Hundreds of people join the cultural procession in Nagora on Tuesday. A Telegraph picture

Guwahati, Aug. 28: Nagora, a nondescript village 12km south of Golaghat in Upper Assam, would pass off as any other rural settlement.

But 150 years ago, it was this very village that witnessed the first spark of revolt against the British rulers in the Northeast.

And with the country celebrating the sesquicentennial year of the Sepoy Mutiny, Nagora is on the map again, ready to regain its lost glory.

It was on August 29, 1857 that soldiers of the Assam light infantry battalion, based at Nagora, rose under the leadership of Subedar Seikh Bhikun and hoisted the Indian flag in the camp. The mutineers decided to attack the British officers in Golaghat, Jorhat and Sivasagar districts.

However, British troops from Golaghat rushed to Nagora and crushed the rebellion. Subedar Bhikun and several of the mutineers were court-marshalled.

Though a cultural procession was taken out today to mark the beginning of the 150th anniversary celebrations, the main function will be held tomorrow at Nagora. Planning and development minister Prithibi Majhi and Golaghat MLA Ajanta Neog will attend tomorrow’s function, where Neog is likely to announce several development activities to be taken up at the historical site.

“We will construct a memorial here to remind the people of the role of Nagora in the Indian freedom struggle,” said Bikash Sharma, secretary of the Golaghat district’s Sepoy Mutiny sesquicentennial celebration committee.

Sharma rued that very few people in Assam know about the importance of the village. “Forget about the Northeast, very few people in Assam know of Nagora. The memorial would be a tribute to the heroes of the freedom struggle,” he said.

Sharma said the committee was planning to set up a museum at Nogora.

“Some of the mementoes having connection to the Nagora are treasured at Calcutta Museum. We would try to get hold of some of these mementoes,” Sharma said.