At Kashmere Gate, cemetery with roots in the 1857 mutiny

Nicholson’s grave is near the entrance, protected by an iron grill. An excerpt from the book ‘Delhi- Past and Present’ by Herbert Charles Fanshawe describes his final resting place: “The narrow lane beyond, with two guns at the end, and the houses on the east side filled with armed mutineers, must have formed a veritable ‘Gate of hell’ into which to advance. Returning over the Dufferin Bridge, and passing through the Mori Gate, the usual road to the Civil station leads to the entrance of the Kashmiri Gate Cemetery, thirty yards from which, to the right, following a path indicated by small piles of cannon balls, is the grave of Brigadier-General John Nicholson.”

Nicholson was born on December 11, 1821, in Dublin. His father, a doctor, died when he was eight. He set sail for India at the age of 17 in 1839 to join the Bengal Infantry as a direct cadet.

He fought at Ghazni during the first Afghan War, held political posts in Kashmir and the Punjab and took part in the Second Sikh War. In 1857, during the mutiny, he was promoted to Brigadier-General after pacifying the Punjab — he had led a movable column, a military force set up to chase down the rebels.

His arrival in Delhi early in August and his victory at Najafgarh inspired the besieged British troops outside the city. On September 14, he led an attacking column against the Kashmere Gate. The gate was taken, but he was wounded in battle and died shortly thereafter. The large stone slab over his grave says: “The Grave of Brigadier-General John Nicholson who led the Assault of Delhi but fell in the hour of victory mortally wounded and died 23rd September 1857 aged 35,” according to Fanshawe.

Fanshawe, in his book, further notes that his funeral, which took place early on September 24, was entirely without military honours – “so fully were the troops still available engaged; only Colonel Chamberlain, (the late field-marshal Sir Neville Chamberlain), Mr Saunders, who has succeeded Mr Greathead as Commissioner of Delhi, and a few other officer were present”.

Nicholson also had a religious following of sorts — the cult of Nikal Seyn that came up in the 1840s. Its members wore garments the colour of faded leaves. In 1857, after his death, a member of the cult reportedly killed himself when he heard that the man he worshipped as a god had departed.

Writer and historian Swapna Liddle told The Indian Express, “Nicholson, for the British, was a hero because he led charge into the city after the city was taken. That is the conventionally told part of the history.”

She added: “Some interesting people are also buried in Nicholson cemetery like Master Ramchander, who was a mathematician who taught in the Delhi College in the 1840s-50s. He was a very important man who tried to popularise modern science in India and also worked for social reforms. He is a prominent figure of Delhi but is largely forgotten these days.”

According to Fanshawe, a hundred yards from the entrance to the cemetery, on the left of the main path, is the grave of Harvey Greathead, who was commissioner and political agent with the Delhi Field Force. He died of cholera four days after the fall of Delhi.

A number of memorial tablets from some earlier burial grounds are also placed in the wall to the left of the entrance. Among the memorials of 1857 is one of Mr Clifford, killed in the Gurgaon district, in October of that year, and his sister, killed in the Delhi Fort on May 11. “With the grave of General Nicholson ends the record of the spots of special interest connected with the Siege and Assault of Delhi,” wrote Fanshawe.

With the cemetery falling into disrepair over the years, several efforts have been made to restore it. Between 1976 and 1986, the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia (BACSA) did intensive work in restoration of the cemetery.

“Life flourishes at the historic Nicholson cemetery in Old Delhi; what may sound even more ironic but is no less true, the dead here look after the living. Flanked by two thunderingly busy roads, the cemetery with its magnificent trees and great sprays of magenta bougainvillaea is home to a host of birds who live quite cheerily among the marble tombstones and crosses. They are protected here by history itself, for it is certain that had this been just another cemetery it would have been bulldozed and built over in the cause of development,” said an excerpt from book Souvenir Chowkidar by Rosie Llewellyn -Jones, published by BACSA.

In 1983, following efforts by Father Ian Weatherall of the Cambridge Brotherhood and then Chairman of the Delhi Cemeteries Committee Reverend Dr Richard Smyth, a local appeal was organised by Mrs M Devadas to enable work on the wall — raising it by four feet along some 500 feet of its length. BACSA also sponsored a three-stage project which included clearing 10 acres of the old area to install an electrical connection and to provide permanent water supply.

“It is a weirdly beautiful place; it makes you think about life. It’s surprising how such a huge event happened in Delhi and people don’t visit this place enough,” said Kavitha Sharma, a writer, describing her first visit to the cemetery.