Sepoy Rebellion- Nationalist; why or why not?

Before one can determine whether nor not the Sepoy Rebellion, also known as the Indian Rebellion of 1857, was nationalist or not, one must be provided information regarding both what the rebellion was and what being a nationalist was.

The Sepoy Rebellion, also known as the Indian Rebellion, took place from 1857-1858. It was triggered by the "introduction into the colony's military forces of a new cartridge smeared with animal fat from cows and pigs." (Page 596, Strayer) The use of the animal remains was "deeply offensive" (page 596, Strayer) to both the Hindus and Muslims, going against both of their religions. They saw this as an act of complete disrespect, as well as a plot to convert them all to Christianity. "Behind this incident were many groups of people with a whole series of grievances generated by the British colonial presence: local rulers who had lost power; landlords deprived of their estates or their rent; peasants overtaxed and exploited by urban moneylenders and landlords alike; unemployed weavers displaced by machine manufactured textiles; and religious leaders threatened by missionary activities. A mutiny among Indian troops in Bengal triggered the rebellion, which soon spread to other regions of the colony and other social groups." (Page 596, Strayer) This fighting lasted a year, more or less, and although the flame of dispute was put out abruptly, the rebellion resulted in the racial divide to be greatly widened in colonial India. It also caused the British to act more conservatively and cautious when it came to attempting to change Indian society and religious views.

"The term “nationalism” is generally used to describe two phenomena: (1) the attitude that the members of a nation have when they care about their national identity and (2) the actions that the members of a nation take when seeking to achieve (or sustain) self-determination. (1) raises questions about the concept of nation (or national identity), which is often defined in terms of common origin, ethnicity, or cultural ties, and while an individual’s membership in a nation is often regarded as involuntary, it is sometimes regarded as voluntary. (2) raises questions about whether self-determination must be understood as involving having full statehood with complete authority over domestic and international affairs, or whether something less is required." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, see link) This definition of the word "nationalism" sums up the entire meaning along with everything that the word stands for. With that said, did the Sepoy Rebellion fall under the category of all of that being a nationalist stands for?

I feel as though the Indian Rebellion was nationalist due to the fact that the cause of it was the action two religions took when taking a stand for what they believed in. Both the Muslims and the Hindus felt that the British using animal remains as contributors to weapons was both wrong and cruel and went against what their religious views. They voiced their opinion and along with many others who felt the British had caused them to go against their beliefs, rebelled. They took a stand through self determination and aspired to save their national identity, which are both two fundamental aspects tying into what nationalism stands for.