1857 India Map — Revolt of 1857, First War of Independence

Travel through timePast ↓ Present

You are here1857 CE

Freedom struggle1857 CE

A broad uprising challenges Company rule

Today’s time machine

1857 India Map — The Revolt & First War of Independence

Mass satyagraha, revolutionary action, labour, peasant and regional movements converge against colonial rule.

The interactive map shows the atlas’s nearest drawn reconstruction (1930 CE). Frontiers moved in between, so use the list of powers below for 1857 CE.

Who ruled India in 1857 CE?

In 1857 CE, power in the subcontinent was shared among 7 major states and dynasties. Dates are conventional estimates.

Mughal Empire — Later Mughal emperors (1707 CE–1857 CE)
Northern India, and at its height most of the subcontinent. Founded by Babur after Panipat; nominal rule ended in 1857. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Mughal dynasty · Read: The Mughal Empire
East India Company rule
Bengal from 1757, expanding across the subcontinent. A trading company turned territorial power after Plassey, until the Crown took over in 1858. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — East India Company · Read: The Battle of Plassey
Hyderabad State (Nizams)
Deccan; capital Hyderabad. Asaf Jahi Nizams, the most populous princely state, integrated into India in 1948. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Hyderabad historical state India
Kingdom of Mysore
Southern Karnataka. Wodeyar kingdom, independent of Vijayanagara from about 1610; under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan from 1761 to 1799. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Wadiyars
Mewar (Sisodia Rajputs)
Southern Rajasthan; capitals Chittor, later Udaipur. Rajput kingdom of Rana Kumbha, Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap; a princely state under British paramountcy from 1818, merged into Rajasthan in 1949. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Udaipur (historical state)
Portuguese India (Goa, Daman and Diu)
Goa and coastal enclaves. Goa was taken in 1510 and remained Portuguese until 1961. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Goa
Travancore
Southern Kerala. Kingdom of Marthanda Varma; merged into Travancore-Cochin in 1949. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Travancore

What happened in India around 1857 CE?

1818: A political turning point. The end of Peshwa power under Company conquest closes the period used by UNESCO for the Maratha military system. Source: UNESCO — Maratha Military Landscapes of India
1828: Fire damages Shaniwar Wada. A major fire destroyed the palace, leaving its fortified walls and gateways as traces of the former seat of power. Source: Pune District — Shaniwar Wada
1853: A railway links Bombay and its hinterland. The first passenger railway from Bombay opened in 1853. Rail transport became part of the city’s expanding connections beyond the coast. Source: Mumbai City District — History
10–11 May 1857: Meerut to Delhi. The outbreak at Meerut was followed by the sepoys’ arrival in Delhi and their appeal to the Mughal emperor. Source: NCERT — Rebels and the Raj
1858 · nearby atlas context: Government changes after suppression. Company rule gave way to Crown rule; the available 1857 atlas supplies context rather than a distinct 1858 reconstruction. Source: Delhi Tourism — New Delhi
1885–1905: Organised nationalism develops new institutions. The Indian National Congress created a recurring forum for political demands, while associations, newspapers and public campaigns grew in many regions. Early constitutional politics later interacted—and often argued—with swadeshi, revolutionary and mass movements. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Indian National Congress
1905–1911: Swadeshi turns boycott into mass politics. Opposition to Bengal’s partition encouraged the boycott of imported goods, national education and indigenous enterprise. The movement broadened political participation while also revealing ideological and communal divisions. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Partition of Bengal

Major Historical Milestones in 1857 CE

1857 CE: A broad uprising challenges Company rule

Historical Events & Sourced Records (1857 CE)

Rebellion becomes a broad, uneven uprising

A revolt among Company soldiers widened across much of north and central India, drawing in dispossessed rulers, townspeople and rural groups with different aims. Its defeat ended East India Company government and transferred imperial authority to the British Crown.

The labels ‘revolt,’ ‘mutiny’ and ‘First War of Independence’ reflect different interpretations. No single name captures every participant’s motive or the uprising’s uneven geography.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Indian Rebellion of 1857

1857 की क्रांति: भारत का नक्शा

1857 का विद्रोह, जिसे भारत का पहला स्वतंत्रता संग्राम भी कहा जाता है, 10 मई 1857 को मेरठ से शुरू हुआ और दिल्ली, कानपुर, लखनऊ, झांसी और अवध तक फैला। इसके बाद 1858 में ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी का शासन समाप्त हुआ और ब्रिटिश क्राउन ने सीधा शासन संभाला।

1857 ईस्वी में भारत पर किसका शासन था? मुग़ल साम्राज्य, ईस्ट इंडिया कंपनी का शासन, हैदराबाद रियासत (निज़ाम), मैसूर राज्य, मेवाड़, पुर्तगाली भारत, त्रावणकोर।

1857 ki kranti kahan kahan hui? Meerut se shuru hokar Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow aur Jhansi tak. Map par dekhiye 1857 mein Bharat ka naksha.