Svetlhdm at 18:26, 14 March 2026

2026-03-14T18:26:56Z

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{{Infobox person
| name = Thakur Jodha Singh Ataiya
| image = Thakur Jodha Singh.png
| caption = Statue of Jodha Singh Ataiya at Bawani Imli Memorial, Fatehpur
| birth_date = c. 1820s
| birth_place = Rasulpur, Khajuha, Fatehpur district, [[North-Western Provinces]], [[British India]]
| death_date = 28 April 1858
| death_place = Khajuha, Fatehpur district, [[British India]]
| death_cause = Execution by hanging in [[Bawani Imli massacre]]
| occupation = Zamindar, Revolutionary
| known_for = Leadership during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
}}

'''Thakur Jodha Singh Ataiya''' (c. 1820s – 28 April 1858) ({{Langx|hi| जोधा सिंह अटैया}}) was an Indian zamindar and revolutionary from Rasulpur (Rasulpur Ataiya) village in [[Fatehpur district]], [[Uttar Pradesh]]. He played a pivotal role in the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] by organising armed resistance against British colonial forces. He led the seizure of the Fatehpur treasury, engaged in guerrilla warfare, and became a prominent freedom fighter in north-central India before being executed by British forces during the [[Bawani Imli massacre]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bawani Imli – History Cafe |url=https://historycafe.in/bawani-imli/ |website=History Cafe |access-date=28 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="w439" />

== Early life ==
Jodha Singh was born into a [[Rajput]] family in Rasulpur, a village near Khajuha in present-day Fatehpur district. As a landholder (zamindar), he enjoyed a position of social influence, which he later used to mobilise support against British rule. His ideological leanings were shaped by the growing unrest across India and revolutionary contemporaries like [[Rani Lakshmibai]] and [[Tatya Tope]].<ref name="y592">{{cite web |title=यूपी: दूसरा 'जलियां वाला बाग' है बावनी इमली |website=Amar Ujala |date=14 December 2021 |url=https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/kanpur/second-jallianwala-bagh-is-bawani-imli-52-revolutionaries-were-hanged-simultaneously |language=hi |access-date=28 May 2025}}</ref>

== Role in the 1857 Rebellion ==
During the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], Jodha Singh emerged as a key leader in the Fatehpur region. He collaborated with Deputy Collector Hikmat Ullah Khan and fellow revolutionary Thakur Daryao Singh. Together, they captured the Fatehpur treasury and civil court, challenging British administrative control.<ref name="w439">{{cite web |last=सिंह |first=धीरेंद्र |title=बावनी इमली फतेहपुर, स्वतंत्रता दिवस: 52 स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों की फांसी का गवाह इमली का पेड़ |website=Navbharat Times |date=15 August 2024 |url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/uttar-pradesh/fatehpur/independence-day-tamarind-tree-witnessed-hanging-of-52-freedom-fighters-fatehpur-crime-news/articleshow/112539644.cms |language=hi |access-date=28 May 2025}}</ref>

He rallied thousands of peasants in Khajuha and Bindki areas and took to guerrilla warfare, famously defeating Colonel Powell in direct engagement.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=52 स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों की फांसी का गवाह रहा 'बावनी इमली' |url=https://hindi.theprint.in/culture/bawan-imli-uttar-pradesh-freedom-fighter-waiting-for-national-level-recognition/114435/ |website=ThePrint Hindi |date=15 August 2019 |access-date=28 May 2025}}</ref>

== Capture and Execution ==

On 28 April 1858, following betrayal by informants, Jodha Singh and 51 of his companions were arrested by British forces near Ghoora village. All 52 were publicly hanged from a large tamarind tree near [[Khajuha]], now known as the [[Bawani Imli massacre]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="w439" /> The British left the bodies hanging for 37 days as a warning, prohibiting any cremation. However, on the night of 3 June 1858, Maharaja Bhawani Singh and local supporters retrieved the remains and performed the final rites at [[Shivrajpur]] Ghat on the Ganges.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bawani Imli Tree |url=https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/district-reopsitory-detail.htm?12856 |website=Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Govt. of India |access-date=28 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=इस पेड पर 1 साथ 52 क्रांतिकारियों को दी गई थी फांसी, 1 |url=https://news1india.in/uttar-pradesh/republic-day-2025-story-of-sacrifice-of-52-revolutionaries-including-thakur-jodha-singh-in-fatehpur/221712/ |work=news 1 india |date=26 January 2025}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Jodha Singh is commemorated as one of the first freedom fighters from central Uttar Pradesh. His name is inscribed on the memorial stones at the Bawani Imli site. The tamarind tree, believed by locals to have stopped growing after the incident, remains a historic symbol of sacrifice.<ref>{{cite web |title=Heritage tree on which 52 martyrs were hanged |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/heritage-tree-on-which-52-martyrs-were-hanged/articleshow/117379302.cms |website=The Times of India |date=20 January 2025 |access-date=28 May 2025}}</ref>

In 2025, a book was released in Bindki to document the full story of Jodha Singh and the Bawani Imli martyrs, supported by local scholars and government officials.<ref>{{cite web |title=52 क्रांतिकारियों की शहादत पर आधारित पुस्तक का विमोचन |url=https://www.bhaskar.com/local/uttar-pradesh/fatehpur/bindki/news/book-released-on-the-martyrdom-of-52-revolutionaries-134925256.html |website=Dainik Bhaskar |date=14 August 2024 |language=hi |access-date=28 May 2025}}</ref>

To honour his legacy, a government-run institution — the [[Amar Shaheed Jodha Singh Attaiya Thakur Dariyao Singh Medical College, Fatehpur]] — was named after him in Fatehpur.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amar Shaheed Jodha Singh Attaiya Thakur Dariyao Singh Medical College |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amar_Shaheed_Jodha_Singh_Attaiya_Thakur_Dariyao_Singh_Medical_College%2C_Fatehpur |access-date=28 May 2025}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=June 2025}}

==Bibliography==
* ''Darakht: The Witness of Freedom Fighter'' (Hindi) by Vijay Narayan. Bluerose Publishers, 2025.ISBN-10 9362614928.

== See also ==
* [[Bawani Imli massacre]]
* [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
* [[Fatehpur district]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:1820s births]]
[[Category:1858 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists]]
[[Category:People from Fatehpur district]]
[[Category:Revolutionaries of the Indian Rebellion of 1857]]
[[Category:Executed revolutionaries]]
[[Category:People executed by British India by hanging]]

Jodha Singh Ataiya - Revision history

Svetlhdm at 18:26, 14 March 2026