१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

NANA SAHEB LEAVING LUCKNOW WITH HIS ESCORT
—Adopted from an old engraving

Nana Saheb Peshwa was the brain of the
Revolution of 1857 and had been nursing the
idea for a long time. He was proud of his
splendid collection of arms—swords of the best
tempered steel, modern long-range rifles and
big guns of various sizes. Having once decid-
ed to rise against the British he sent his emis-
saries from one Darbar to another, from Delhi
to Mysore, in order to draw them into
the War of Independence. He himself
came out of the palace of Brahmavarta
to put the various links together. With
him started his brother Bala Saheb, and
his counsellor Azimullah. Ostensibly, he
was on a tour of pilgrimage, and the first place he visited
was Delhi. There he consulted with Bahadur Shah. After
supervising all arrangements at Delhi he went to Ambala.
From there he went to Lucknow. There, his visit infused
the whole city with an almost uncontrollable joy and ex-
citement, and he went in a huge procession through the
main streets of Lucknow. After Lucknow he visited Kalpi where
he had a meeting with Kumar Singh of Jagadishpur with whom he
had been in intimate correspondence. In the tour Nana Saheb
visited most of the military stations along the main trunk road and
he went even to Simla. After he had visited important places and
contacted principal leaders he drew up a clear programme and a defi-
nite plan of the future campaign and returned to Brahmavarta about
the end of April 1857.