Knowledge Nugget: 170th anniversary of Santhal Revolt — Revisiting tribal resistance for UPSC Prelims and Mains

Indian Express

a day ago

Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your knowledge nugget for today on 170th anniversary of Santhal Revolt and other significant tribal revolts.
(Relevance: In the 2018 UPSC prelims, a question was asked about the Santhal Uprising. In 2023, a question was asked on the response of the tribes against colonial oppression in General Studies I. Tribal movements and leaders form an important section of the UPSC syllabus. Therefore, knowing about the Santhal Revolt and other key tribal rebellions becomes significant for your UPSC prep.)
The landmark event in tribal history, referred to as Santhal Hul, completes 170 years today. Every year, the state of Jharkhand also celebrates June 30 as 'Hul Diwas', marking the beginning of the rebellion. On this occasion, let's revisit this landmark event in Indian history and understand it from a broader perspective.
1. The Santhal rebellion or 'Hul' – literally, revolution – began in 1855, two years before the the uprising of 1857, often referred to as 'the first war for Indian independence'.
2. It was an 'organised war against colonialism' led by the Santhals, standing against the myriad forms of oppression – economic and otherwise – they were subjected to by the British and their collaborator zamindars and corrupt moneylenders.
3. Led by two brothers, Sidhu and Kanhu, it saw the participation of as many as 32 castes and communities rallying behind them.
4. The seeds of the Santhal rebellion, however, were sown in 1832 when the East India Company created the Damin-i-Koh region in the forested belt of the Rajmahal hills. The area was allocated to the Santhals displaced from Birbhum, Murshidabad, Bhagalpur, Barabhum, Manbhum, Palamau, and Chhotanagpur, all areas the Bengal Presidency.
5. While the Santhals were promised settlement and agriculture in Damin-i-Koh, what followed was the repressive practice of land-grabbing and begari (bonded labour) of two types: kamioti and harwahi. Over the years, Santhals found themselves at the receiving end of exploitative practices aided by the British.
6. After the rebellion broke out in 1855, both sides continued clashing till the uprising was crushed in 1856. The British defeated the Santhals using modern firearms and war elephants in decisive action in which both Sidho and Kanho died.
Abhishek Angad writes-'Inder Kumar Choudhary, former HoD of History at Ranchi University, who has also written a book 'From Region to Nation: The Tribal Revolts in Jharkhand 1855-58', told The Indian Express that it was not that the 1855 uprising died down.
'In 1857, when there was a mutiny (as reported the first such in British India), the hin Hazaribagh and Manbhum area(current Dhanbad and Purulia area) had also led a war against the Britishers. So the idea of 'Hul' rebellion did not die down with its suppression.'
1. The Santhals were not the original inhabitants of modern day Santhal Pargana – which includes the six districts of Dumka, Pakur, Godda, Sahibganj, Deoghar and parts of Jamtara. They had migrated from the Birbhum and Manbhum regions (present-day Bengal), starting around the late 18th century.
2. The 1770 famine in Bengal caused the Santhals to begin moving and soon, the British turned to them for help. With the enactment of the Permanent Settlement Act of 1790, the East India Company was desperate to bring an ever-increasing area in its control under settled agriculture. They, thus, chose the area of Damin-i-Koh, at the time heavily forested, to be settled by the Santals, in order to collect a steady stream of revenue. However, once settled, the Santals bore the brunt of colonial oppression.
3. Today, the Santal community is the third largest tribal community in India, spread across Jharkhand-Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal.
📌Munda Rebellion: Birsa Munda launched the Ulgulan movement (Munda rebellion) in 1899, using weapons and guerrilla warfare to drive out foreigners. He encouraged the tribals to follow the Birsa Raj and not comply with colonial laws and rent payments. It was one of the most organised and widespread tribal revolts, with clear objectives: to overthrow the British government, expel outsiders from the region, and establish an independent Munda state.
Known as 'Dharti Aba' ('Father of the Earth'), Birsa Munda organised the 'Ulgulan' or the Munda Rebellion against British oppression in the late 1890s. November 15, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, is celebrated as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas' to honour the contributions of the tribal freedom fighters.
— However, the British were soon able to halt the movement through the superior strength of their forces. On March 3, 1900, Munda was arrested by the British police while he was sleeping along with his tribal guerilla army at the Jamkopai forest in Chakradharpur.
— The movement contributed to the government's repeal of the begar system and led to the Tenancy Act (1903) which recognised the khuntkhatti system. The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908) later banned the passage of tribal land to non-tribal folks.
📌Paika Rebellion: In several recent descriptions, the 1817 Paika Rebellion in Odisha's Khurda is referred to as the 'original' first war of Indian Independence. That year, the Paikas – a class of military retainers traditionally recruited by the kings of Odisha – revolted against the British colonial rulers mainly over being dispossessed of their land holdings.
—In the run-up to the revolt, the British had dethroned and exiled the Khurda king in 1803, and then started introducing new revenue settlements. For Paikas, who were into rendering martial services in return for hereditary rent-free land (nish-kar jagirs) and titles, this disruption meant losing both their estates and social standing.
—The trigger for the revolt came as some 400 Kondhs descended from the Ghumusar area to rise against the British. Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mohapatra Bharamarbar Rai, the highest-ranking military general of the banished Khurda king, led an army of Paikas to join the uprising of the Kondhs.
—Over the next few months, the Paikas fought bloody battles at several places, but the colonial army gradually crushed the revolt.
📌Kol Revolt: The Kols, tribal people from the Chhota Nagpur area, rose in revolt against the British in 1831. The trigger here too was the gradual takeover of tribal land and property by non-tribal settlers who were aided by new land laws. The simmering discontent over the economic exploitation of the original inhabitants led to an uprising led by Buddhu Bhagat, Joa Bhagat, and Madara Mahato among others. The Kols were joined by other tribes like the Hos, Mundas, and Oraons.
—The tribals fought with traditional weapons taking the battle to colonial forces who finally overpowered them with modern weaponry. The uprising, which spread to areas like Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Palamau, Manbhum and continued for almost two years before being snuffed out, mainly targeted colonial officials and private money-lenders.
📌Bhil uprising: After the British intruded into the Bhil territory in Maharashtra's Khandesh region, the tribals pushed back fearing exploitation under the new regime in 1818. The revolt was led by their leader, Sewaram and was brutally crushed using the British military might.
—This uprising again erupted in 1825 as the Bhils sought to take advantage of reverses being suffered by the British in the first Anglo-Burmese war.
📌Dhal Revolt: The first tribal revolt during British rule in Jharkhand was the Dhal Revolt in 1767, led by Jagannath Dhal, the former king of Dhalbhum, a part of West Bengal today.
—Triggered by the presence of the British East India Company that marginalised the local population, this revolt lasted 10 years. In response to the ongoing unrest, the British reinstated Jagannath Dhal as the ruler of Dhalbhum in 1777.
📌 Tana Bhagat Movement: It began in 1914 by Jatra Bhagat, a leader of the Oraon tribe. He called for a return to traditional practices, rejecting colonial rule and Western influences. Bhagat highlighted agrarian issues and initiated a no-rent campaign, urging labourers to refuse forced or low-wage work.
(1) After the Santhal Uprising subsided, what were the measures taken by the colonial government? (UPSC CSE 2018)
1. The territories called 'Santhal Parganas' were created.
2. It became illegal for a Santhal to transfer land to a non-Santhal.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
(2) With reference to the history of India, 'Ulgulan' or 'the Great Tumult' is led by? (UPSC CSE 2020)
(a) Bakshi Jagabandhu
(b) Alluri Sitaramaraju
(c) Sidhu & Kanhu Murmu
(d) Birsa Munda
(3) With reference to the Santhal Rebellion, consider the following statements:
1. It was an organised war against colonialism.
2. The rebellion was led by two brothers Sidhu and Kanhu.
3. The rebellion took place in the Damin-i-Koh region.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
(Sources: Hul Diwas: Remembering the Santal rebellion against the British, Birsa Munda's enduring legacy, Life, legend of tribal icon Birsa Munda, Explained: Four tribal revolts President Murmu invoked in her inaugural speech)
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Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: [e-mail] ... Read More