In 1857 native soldiers of the Indian Army rose up against the
British Empire in what became known as the Indian Mutiny. It’s
often said that the cause of this unrest was the paper cartridge
issued for use with the new Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle. These
were greased at one end to lubricate the bullet, which had to be
pushed down the barrel from the muzzle end for loading. In order
to open the cartridge, soldiers were instructed to tear it with
their teeth, resulting in the ingestion of some of the grease.
Rumours spread that this grease was derived from pig fat,
forbidden to Muslims, or from cows, which would be a serious
issue for Hindus. Moreover, the rumours suggested that this was
a deliberate practice intended to degrade and even to force
conversion to Christianity. In fact, the causes and background
to the mutiny were rather more complicated than this, but
historians agree the cartridge rumours were one of the main
triggers or tipping points for the mutiny. Some have disputed
the claim of pig and/or cow