'Bodhan Doua' was the Commander (Senapati) of
- (a)Shahgarh King Bakhatwali
- (b)Banpur King Mardan Singh
- (c)Hirapur King Hirdeshah
- (d)Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi
Correct — A, the King of Shahgarh, Bakht Bali (the paper prints 'Bakhatwali'). Bodhan Doua was the senapati (commander-in-chief) and chief adviser of Raja Bakht Bali of Shahgarh, a princely estate in the Sagar-Bundelkhand belt of what is now Madhya Pradesh, during the Revolt of 1857. Because he led the Shahgarh forces against the British in the Sagar-Damoh area, he is remembered locally as the 'Tatya Tope of Sagar'.
- (b)Banpur King Mardan Singh — Raja Mardan Singh of Banpur was himself a leading Bundelkhand rebel of 1857 who fought in the same theatre, but he led his own forces — Bodhan Doua commanded the Shahgarh ruler's army, not his.
- (c)Hirapur King Hirdeshah — Raja Hirde Shah, a local ruler, also rose against the British in the region, but Bodhan Doua was not his commander.
- (d)Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi — The Rani of Jhansi led her own army and fought with commanders such as Tantia Tope at Kalpi and Gwalior; Bodhan Doua served Shahgarh, not Jhansi.
In 1857 the Bundelkhand and Sagar-Narmada region (today in Madhya Pradesh) saw several local princes revolt against the British. Raja Bakht Bali of Shahgarh and Raja Mardan Singh of Banpur were the two big Bundelkhand rebel chiefs; Bodhan Doua was Bakht Bali's senapati and the field leader of the Shahgarh rising.
The names in the options are all genuine 1857 figures, which is what makes the question tricky. Fix the specific pairing — Bodhan Doua served Bakht Bali of Shahgarh — rather than reaching for the most famous name (Rani Laxmibai).
- Bodhan Doua = senapati and adviser of Raja Bakht Bali of Shahgarh (Sagar region), in the 1857 revolt.
- He is nicknamed the 'Tatya Tope of Sagar' for his role in the rising.
- Shahgarh (Bakht Bali) and Banpur (Mardan Singh) were the main Bundelkhand rebel estates; the British drove both rajas into the jungles.
- The revolt in this belt centred on the Sagar-Damoh-Bundelkhand area.
Bodhan Doua commanded the Shahgarh army of Raja Bakht Bali.
- Confusing the Shahgarh (Bakht Bali) and Banpur (Mardan Singh) rebels and their commanders
- Assuming every central-India rebel served under Rani Laxmibai
MPPSC loves 'who was the commander/leader associated with ruler or place X in 1857'; UPSC tests the leaders and geography of the revolt.
With reference to the revolt of the year 1857, who of the following was betrayed by a friend; captured and put to death by the British?
- (a) Nana Sahib
- (b) Kunwar Singh
- (c) Khan Bahadur Khan
- (d) Tantia Tope
Answer(d) Tantia Tope
Same theme — a commander of the 1857 revolt in central India; Bodhan Doua was even called the 'Tatya Tope of Sagar'.
Which one of the following places did Kunwar Singh, a prominent leader of the Revolt of 1857, belong to?
- (a) Bihar
- (b) Madhya Pradesh
- (c) Rajasthan
- (d) Uttar Pradesh
Answer(a) Bihar
Same skill — placing a named leader/commander of 1857 with the region and ruler he was tied to.
When did tribal leaders, Sitaram Kanwar and Raghunath Singh Mandloi Bhilala join the Anti-British Revolution?
- (a) 1842 A.D.
- (b) 1857 A.D.
- (c) 1927 A.D.
- (d) 1942 A.D.
Answer(b) 1857 A.D.
Same era and region — leaders of the 1857 revolt in the Gond/central-India belt of present-day MP.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Raja Mardan Singh, a prominent rebel of 1857, ruled which Bundelkhand estate?
- (a)Banpur
- (b)Shahgarh
- (c)Hirapur
- (d)Jhansi
Answer(a) Banpur — he rebelled alongside the Shahgarh ruler.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which pair of Bundelkhand princely estates produced the leading rebels of the 1857 revolt in the Sagar region?
- (a)Shahgarh and Banpur
- (b)Datia and Orchha
- (c)Panna and Ajaigarh
- (d)Rewa and Nagod
Answer(a) Shahgarh and Banpur.