Mangal Pandey was an Indian sepoy (soldier) in the service of the British East India Company. He was a Hindu of the Brahmin caste and belonged to the region of Awadh, which had been annexed by the British in 1856. Pandey inspired the Indian Rebellion (also called the Indian Mutiny of 1857, among other names) after rumors circulated that rifle cartridges had been greased with cow lard, which was repugnant to Hindus.