(a) Political Causes:
1. Dalhousie annexed the states of Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi by applying the Doctrine of Lapse. The annexation transformed the courageous Rani into a staunch enemy of the British.
2. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao II (pensioner of the British), was denied a pension after his father’s death. Nana Saheb became one of the leaders of the Revolt.
3. Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Mughal Emperor, lived in Delhi as a pensioner of the British. Dalhousie announced that Bahadur’s successor would not be allowed to stay on in the historic Red Fort. He would have to move to a place near the Qutb Minar, on the outskirts of Delhi. This was a great blow to the dignity of the Mughal emperor and deeply hurt the sentiments of the Muslims.
4. (The annexation of Awadh, on grounds of maladministration, outraged the people of India, in general, and Awadh, in particular. Awadh had always been a triendly. faithful and subordinate ally. The Nawab of Awadh was exiled to Calcutta.
5. The British showed no respect for the treaties they had signed with the Indians. Treaties were broken whenever it suited them to do so. This created a sense of fear and insecurity among the rulers of subordinate states. The axe could fall on them anywhere, at any time.
(b) Economic Causes:
1. The land revenue system, introduced by the British, caused great hardship and misery among the peasants. Under the zamindari system, for instance, the peasants were oppressed by the Zamindars and exploited by the moneylenders. If the cultivators failed to pay the land revenue to the Zamindars or return the loans to the moneylenders on time, they were often flogged, tortured or jailed. The impoverishment of the peasantry led to numerous famines.
2. Landlords also suffered from a sense of insecurity. Thousands of jagirs were confiscated by Bentinck and Dalhousie when they were unable to produce written title deeds of ownership.
3. The interests of the Indian economy was sacrificed for the interests of British trade and industry. This led to the utter collapse of traditional handicraft industries. Indian artisans and craftspersons were ruined.
4. The annexation of Indian states was followed by large- scale unemployment and economic distress. When Awadh was annexed, the administration was replaced by Company Administration. As such, hundreds of court officials and their subordinates lost their means of livelihood.
(c) Social and Religious Causes:
1. Social reforms such as the abolition of sati, and female infanticide, the Widow Remarriage Act and the introduction of women ‘s education caused deep resentment among the orthodox sections of society.
2. The efforts of the missionaries to convert people to Christianity caused great alarm. Some of the missionaries ridiculed the religious beliefs and practices of the Hindus and Muslims in their effort to convert people to their faith. This hurt the religious sentiments of the people.
3. The introduction of Western education undermined the position and importance of the Pundits and Maulvis and was seen as an attack on ancient traditions and values. The office of the Inspector of Schools in Patna was referred to as the ‘shaitane dafitar’.
4. The introduction of the railways and posts and telegraphs aroused grave doubts and fears, especially among the simple, backward villagers. They thought that the telegraph system was a form of Western magic. They grew fearful of the intentions of the British
5. The British judicial system introduced the principle of equality. This was regarded as a threat to the existing caste norms and privileges of the upper classes.
6. The British looked down upon the Indians and followed a policy of racial discrimination. They made no effort to interact socially with the Indians. They were convinced of the superiority of the European race and treated the Indians with great contempt.
