One of the main sources of our knowledge about what the rebels wanted is:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The Azamgarh Proclamation, 25 August 1857
Option (1) The books written by the rebel leaders — Incorrect. Few rebels could record their version of events; most of them were sepoys and ordinary people who were not literate.
Option (2) The Azamgarh Proclamation, 25 August 1857 — Correct. Apart from a few proclamations and ishtahars issued by rebel leaders, little throws light on the rebels’ view, and the Azamgarh Proclamation is one of the main sources of our knowledge about what the rebels wanted.
Option (3) The official records of the British — Incorrect. What the British wrote reveals the minds of officials but tells us very little about what the rebels wanted.
Option (4) The British newspapers — Incorrect. These too were written by the British and give the British view of the revolt, not the rebels’ aims.
NCERT (2026-27): “3. What the Rebels Wanted … As victors, the British recorded their own trials and tribulations as well as their heroism. They dismissed the rebels as a bunch of ungrateful and barbaric people. The repression of the rebels also meant silencing of their voice. Few rebels had the opportunity of recording their version of events. Moreover, most of them were sepoys and ordinary people who were not literate. Thus, other than a few proclamations and ishtahars (notifications) issued by rebel leaders to propagate their ideas and persuade people to join the revolt, we do not have much that throws light on the perspective of the rebels. Attempts to reconstruct what happened in 1857 are thus heavily and inevitably dependent on what the British wrote. While these sources reveal the minds of officials, they tell us very little about what the rebels wanted.”
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