18 Facts About Mangal Pandey

Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier who played a key part in the events immediately preceding the outbreak of the Indian rebellion of 1857.

Mangal Pandey was a sepoy in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry regiment of the British East India Company.

Mangal Pandey was born in Nagwa, a village of upper Ballia district, Ceded and Conquered Provinces, to a Hindu Brahmin family.

Further, it was reported to him that one of them, Mangal Pandey, was pacing in front of the regiment's guard room by the parade ground, armed with a loaded musket, calling upon the men to rebel and threatening to shoot the first European that he set eyes on.

Mangal Pandey took position behind the station gun, which was in front of the quarter-guard of the 34th, took aim at Baugh and fired.

Mangal Pandey missed Baugh, but the bullet struck his horse in the flank bringing both the horse and its rider down.

Mangal Pandey had ordered Jemadar Ishwari Prasad, the Indian officer in command of the quarter-guard, to arrest Pandey.

Mangal Pandey backed away in one direction and Baugh and Hewson in another, while being struck with the butt ends of the guards' muskets.

Mangal Pandey then put the muzzle of the musket to his chest and discharged it by pressing the trigger with his foot.

Mangal Pandey collapsed bleeding, with his regimental jacket on fire, but not mortally wounded.

Mangal Pandey recovered and was brought to trial less than a week later.

Mangal Pandey was sentenced to death by hanging, along with Jemadar Ishwari Prasad, after three Sikh members of the quarter-guard testified that the latter had ordered them not to arrest Pandey.

Mangal Pandey concluded his exhortation with an appeal to the native officers to uphold the honour of the regiment and a threat to court-martial such sepoys as refused to accept the cartridge.

The attack by and punishment of Mangal Pandey is widely seen as the opening scene of what came to be known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The life of Mangal Pandey was the subject of a stage play titled The Roti Rebellion, which was written and directed by Supriya Karunakaran.

Samad Iqbal, a fictional descendant of Mangal Pandey, is a central character in Zadie Smith's debut novel White Teeth.

Mangal Pandey is an important influence on Samad's life and is repeatedly referenced and investigated by the novel's characters.

The Government of India commemorated Mangal Pandey by issuing a postage stamp bearing his image on 5 October 1984.