Which of the following was a rumour/prophecy in circulation at the time of the uprising of 1857?

Both Options, 1 and 2

The correct answer is Option 3 - Both Options, 1 and 2

OPTION 1- The rumour of a prophecy that British rule would come to an end on the centenary of the Battle of Plassey, on 23 June 1857

OPTION 2- The British had mixed the bone dust of cows and pigs into the flour that was sold in the market to destroy the caste and religion of Hindus and Muslims

Rumours and prophecies played a part in moving people to action in the revolt of 1857. The sepoys who had arrived in Delhi from Meerut had told Bahadur Shah about bullets coated with the fat of cows and pigs and that biting those bullets would corrupt their caste and religion. They were referring to the cartridges of the Enfield rifles which had just been given to them.The British tried to explain to the sepoys that this was not the case but the rumour that the new cartridges were greased with the fat of cows and pigs spread like wildfire across the sepoy lines of North India.

This was not the only rumour that was circulating in North India at the beginning of 1857. There was the rumour that the British government had hatched a gigantic conspiracy to destroy the caste and religion of Hindus and Muslims. To this end, the rumours said, the British had mixed the bone dust of cows and pigs into the flour that was sold in the market (OPTION 2). In towns and cantonments, sepoys and the common people refused to touch the atta. There was fear and suspicion that the British wanted to convert Indians to Christianity. Panic spread fast. British officers tried to allay their fears, but in vain. These fears stirred men to action. The response to the call for action was reinforced by the prophecy that British rule would come to an end on the centenary of the Battle of Plassey, on 23 June 1857 (OPTION 1).