How the Revolt of 1857 began? How it spread everywhere or became a rebellion?

Or

Describe the main events of Revolt of 1857.

(i) Mutinies began at Cantonment of Meerut : The sepoys in the cantonment of Meerut broke out in mutiny on the late afternoon of 10th May 1857. Mutiny began in the lines of the native infantry. It very quickly spread to the cavalry and then in the city. The ordinary people of surrounding villages and the towns also joined the sepoys. The sepoys captured the bell of arms where arms and ammunition were kept. Then they attacked the white people and started to burn their bunglows and property. The record office, court, jail, treasury, post-office etc. were plundered and destroyed. The telegraph line joining Delhi with Meerut was cut down. As darkness descended, many sepoys (a group) rode on horses towards Delhi.

(ii) Delhi : The group of sepoys arrived at the gates of the Red Fort on the early morning of 11th May, 1857. It was the holy month of Ramzan in which Muslims pray and have the fasts. Mughal emperor heard the commotion at the gates of Red Fort. The sepoys told him that they had come from Meerut after killing all the Englishmen there, because they asked them to bite bullets which were coated with the fat of cows and pigs with their teeth. They also told him that it will corrupt the faith of Hindus and Muslims. Then another group of sepoys also entered the Delhi. Ordinary people of Delhi also joined them. A large number of Europeans were killed. Rich people of Delhi were attacked and looted. Delhi had gone out of control of the British. Some sepoys even entrered the Red Fort and demanded the blessing of emperor. Bahadur Shah was surrounded by sepoys and left with no option but to comply. In this way revolt acquired a type of legitimacy because now it could be carried on in the name of Mughal emperor.

(iii) Spread of Revolt : Sepoys began their activities with any specific signal. At many places this signal was firing of the evening gun and at many places it was sounding of the bugle. First of all bell of arms were seized and treasury was plundered. Then they attacked and burnt the government buildings i.e. the jail, treasury, bunglows, record room, telegraph offices and burnt all the records.

The targets of attack widened when ordinary people began joining the revolt. Money-lenders and rich people became the objects of rebel wrath in major towns like Kanpur, Lucknow and Bareilly. They were considered not only as oppressors by the peasants but were seen as allies of the British. Houses of rich were looted and destroyed at many places. The mutiny of sepoys became a rebellion very quickly.

(iv) Awadh : The most dangerous form of the revolt was seen in Awadh where Nawab was removed by the British on the issue of misgovernance. Here the leader of revolt was young son of Nawab Birjis Qadr.