ABSTRACT
The 1857 Rebellion was undoubtedly an epoch-making event in the history of colonial India. There seems to be a general perception that the Great Uprising was confined to parts of northern and central India, with the Madras presidency, and specifically the Andhra region, being untouched by it. M. Venkatarangaiya does mention the turbulence among the tribals in the hill tracts, along with a few raids by the Rohillas of the Nizam’s territory. However, he does not see any connection between these and the happenings in north India, and more specifically the 1857 Rebellion.1 Ironically, even present-day research reinforces this misconception.2 Although it is not possible to trace direct links between a historical process spread over two diverse geographical regions, as we shall see later in this chapter, echoes of the 1857 Upsurge were heard in the Andhra tract as well. In keeping with this thrust, this chapter focuses on the way in which the tribals of Andhra interacted with the Great Uprising, in an effort to unravel some of the hitherto invisible complexities associated with the 1857 Rebellion.3
