Fatehpur district of UP has two tamarind trees.
“Hundreds of madmen going for freedom, we will write the words of revolution with our blood, return with the flag of freedom, Mera Rang De Basanti Chola… Mera Rang De Basanti Chola…” Every time this chant was heard. If heard in the ears, a different vigor, excitement and excitement is clearly visible in the body. Our mind goes back to that period and thinks how these madmen could have freed the country from the British rule? Who knows how many hardships they must have endured, some were hung on crosses, some were nailed to walls, some were shot in public. Despite all these tortures, if there was something these fanatics preserved in some corner of their hearts, it was a sense of patriotism.
This sentiment was also shared by the 52 revolutionaries who were hanged together on a tamarind tree by the British government. Not only this, the British had also told the people nearby that the same would happen to them if anyone took down their bodies from the tree. Due to which the dead bodies of all these revolutionaries were hanging on this tamarind tree for more than a month. Today this tree is known as ‘Bavan Imli’. Although these 52 names are unknown in the pages of history, their exploits troubled the British government at the time.
Thakur Jodha Singh was an expert in guerilla warfare.
This is the story of the immortal martyr Thakur Jodha Singh Ataiya and his 51 companions. Thakur Jodha Singh belonged to the Rajput caste and was a resident of Ataiya Rasoolpur village in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Thakur Jodha Singh was greatly influenced by Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. Jodha Singh also took an active part in the revolution of 1857 against the British. He was very expert in guerilla warfare. He killed many British people with his martial arts.
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Thakur Jodha Singh and 51 of his fellow revolutionaries were hanged on a tamarind tree by the British.
An English colonel was killed
Such was the spirit of the Revolution of 1857 that the British began to live in terror of Thakur Jodha Singh and his revolutionary friends. Meanwhile, Thakur Jodha Singh’s allies killed the British officer Colonel Powell. Also on 7th December 1857 Ranipur police post was attacked. Two days later, on 9th December, the Tehsildar of Jehanabad (then Tehsil) was taken prisoner and the government treasury was also looted. When all this information reached the high British officials, they declared Thakur Jodha Singh a bandit.
Colonel Crostis imprisoned the revolutionaries
The British officers ordered a detachment led by Colonel Crusty’s cavalry to capture Thakur Jodha Singh. Colonel Crostis took his cavalry and followed Jodha Singh and his companions. Meanwhile he kept trying to catch them. Many times Jodha Singh was able to outwit the British. However, as happened to many freedom fighters, so did Jodha Singh. He was returning to Khajuha in Fatehpur on 28 April 1858 with his 51 companions. At the same time, on the tip of an informer, Colonel Christize seized them all together.
52 corpses hung on the tree for a month
Later that day, Colonel Christize took them all to a huge tamarind tree in Khajuha. The British made 52 gallows one after the other and hanged Thakur Jodha Singh and 51 of his companions on these gallows. Colonel Christize had told the nearby people living in Khajuha that if anyone dared to remove the dead bodies of these revolutionaries from the tree, he too would face the same consequences. The dead bodies of all these revolutionaries were left hanging on the tree for more than a month due to the fear of Colonel Christize. During this time only their skeletons survived.
52 revolutionaries were hanged on this tamarind tree. Even today this tree is standing in the same way.
…Since then the growth of the ‘Bawan Imli’ tree has stopped.
According to a historical document recorded near Bawani Imli, Jodha Singh’s friend Thakur Maharaj Singh along with 900 of his revolutionary friends reached this tamarind tree on the night of 3–4 June 1858 and the bodies of all 52 revolutionaries were taken down from the tamarind tree and cremated at the Shivrajpur Ghat on the banks of the Ganges River. Local people say that today this tamarind tree is known as ‘Bawan Imli’. However, the growth of this tree has stopped since Thakur Jodha Singh and his 52 revolutionaries were hanged on this tree.
This time the country will celebrate its 78th Independence Day
Due to the sacrifices of these 52 revolutionaries and many other freedom fighters, our country got freedom from British rule on 15th August 1947, since then we celebrate ‘Independence Day’ every 15th August with great fervor. The entire country is seen painted in tricolour. Countrymen come out of their houses carrying tricolors and singing freedom songs. Even the sky appears to be painted in the colors of the tricolor. This time also the country will celebrate its 78th Independence Day. The Prime Minister of the country will hoist the tricolor flag from the Red Fort.
