Jodha Singh Ataiya
Thakur Jodha Singh Ataiya | |
|---|---|
Statue of Jodha Singh Ataiya at Bawani Imli Memorial, Fatehpur | |
| Born | c. 1820s Rasulpur, Khajuha, Fatehpur district, North-Western Provinces, British India |
| Died | 28 April 1858 Khajuha, Fatehpur district, British India |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging in Bawani Imli massacre |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Zamindar, Revolutionary |
| Known for | Leadership during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 |
Thakur Jodha Singh Ataiya (c. 1820s – 28 April 1858) (Hindi: जोधा सिंह अटैया) was an Indian zamindar and revolutionary from Rasulpur (Rasulpur Ataiya) village in Fatehpur district, Uttar Pradesh. He played a pivotal role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by organising armed resistance against British colonial forces. He led the seizure of the Fatehpur treasury, engaged in guerrilla warfare, and became a prominent freedom fighter in north-central India before being executed by British forces during the Bawani Imli massacre.[1][2]
Early Life
Jodha Singh was born into a Rajput family in Rasulpur, a village near Khajuha in present-day Fatehpur district. As a landholder (zamindar), he enjoyed a position of social influence, which he later used to mobilise support against British rule. His ideological leanings were shaped by the growing unrest across India and revolutionary contemporaries like Rani Lakshmibai and Tatya Tope.[3]
Role in the 1857 Rebellion
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Jodha Singh emerged as a key leader in the Fatehpur region. He collaborated with Deputy Collector Hikmat Ullah Khan and fellow revolutionary Thakur Daryao Singh. Together, they captured the Fatehpur treasury and civil court, challenging British administrative control.[2]
He rallied thousands of peasants in Khajuha and Bindki areas and took to guerrilla warfare, famously defeating Colonel Powell in direct engagement.[4]
Capture and Execution
On 28 April 1858, following betrayal by informants, Jodha Singh and 51 of his companions were arrested by the British army near Ghoora village. All 52 were publicly hanged from a large tamarind tree near Khajuha, now remembered as the Bawani Imli massacre.[4][2]
British forces left the bodies hanging for 37 days as a warning, prohibiting any cremation. However, on the night of 3 June 1858, Maharaja Bhawani Singh and local supporters retrieved the remains and performed the final rites at Shivrajpur Ghat on the Ganges.[5][6]
Legacy
Jodha Singh is commemorated as one of the first freedom fighters from central Uttar Pradesh. His name is inscribed on the memorial stones at the Bawani Imli site. The tamarind tree, believed by locals to have stopped growing after the incident, remains a historic symbol of sacrifice.[7]
In 2025, a book was released in Bindki to document the full story of Jodha Singh and the Bawani Imli martyrs, supported by local scholars and government officials.[8]
To honour his legacy, a government-run institution — the Amar Shaheed Jodha Singh Attaiya Thakur Dariyao Singh Medical College, Fatehpur — was named after him in Fatehpur.[9]
Bibliography
- Darakht: The Witness of Freedom Fighter (Hindi) by Vijay Narayan. Bluerose Publishers, 2025.ISBN-10 9362614928.
See also
References
- ^ "Bawani Imli – History Cafe". History Cafe. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ a b c सिंह, धीरेंद्र (15 August 2024). "बावनी इमली फतेहपुर, स्वतंत्रता दिवस: 52 स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों की फांसी का गवाह इमली का पेड़". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "यूपी: दूसरा 'जलियां वाला बाग' है बावनी इमली". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). 14 December 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ a b "52 स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों की फांसी का गवाह रहा 'बावनी इमली'". ThePrint Hindi. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "The Bawani Imli Tree". Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Govt. of India. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "इस पेड पर 1 साथ 52 क्रांतिकारियों को दी गई थी फांसी, 1". news 1 india. 26 January 2025.
- ^ "Heritage tree on which 52 martyrs were hanged". The Times of India. 20 January 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "52 क्रांतिकारियों की शहादत पर आधारित पुस्तक का विमोचन". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). 14 August 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ^ "Amar Shaheed Jodha Singh Attaiya Thakur Dariyao Singh Medical College". Retrieved 28 May 2025.