The Massacre Ghat

Curator Information

Antoinette Paris Greider, University of KentuckyFollow
Mary Pattengill, University of KentuckyFollow

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Description

From the back of the card: “On the 27^th June, 1857, the garrison, having capitulated, endeavoured to embark here under promise of safe passage to Allahabad. Fire was treacherously opened upon them, from the banks, by the rebels; a few escaped, 125 women were carried back to Cawnpore and slaughtered, their bodies being cast into the well.”

The Massacre Ghat is located on the southern bank of the River Ganges and marks the northern boundary of the city of Kanpur and became historically important during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (the Indian Sepoy Mutiny). Known as the Siege of Cawnpore (now Kanpur) in British colonial records, took place on June 27, 1857. When 300 British men, women and children were slaughtered and later 120 women and children were taken to Kanpur, killed and thrown into a well (known as the Bibighar Massacre). The murders greatly embittered the British rank-and-file against the Sepoy rebels and inspired the war cry "Remember Cawnpore”.

This card was produced by British designer Raphael Tuck who in 1903 launched his “Oilette” series of cards, cards that had a surface designed to look like miniature oil paintings.’

Additional Information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_Ghat

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Cawnpore

https://tuckdb.org/history

Curation Date

10-2016

Photo Source

Special Collections Research Center, University of Kentucky Libraries

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