Arrah, Siege of

(1857)

   An incident of the Indian Mutiny. The town of Arrah was situated 25 miles west of Dinapur in Bihar. On July 26, 1857, about 18 Europeans and 50 loyal Sikhs took refuge in the fort of Arrah. The fort was originally a billiard room that was bricked for defense. The next day, the insurgents - mostly armed retainers and peasants - led by a zamindar named Kunwar Singh laid siege to the fort. Because the rebels lacked artillery, they could not demolish the fort. From the cover of the walls and the trees, the rebels opened musketry fire against the fort. On July 29, Kunwar’s men in the suburbs of Arrah ambushed a relieving force of 450 men that had marched from Dinapur. On August 2, another relieving force under Major Vincent Eyre defeated Kunwar’s levies at the Battle of Gujrajganj. Kunwar retreated to Jagadishpur and Arrah was relieved next day.

   See also <>.

   FURTHER READING:

    James, Lawrence. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1997.

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