Which of the following pairs about Awadh in 1857 is correctly matched?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Hanwant Singh - Raja of Kalakankar, near Rae Bareli

Option (1) Hanwant Singh - Raja of Kalakankar, near Rae Bareli — Correct. Hanwant Singh was the Raja of Kalakankar, near Rae Bareli. His words show the taluqdars' anger at losing their lands.

Option (2) Taluqdars in pre-British times - Inflexible methods of revenue collection — Incorrect. Inflexible collection came under the British. Earlier taluqdars took many dues but were often considerate in times of need.

Option (3) Begum Hazrat Mahal - Mother of the Nawab of Awadh — Incorrect. Begum Hazrat Mahal was the wife of the Nawab of Awadh. Taluqdars loyal to the Nawab joined her in Lucknow to fight the British.

Option (4) Most sepoys - Recruited from the villages of Bihar — Incorrect. A vast majority of sepoys came from the villages of Awadh. That is why the grievances of the peasants were carried over into the sepoy lines.

NCERT (2026-27): “2.3 Firangi raj and the end of a world …
The dispossession of taluqdars meant the breakdown of an entire social order. The ties of loyalty and patronage that had bound the peasant to the taluqdar were disrupted. In pre-British times, the taluqdars were oppressors but many of them also appeared to be generous father figures: they exacted a variety of dues from the peasant but were often considerate in times of need. Now, under the British, the peasant was directly exposed to overassessment of revenue and inflexible methods of collection. There was no longer any guarantee that in times of hardship or crop failure the revenue demand of the state would be reduced or collection postponed; or that in times of festivities the peasant would get the loan and support that the taluqdar had earlier provided.”

“In areas like Awadh where resistance during 1857 was intense and long lasting, the fighting was carried out by taluqdars and their peasants. Many of these taluqdars were loyal to the Nawab of Awadh, and they joined Begum Hazrat Mahal (the wife of the Nawab) in Lucknow to fight the British; some even remained with her in defeat.”

“The attitude of the taluqdars was best expressed by Hanwant Singh, the Raja of Kalakankar, near Rae Bareli. During the mutiny, Hanwant Singh had given shelter to a British officer, and conveyed him to safety. …”