Black Hole of Calcutta
Topic: Europeans in India and the Rise of Company Rule · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The "Black Hole of Calcutta" is the name for a disputed incident in June 1756. Siraj-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, had captured Calcutta. British prisoners were said to have been locked overnight in a small, airless cell at Fort William, where many died. The story comes mainly from one survivor, J.Z. Holwell. Historians doubt how many people were really involved. The British used the story to paint the Nawab as cruel and to justify war against him.
Example
Holwell claimed that 146 people were shut in the cell and only 23 came out alive. Many historians believe these numbers were greatly exaggerated. The story helped justify Robert Clive's campaign from Madras. Clive took back Calcutta in early 1757 and then defeated Siraj-ud-daulah at Plassey.
Don't confuse with
- Battle of Plassey (1757): this was the actual battle that followed. The Black Hole was a story used to justify the war, not a battle.
Related concepts
- Divide and rule
- Dastak
- Siraj-ud-daulah
- Robert Clive
- Battle of Plassey
- Mir Jafar
- Mir Qasim
- Battle of Buxar 1764
- Treaty of Allahabad 1765
- Diwani of Bengal