Mangal Pandey, one of the first martyrs of India's First War of Independence in 1857, was born on 19th July 1827 at Nagwa village in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. A soldier in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry of the British East India Company, Mangal Pandey revolted when cartriges containing fat from cow and pig meat was provided by the Britishers. This cartridge had to be bitten off before being loaded into the rifle, something that was unacceptable to both Hindus and Muslims. While Mangal Pandey was put on trial and hanged on 8 April 1857, his actions inspired soldiers in other regiments leading to the revolt of 1857 or the First War of India's Independence.