RAS question
Who led the revolt at Kanpur during 1857?
Correct answer: (A) Nana Sahib.
Nana Sahib, also known as Dhondu Pant, led the revolt at Kanpur during the Revolt of 1857.
Explanation
Nana Sahib is the Kanpur leader to remember for the Revolt of 1857. He was Dhondu Pant, the adopted son of the last Peshwa, Baji Rao II. NCERT supports the Kanpur link directly: Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao, lived near Kanpur, gathered armed forces, expelled the British garrison from the city and proclaimed himself Peshwa. That sequence explains why he is tied to Kanpur rather than merely to the wider uprising. The question is therefore testing the centre-leader pairing: Kanpur corresponds to Nana Sahib.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Rani Lakshmibai is associated with leading the revolt in Jhansi, so she does not match the Kanpur centre asked here.
- (C) Kunwar Singh led the revolt in Bihar, which makes him the wrong leader for a question specifically about Kanpur.
- (D) Begum Hazrat Mahal led the revolt in Lucknow, not the Kanpur uprising named in the question.
Concept
This tests the Modern Indian History theme of the Revolt of 1857, especially matching major centres with their local leaders. RAS repeats this because the uprising is often assessed through precise centre-leader associations rather than broad narrative recall.