Independence Day 2022: Forts and freedom struggle

The Ahmednagar fort, tucked away in the city of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, is considered to be one of the most formidable forts of the region. Built by Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I in in 1427 CE, the fort acted as the headquarters of the Nizam Shahi dynasty. After the Nizam Shahis, it saw the rule of the Mughals, Marathas and the British. The fort today is remembered not only for the powerful dynasties that held sway over it, but also for its association with the freedom movement of our country. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Jawaharlal Nehru’s room with his personal items displayed at Ahmednagar. This structure holds a special place in the memory of the freedom struggle as a place where important freedom fighters such as Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Pandit Govind Vallabh Pant and Acharya Narendra Deva, were imprisoned. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The fort of Jhansi immediately reminds us of Rani Lakshmibai, the warrior queen who stood up to the British. She was the focal point around which resistance gathered in the region during the Revolt of 1857, described as the First War of Independence in India. The Jhansi fort was her battleground and a magnet for people who were eager to reclaim their freedom from the notorious British.

The fort at Jhansi embodies her courage and is symbolic of India’s resistance against the rule and unfair policies of the British. Her palace, Rani Mahal, near the fort has been converted into a museum to showcase the weapons used in the siege of the Jhansi fort. This fort preserves our historical legacy, embodies India’s sovereignty and inspires its citizens even today. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The Panchalankurichi fort or the Kattabomman Memorial fort that stands in the village of Panchalankurichi, 18 kms from Thoothukudi in present day Tamil Nadu, is a popular tourist destination of the area. This neat-looking monument is in fact a recent structurebuilt in 1974.The significance of this space doesn’t lie in the presently standing structure per se, but rather in what it commemorates and symbolises. The Panchalankurichi Fort was built as a memorial for the famous Tamil warrior Veerapandiya Kattabomman and commemorates his heroic struggle against the British. The new fort was built over the remnants of the original structure which was the military base for Kattabomman’s resistance. (Picture Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Veerapandiya Kattabomman, a Polygar from Panchalankurichi, refused to pay his dues to the East India Company. He refused to meet the British collector and demanded that his taxes be waived on account of the long-standing drought conditions of his region. Consequently, an army was sent under Major John Bannerman to attack the Panchalankurichi fort, where Kattabomman resided. Kattabomman, along with his troops, put up a strong fight and the British suffered heavy losses. Bannerman then called reinforcements in the form of artillery from Palayamkottai. Kattabomman sensing that the fort will not be able to withstand heavy artillery, fled and took refuge in the Thirukalambur forests. After hiding from the British for some time, he was eventually captured. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

In the years post the Second World War, this fort again became the central point for echoing nationalist sentiments. The British had captured about 23,000 Indian National Army soldiers and charged them with treason. The INA was organised by Rash Behari Bose but revived with vigour under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose with the aim of attaining full freedom from the British Raj. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

A modern representation of the INA trials at the Red Fort: The Red Fort became the venue for the trials of these soldiers, popularly called the “Red Fort trials” and in the month of November 1945, the first three senior INA officials, Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Sahgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were tried. It was asserted that they went against the British crown by siding with the Japanese and fighting against the British in the war. Widespread protests occurred against these trials in February and March 1946 and the Royal Indian Navy along with the Royal Indian Air Force mutinied in their support. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The ongoing World War II was seen as an opportunity to strike at the British while they were preoccupied with war efforts. The Provisional Government of Free India and the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) were formed and war was declared on the British Indian Army and Allied Forces. Despite putting up a heroic front, the INA was defeated by Allied forces in 1945. Thereafter, many prisoners of the INA were incarcerated at the Salimgarh Fort. It is believed that the British subjected the soldiers of INA to unspeakable torture within the walls of this fort. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The fort of Vellore, situated in the present-day state of Tamil Nadu, was built by the Vijayanagara rulers in the 16th century CE. It was where the Indian military garrison of Madras was stationed during the 19th century, under the rule of the British. It became the site of the famous Vellore mutiny of 1806 CE which preceded the Revolt of 1857 by about 50 years. While the latter is often called the “First War of Independence” by historians, this mutiny in its own right was instrumental in inspiring a spirit of resistance against the oppressive rule of the British. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Stamp marking 200 years of the Vellore Mutiny released in 2006. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)