Vellore Fort.

Photo 21. A deep canal outside Vellore Fort.

Photo 22. A deep canal outside Vellore Fort.

Photo 23. A deep wide canal encircling Vellore Fort.

Photo 24. The Sepoy Mutiny 1806 Memorial Pillar at Hazrat Makkan junction outside Vellore Fort.

Photo 25. The Sepoy Mutiny 1806 Memorial Pillar at Hazrat Makkan junction. The base of the Memorial Pillar depicts a plaque with a memorial note.

Photo 26. ASI Office at Vellore Fort Entrance.

Photo 27. Vellore Fort official visit timings board at the main entrance.

Photo 28. ASI board at the main entrance, Vellore Fort.

Photo 29. The main entrance with sidewalks inside Vellore Fort.

Photo 30. ASI Site Map of the campus, Vellore Fort.

Photo 31. The Government Treasury Office Compound.

Photo 32. Government Meusum inside Vellore Fort.

Photo 33. Daughter Sudeshna outside the Government Museum compound.

Photo 34. Badsha & Begam Mahal, Vellore Fort - here Tipu Sultan's family was confined by the British.

Photo 35. Jalakanteshwar Temple inside Vellore Fort.

Photo 36. An old banyan tree on the campus of Vellore Fort.

Photo 37. The Mosque on Vellore Fort Campus - the front view.

Photo 38. The way to the Government Museum inside Vellore Fort.

Photo 39. A Bamboo bush inside Vellore Fort.

Photo 40. A large playground inside Vellore Fort Campus.

Photo 41. The Mosque inside Vellore Fort - a side view.

Photo 42. Mosque-annexed structure inside Vellore Fort.

Photo 43. The St. John's Church, inside Vellore Fort.

Photo 44. The St. John's Church, inside Vellore Fort.

Photo 45. Entrance Board of the St. John's Church, inside Vellore Fort.

Photo 46. Horses resting outside Vellore Fort.

Photo 47. Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral, Vellore, within 2 km of Vellore Fort.

Photo 48. Voorhees College, Vellore, within 1.5 km from Vellore Fort.

#03

The next day, we also visited the Laxmi Narayani Temple, popularly known as the Golden Temple, and offered Puja. This temple is around 7 km from Vellore Fort.

#04

With a rich history, today's City of Vellore, Tamil Nadu, has emerged as the melting pot of ancient wisdom and modern outlook.

This City of Vellore has been home to a large number of reputed Educational Institutions for many decades.

Today, The City of Vellore, Tamil Nadu, has emerged as a City of Excellence in Learning and Development in modern India.

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