A List of Tribal Revolts that Occurred in Bihar

The primary reason behind the uprising of revolts and protests at a mass level in India was the colonialism of some sectors within the Indian society. The British parliament transferred the political power from the East India Company into the hands of the British Crown for him to have the whole responsibility of the country. The British government decided to decrease the number of Indian soldiers in the army and preferred the appointment of English soldiers. In this article, we’ll know who the tribals were and how the colonial approach of the Britishers affected the Bihar tribes.

Factors Responsible For The Tribal Revolts

The Britishers were ruining the business trade set up amongst the tribals of Bihar of handicraft industries. The Bihar tribes were frustrated because the British Raj introduced free trade of handicraft products in India, which sucked down the profits and earning source of the tribal people in India.

The Britishers imposed tariff charges on the Indian goods transported, which led to poverty amongst the tribals of Bihar. The artisan community in Bihar was in great trouble to sustain their livelihood. 

The colonization of Britishers has propelled mass industrialization, which devoid the Bihar tribes of their freedom and isolated life in the forests. The Britishers imposed forest laws that restricted the entry of tribals and prevented the Bihar tribes from accessing any forest resources.

When the tribal people couldn’t withstand the torture and ill-treatment from the Britishers, they had to choose to fight against them to stop the discrimination and rights infringement. They occasionally attacked the English people, looted their belongings and possessions, and kicked them out of their village. Overall, tribals were mainly against the Britishers’ annexation of the farming lands and transferring the land to outsiders. 

List Of Tribal Revolts That Occurred In Bihar

Some of the prominent tribal revolts in Bihar were Kol Uprisings, Munda Revolt, Tana Bhagat Movement, Munda Uprisings, Bhumij Revolt, and the biggest of all the rebellions and movements was the Santhal Uprising. Santhal Revolt was the most impactful revolt in the history of the Bihar tribes. 

1. Ho And Munda Uprising: – The Ho and Munda Uprising was led by the Raja Parahat, who invoked the tribesman community of the Chotanagpur region. The Ho tribes of Bihar initiated this revolt in 1827, but they lost to the Britishers. The Ho tribes joined along with the Mundas of the Chotanagpur region in 1831 again to revolt against the Britishers’ newly imposed land revenue policies and termination of entry access to the Bengali community Bihar. The Ho tribes revolted against moneylenders and zamindars who were supporting the occupation of Singhbhum.

2. The Kol Uprising (also known as Kol Mutiny) lasted from 1831 to 1832. The Kol Revolt was led by Budhu Bhagat, who invoked the adivasi Kol community of the Chotanagur. The primary cause behind this revolt was the exploitation implemented on the communities of the Kols, Oraons, and Bhils. The transfer of farming lands to outsider communities of Muslims and Sikhs was not accepted greatly by the Kol tribes. 

3. Bhumij Revolt: – The leader of the Bhumij Revolt that lasted from 1832 to 1833 was Ganga Narayan. This revolt had similar causes like the Kol Uprising, the new land laws enacted by the East India Company to take the monetary advantage of the Bihar tribes. The farms of the tribals were seized down under the name of a security deposit for the debted loan the farmers had. Though, the sudden death of Ganga Narayan causes the revolt to get milder and lose its impact on the Britishers.

4. Santhal Revolt: – This hool was led by two brave fighters, Sindhu and Kanhu, who were revolting against the zamindari system and the ill-practice of moneylenders. The Santhals were a group that lived in the forests. The East India Company allured the Santhals to come and stay in the Damin-i-Koh area to gain benefits. Their promise was not kept, and Britishers introduced tax. The Santhals were unknowingly dragged into money lending fraud and higher interest on the loans. Britishers created a group of Santhal Pargana to peace down the situation. 

Conclusion

Civil rebellions began when the Britishers entered the states of Bihar and Bengal to exercise their power and dominance. The sudden changes in the rules and policies brought by the Britishers in the economic functioning of the country affected the tribals. The policy change in the land revenue system acted as the fuel to ignite the tribal people in India. All the tribal revolts weren’t successful, but few of them forced the Britishers to modify their discriminative land revenue policies. The Bihar tribes played a significant role in uplifting the determination of other tribal people in India.