Video narration
On March 29, 1857, at Barrackpore, sepoy Mangal Pandey stood like a match before a larger fire, as anger rose in the East India Company's army. Soldiers were outraged by cartridges believed to be greased with cow and pig fat, and Pandey openly resisted British officers. He was arrested and hanged on April 8. But one soldier did not cause the 1857 uprising; it had wider causes. His stand became an early spark, tying his name to its beginning.