In the year 1857 it had been almost 200 years since the British first set foot on Indian soil. In the beginning the British traders but over time they expanded their cause and had become the government and the rulers of most of the subcontinent. The British attitude had slowly started to encroach Indian values and traditions. These encroachments and changes had angered the Indian population and in 1857 they revolted, all across India. The main causes of the rebellion can be classed into social, economic, military, cultural and religious, disparity and political causes.
Before the British had arrived most of the Indian population was Hindu, barring certain areas of the north, where certain princely states were Muslim. People of all religions were free to carry out their own traditions and stick to their own beliefs. It was very common to see traditions from different religions taking place in very close proximity. Sati, the burning of a widow on a husband’s pyre, was common practice and it was considered normal. However, once the British took control, such practices were banned.…show more content… There was a general paranoia among the country’s hindus and muslims that the British would try to convert everybody forcibly. This fear was deep spread among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. Also the British changed the Hindu traditions and changed Hindu property laws. The worry and fear of forcible conversion united all the different religions against one common enemy. This topic was one of the few that united people across all walks of life. Royals from Muslim states shared the same opinion as the common man in Hindu states, the British must go. This unity eased the tense religious situation, which was very tense. The fact that the British changed ancient property laws left a lot of land owning gentry, with almost no source of income. This sudden change in