At Meerut, the religious sentiments of 'sepoys' were offended when they were given new cartridges greased with cow and pig fat, whose covering had to be stripped out by biting with the mouth before using them in rifles. The Hindu as well as the Muslim soldiers, who refused to use such cartridges, was arrested which resulted in a revolt by the fellow soldiers in May 1857.

The British conquest of India, which could be said to have begun with the Battle of Plassey, was practically completed by the end of Dalhousie's tenure in 1856.

The conquest of India was by no means a smooth affair as the simmering discontent of the people manifested itself in many localized revolts during this period. However the Mutiny of 1857, which began with a revolt of the military soldiers at Meerut, soon became widespread and posed a grave challenge to the British rule.

The peasants were ruined through exorbitant charges made from them by the new class of landlords established under the Zamindari system introduced by the British. The religion and the caste system which formed the firm foundation of the traditional Indian society was endangered by the British administration.

The Muslim and Hindu princely rulers joined the revolting troops and farmers, the Company rule ceased to exit in all parts of the country. Thus, there was all round discontent and disgust against the British rule that burst out in a revolt in May, 1857.

Soon the revolt was spread throughout India and there were uprisings in all the parts of India. The rebels proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar as the emperor of India.

The rebellious forces under the commands of Kanwar Singh in Bihar and Bakht Khan at Delhi gave a stunning blow to the British soldiers. In Kanpur, Nana Sahib was proclaimed as the Peshwa and his troops were led by the brave leader Tantya Tope. Rani Lakshmi Bai was proclaimed the ruler of Jhansi who herself led her troops in the historic and heroic battles with the British.

The Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikhs and all the other brave sons of India fought shoulder to shoulder to throw out the British and recognized Bahadur Shah Zafar as the legitimate emperor of India, who thus emerged as symbol of India's unity and her past glory.

But the revolt, though popular and widespread, was crushed a year later killing tens of thousands and controlled by the mighty British within one year. Kanwar Singh died in April 1858, having sustained severe wounds in the battle. Rani Lakshmi Bai was driven out of Jhansi and was killed in the battlefield in June 1858. Nana Sahib escaped to Nepal, while Tantya Tope was captured and hanged. Thus, by the end of 1858, British troops regained the control over India again. And Bahadur Shah Zafar was taken as a prisoner and sent to exile in Rangoon, where he died in 1862.

Even though the British succeeded in crushing it within an year, it was certainly a popular revolt in which the Indian rulers, the masses and the militia participated so enthusiastically that it came to be regarded as the First War of Indian Independence. The hundred years of British misrule preceding the great Mutiny had offended the local rulers and ruled alike. The doctrine of lapse was a naked violation of Indian traditions and customs to deny the legitimate rights to Indian rulers and to grab their territories. The armies of the annexed states were largely disbanded and the soldiers found themselves out of job. The brave and the learned people who devotedly worked for the Indian rulers and got their patronage were driven out of administration and their land and jagirs were taken over by the British.

The mutiny has been described as the first war of Indian Independence. "It exercised formative influence on the evolution of thought". It was the first expression of people's urge for freedom and liberty. Muslims and Hindus, princes and people, soldiers and commoners joined hands to shake off the shackles of the mighty British rule. In spite of its failure, its memory remained ever fresh in the minds of the Indians and it provided an inspiration for future struggles for freedom.