Koli rebellion of Peint | Koli revolt of Peint | Koli rebellion of Peth | Koli revolt of Peth | Nashik
In 1857, Koli Rebellion of Peth (Peint) Jagir, in which the Kolis looted the treasury of the Dharampur state, kidnapped the British Mamlatdar and Army Lieutenant, and destroyed the British court.
In December 1857, the Nashik district of Maharashtra was affected by the Indian independence movement, and the Koli Jagirdar's Peth Jagir became the center of Koli rebellious activities. On December 6, the rebellious Kolis looted the Harsol market and attacked and captured the British Mamlatdar. Following this, the British government sent Lieutenant Glasspool with 30 British officers to investigate, but the Koli rebels also kidnapped Lieutenant Glasspool and his 30 British officers.
Due to these anti-British incidents, the British government became suspicious of the Koli Raja Bhagwantrao of Peth, and using British force, Koli Raja Bhagwantrao was arrested. One reason for the Koli Raja's arrest was that the Koli Raja Bhagwantrao was in close contact with Nanasaheb Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. After the trial in the British court, it was revealed that the Koli community was fighting against the British at the behest of Bhagwantrao, the Koli Raja, the Koli Rani, and their Dewan had hatched a plan to incite the Koli rebellion months earlier. The British convicted the Koli Raja of treason and sentenced Bhagwantrao, his Diwan, and fifteen officials to death. They were hanged on December 28, 1857. Since Bhagwantrao had no son, the Peth estate was annexed to British India.
In response, the Kolis attacked the British court, killing everyone present there, and then paid homage to the Koli Raja at his funeral pyre. It was later revealed that the kings of the Dharampur state had cooperated with the British government in the capture of Koli King Bhagwantrao, after which the Kolis looted the treasury of Dharampur, a British ally. The British government subsequently arrested two prominent Koli rebels who had looted the treasury of the Dharampur king. A clash then ensued between the Koli revolutionaries and the British Army, in which an arrow pierced the chest of a British Army officer and a Koli rebel was shot in the stomach.
Following this battle, British officer Mr. Boswell imposed the Disarming Act on the Kolis to disarm them, requiring them to seize all weapons. A strong contingent of the British Army was stationed in Peth Jagir to protect the British treasury and prevent further unrest. The Kolis were displeased with the Disarming Act and declared an open war against the government. Following this, the British government sent a large force to Peth, forcing the Koli rebels to retreat to the nearby forest. On Thursday, Lieutenant Glasspool arrived with the British army to attack the Kolis. However, the British army was unable to fight the Kolis in the forest, nor was it able to defend the court and the city. For almost a week, Lieutenant Glasspool planned to fight the Kolis near the forest with the British army.
Lieutenant Glasspool requested more troops from the British government, after which Captain Nuttall arrived with more British troops from Trimbak Fort. The forest was now surrounded by British troops, and the Koli rebels lacked sufficient weapons to fight the British army for long, forcing the Kolis to retreat south. The Koli rebels continued to attack British troops stealthily for a few days. The British army suffered heavy losses, but the Kolis, almost out of weapons, dispersed and hid in various villages. Gradually, they were tracked down and captured.
Many Koli rebels had gone into hiding in the Dharampur State. When Maharana Ramdevji Vijaydevji of the Dharampur State came to know about this, the Maharana immediately ordered the Dharampur army to capture the Koli rebels. After which the Dharampur army searched and captured the Koli rebels throughout the state. After capturing all the Koli rebels, they were handed over to the British Government. After which all the rebels were tried in the court and after the atrocities were proved, all of them were hanged.
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