Ten Little Indians- The Black Hole of Calcutta Quiz

Answer: The British East India Company

The British East India Company was an early example of the influential Western European joint-stock companies, which pioneered the establishment of large corporations but were also responsible for most European imperialism of African and Asia in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Dutch and French had similar counterparts in the Indian Ocean, but they were concentrated in different places. The Dutch gained control of most of the East Indies, while the French company was settled in southeast India and Indochina.

The old Fort William was built between 1701 and 1706 in the city of Calcutta, located in the northeast region of India called Bengal. The fort, named after King William III, was established to protect British investments in the area from potential attacks by the French.

Answer: Mughal

The Mughal Empire was a far-reaching descendant of the Mongols that had dominated Eurasia 500 years earlier; notably, the Mughals were Muslim-led, even though India's population at that time was still strongly Hindu. The leader Babur created the Mughal Empire around 1526 from the remnants of the Delhi Sultanate (the other two empires were classical civilizations), and the culture reached its greatest heights under later rulers like Akbar the Great.

However, religious tension between ruling Muslims and Hindus grew, especially under intolerant Mughal leader Aurangzeb.

The improved technology of an industrialized Western Europe was another contributing factor in the decline of the Mughals and the dawn of Indian colonialism. Notably, Britain and France began to make forays into the region, with the British taking Bengal early. Even though local rulers were often allowed to remain in place, the Europeans backed up their colonies with military force when necessary.

Answer: Many of the European soldiers had fled from the attack, and the leader in charge was not experienced militarily.

The leader of the fort, having heard of the attack, led an escape of most of the soldiers who were defending the area, and left in charge John Zephaniah Howell, a surgeon acting as a civil servant at the time. Also, the British were allied with several groups (most notably, Dutch colonists who didn't like the French either) in the area, who deserted on threat of the invasion. Estimates of how many British soldiers were captured remain uncertain, especially because Holwell's account is so controversial.

The fort was captured on June 20, with very little difficulty.

Answer: Suffocation

In Holwell's account (which is the only primary source evidence from the Black Hole of Calcutta incident), more than 80% of the prisoners died in the 24 by 18 foot room, where they were stuffed so tightly that there was almost no air to breathe. The Nawab returned at six o'clock the next morning to see the shocking results. Those who survived were fine after they escaped outside into fresh air and free living space. The dead were apparently buried in a ditch.

According to Holwell's account, the prisoners bribed a guard 1,000 rupees to be moved to a larger cell, but Siraj-ud-Daulah was asleep, and none of the Indians wanted to rouse him. The bribe was increased to 2000 rupees, to no avail. The deaths began late in the night and continued until liberation the morning after.

Answer: They were sent as prisoners to another Bengali city, or were rescued by a European general.

After the incident, the Nawab sent Holwell and three other soldiers to the city of Murshidabad, which is located north of Calcutta. A relief expedition by the British under Robert Clive freed the rest of the prisoners in February 1757. Holwell's account included a list of the people who died in the Black Hole; according to him, their bodies were unceremoniously dumped into a Calcutta ditch.

Answer: The Nawab- and Robert Clive- denied that the event ever took place.

Lack of evidence casts the entire story of the Black Hole of Calcutta into doubt, and there is some surprising evidence that Holwell's account might not be completely true. The numbers do not match up very well: official records suggest that only 1/3 of those who "died" in the Black Hole went missing, although Holwell admits in his account that some of the prisoners weren't necessarily soldiers. To test the Black Hole of Calcutta, an Indian landowner named Bholanath Chunder fenced the area of the cell (267 square feet, or 25 square meters) and calculated how many humans could fit inside.

He concluded that far fewer than 146 Bengali workers could fit in the small area, and it would be inconceivable that so many British soldiers, weighed down by weaponry and uniforms, could physically cram into such a small space.

Answer: Sepoys

Sepoys were Indians equipped with European weapons who were in charge of peacekeeping in colonial India. In addition to listing sepoys as prisoners, Holwell notes at least one black soldier who died in the cell, as well as at least one female survivor. So according to him, it wasn't just the British garrison at the fort that was necessarily imprisoned.

The sepoys became important a century later in Indian history because they famously rebelled against the British East India Company. The interesting part about the rebellion was the legendary spark. Although long-lasting tensions had grown to a zenith by 1857, the Mutiny began with the new issue of an Enfield rifle. To open the cartridge container for the rifles, sepoys had to bite it, and the cartridges were allegedly lined with pork grease (taboo for Muslims) or beef grease (taboo for Hindus). Obviously, neither group was happy with the situation, and apparently mutinied because of it. Alas, the story is often considered a myth. (Indeed, the British quickly cottoned on and removed the grease from the cartridges).

Answer: Battle of Plassey

The Battle of Plassey, on June 23, 1757, began British imperialism in India. The British, under Robert Clive, defeated both the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, in an eastern stage of the Seven Years' War. The British were severely outnumbered but had stronger weaponry than the massive Bengali army. With only 3,050 men, Clive won the battle and began the trend of British Indian imperialism that would last for almost two more centuries.

Answer: It disappeared mysteriously.

Actually, Holwell's tablet disappeared mysteriously around 1822, so Lord Curzon, who was appointed Viceroy of India in 1899, reconstructed a monument in 1901, located at Dalhousie Square in Calcutta. Curzon was also the viceroy responsible for restoration efforts on the Taj Mahal, and during the 1905 Partition of Bengal, which had severe political consequences due to religious tensions in the area.

Answer: Subash Chandra Bose

Subash Chandra Bose (or Netaji, meaning "respected leader") was a major figure in the Indian independence movement, although he opposed Gandhi's views of nonviolent reform. Elected to two terms as head of the Indian National Congress, he resigned after his views became controversial, and his death is still uncertain- the official belief being that he died in a 1945 plane crash over Taiwan.

Bose vigorously fought against the monument, which he believed was emblematic of British imperialism in India. Curzon's efforts were removed in July 1940. After independence, the monument was rebuilt in St. John's Church, with a six-sided obelisk. An inscription on the base memorializes the events of the Black Hole of Calcutta:

"The names inscribed on the tablet, on the reverse side to this, are the names of those persons who are known to have been killed or to have died of their wounds, during the Siege of Calcutta, in June, 1756, and who either did not survive to enter the Black Hole prison, or afterwards succumbed to its effects."