Dr VANDANA RAI
Ranchi, April 21: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday paid tribute to Martyr Pandey Ganpat Rai on his martyrdom day. The Chief Minister said that Rai’s sacrifice shall always be remembered. “He will always remain a source of inspiration for the generations to come. I pay heartfelt tributes to martyr Pandey Ganpat Rai, who revolted against the British,” said the CM.
Notably, a revolutionary and rebel leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Pandey Ganpat Rai was born to Ramkishun Rai and Mother Sumitra Devi on January 17, 1809 in Bhounro village of Lohardaga.
Intelligent since childhood, Rai was a patriot ever since a child. His uncle Sadashiv Rai was the then Diwan of Maharaja Chotanagpur and lived in Palkot. Pandey Ganpat Rai studied Persian and Arabic and made himself acquainted with court customs while under the care of his uncle Sadashiv Rai in his childhood, as there was no shortage of pundits and clerics in the court.
Ganpat was married to Shyamvanshi Devi but later had a second marriage with Sugandh Kunwar in 1837. He had two boys and three girls with his second wife.
After his uncle passed, Ganpat was made the Diwan of Palkot, due to which he soon shifted back there. He was a zamindar of Bhunra, while his main zamindari office was at the Patiya village and would often shift his family from Bhunra to Palkot to Patiya depending on the conditions and need. Well loved by friends and family, Ganpat was a popular leader and was even admired by the tribal populace of the region.
Meanwhile, on July 30, 1857, the Eighth Native Infantry revolted in Hazaribagh. At the same time, the sepoy rebellion had erupted in Ranchi as well. On August 1, the soldiers of Doranda Cantonment revolted, while by August 2, Ranchi was completely under the control of the rebels.
Inspired by the movement, Rai also stepped into the movement of rebellion. When the rebels felt the need for a leader, they found one in the form of Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo of Barkagarh while Pandey Ganpat Rai of Bhounro village was their general. The reins of governance in Ranchi remained in the hands of the revolutionaries for 20 days. On August 2, Shahdev and Rai robbed the Ranchi court and the police station and freed about 300 prisoners from the jail.
Under the guidance of Rai, the rebels of Chhotanagpur killed several English personnel. Ranchi Pahari, now known as the Pahari Mandir was chosen by the rebels as their perfect spot for gathering. They would plan all their moves against the British from here.
In the month of September, Rai reached Chatra with his associates via Chandwa and Balumath. He wanted to establish a relationship with Babu Kunwar Singh there and plan future actions against the British. However, he was captured by Major English on September 2.
In a letter dated September 3, Major English wrote to the then Indian government saying, “I had several clashes with the Ramgarh battalion yesterday. I defeated them and seized 4 guns and 45 cars of ammunition. 45 of my men were casualties in this fight. Forests all around me are full of rebels and robbers. I am not able to come back with so much luggage and I am injured. Please send 100 men.” (Hazaribagh Old Records, page 101)
However, rebels returned once again and the Major wrote another letter to General Massfield on September 4. In this letter he said, “Today I attacked the rebels in the west of the city at nine in the morning and encroached upon their camp. I confiscated seven cannons, 10 elephants and ammunition from here. We suffered a lot in this fight. There were 36 and 6 casualties among soldiers of the 53rd Army.” (HOR page 103)
Furthermore, on October 4, the Assistant Commissioner of Hazaribagh wrote a letter to Captain Dalton saying, “I know that the rebels have maintained a relationship with Kunwar Singh with the help of Kunwar Singh’s son-in-law Lal Jagatpal Singh. It seems that Thakur Vishwanath Sahdev and Ganpat Rai fled as soon as the battle started.” (HOR, page 104)
Similarly all the rebels were dispersed. The treasure which was with the rebels was also possessed by the British. Pandey Ganpat Rai and Vishwanath Shahdev returned to Ranchi. Meanwhile, in December 1857, all property of these people was confiscated. The biggest problem before them now was that of money.
By March 1858 the rebels had no other means of organising money other than looting. Barwe police station was looted. After this Thakur Vishwanath Shahav was arrested while Ganpat Rai went back to Bhounro village and started planning to rebel against the British once again.
Ganpat Ray along with his priest Udaynath Pathak was moving to Lohardaga at night on April 20, 1858. He wanted to visit his friends Badaiks of Kairo, but lost his way at night and reached Parhepat instead. Here, zamindar Mahesh Shahi took him in and took care of him. However, while doing so, he also sent news of Rau to Lohardaga.
Major Nation reached along with hundreds of soldiers by the next morning after receiving the news. Before Rai could act, he was handcuffed and brought to Ranchi on April 21. He was hanged on April 21, 1858 at the Shaheed Chowk. He left his wife, a married daughter, two unmarried daughters and a son under the care of his brother Pandey Ganpat Rai.
