Today In Indian History (29th March)

1857 - Mangal Pandey, a sepoy of the 34th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) mutinied against his commanding officers of the East India Company on 29 March 1857. 

This event and his role in the subsequent events led to more resentment among the sepoys of the Bengal Army ultimately aiding in the Revolt of 1857. Also known as the Sepoy Mutiny,   the Revolt of 1857 resulted in the dissolution of the East India Company and the beginning of the British Raj through the Government of India Act 1858.

Mangal Pandey was executed on 8 April 1857.  

Today In Indian History (28th March)

1531 - Mahmud Shah II of Malwa surrendered to Bahadur Shah, the sultan of Muzaffarid dynasty of Gujarat after the fort of Mandu fell to Bahadur on 28th March 1531. 

Today In Indian History (27th March)

Death of Syed Ahmad Khan on 27th March in 1898. Sayyid Ahmad Khan was an Indian Muslim reformer and educationist. He is credited for originating the two-nation theory, founding the Aligarh Movement and being a founding father of Pakistan. 

Syed Ahmad Khan began publishing the journal Tehzeeb-ul-Akhlaq (Social Reformer) on 24 December 1870 to spread awareness and knowledge on modern subjects and promote reforms in Muslim society.

He was born on 17 October in 1817 in Delhi, 

Today In Indian History (26th March)

1552  -  Amar Das became the third Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552 at the age of 73. Born on 5 May 1479 at Basarke in Amritsar district, Guru Amar Das was raised in an orthodox Hindu family. He established his headquarters in Goindwal. He introduced the ceremony of the Anand Karaj Marriage. He died on 1st September 1574, at the age of 95. 

Today In Indian History (25rd March)

1931 - Death of Indian journalist and politician Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi on 25 March in 1931.  Founder-editor of the Hindi language newspaper, Pratap, Vidyarthi was killed in 1931 in the communal violence between Hindus and Muslims in Kanpur.

Today In Indian History (24rd March)

1946 - Cabinet Mission arrives in India on 24 March 1946. In September 1945, the newly elected Labour government under Clement Atlee in Britain expressed its intention of creating a Constituent Assembly for India, that would frame India’s Constitution. The Cabinet Mission was sent to India to make this happen. Cabinet Mission arrives in New Delhi on 24 March 1946

The members of the Cabinet Mission were Lord Penthick-Lawrence, Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade, and A.V Alexander, First Lord of Admiralty.

The Cabinet Mission's plan failed due to the disagreement between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League. 

1776 - Death of Carnatic classical music composer Muthuswami Dikshitar on 24 March in 1776. He was one of the trinity of Carnatic music. Tyagaraja and Syama Sastri are the other two. Dikshitar mainly composed in Sanskrit with the exception of a few kritis in Telugu and Manipravalam. Manipravalam is a combination of the Sanskrit and Tamil languages.

He had written Sanskrit lyrics to colonial tunes that had arrived with the British East India Company.

Muthuswami Dikshitar passed away in 1835 at the age of 60 at Ettayapuram in Tamil Nadu.  

Today In Indian History (23rd March)

1351 - Firuz Shah Tughlaq, the third ruler of the  Tughlaq dynasty, succeeded the throne on 23 March 1351 at the age of forty-six.  He became sultan after the demise of his cousin Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq who had become second Tughlaq sultan in 1325 AD. 

Firuz Shah Tughlaq is credited with the founding of the cities of Jaunpur in 1359 (Uttar Pradesh), Hissar and Fatehabad (Haryana), Firozpur (Punjab). Jaunpur was named after Muhammad bin Tughluq who was known by the name of Juna Khan before his accession to the throne.

Firuz Shah Tughlaq was a religious bigot and this prevented him from being just to his non–Muslim subjects by imposing Jizya tax on them. Firuz died in 1388, aged eighty-two.  His tomb is located in Hauz Khas in Delhi.

1931 - Death of revolutionary leaders Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev on 23rd March, 1931. They were were hanged to death by the British government at the Lahore Central Jail in Lahore in 1931. They were given the death sentence in the Lahore conspiracy case. 

‘Shaheed Diwas’ is commemorated every year on March 23 to remember the unparalleled sacrifice made by Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Hari Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar.