Major Tribal Movements in British India
Cause of Tribal Movements in India:
British colonialism faced revolt not only by the civilian population but also by the tribes of various regions throughout colonial India.
Exploitative land revenue policies and expansion of agriculture and plantation activities on forested land by outsider non-tribal populations in areas inhabited by the tribal population.
Works of numerous Christian missionaries were looked at with suspicion and as interference in social-economic customs of tribal population.
The uprisings by the tribal groups were usually reactions against outsiders (dikus), zamindars and rulers, the support provided to the latter by the British administration.
Major Tribal Uprisings:
The Chuar Uprising (1771-1779): The term Chuar was used for local tribals in Bengal and it was a derogatory word {meaning pig}. Leader of this revolt was Durjan Singh, a displaced Zamindar who along with his 1500 followers created havoc. He established his rule over 30 villages and attacked the East India Company establishments.
The Bhil Uprising (1817-1819): This uprising took place in the Khandesh region of Maharashtra under the leadership of Sewaram due to the agrarian hardships.
The Ahom Revolt (1828): Ahom Revolt took place in Assam region after the First Anglo Burmese War. The rebellion was against the annexation of the territories under the British Empire in 1828. The leader of this movement was Gomdhar Konvar, a prince of the Ahom dynasty. The revolt was suppressed by the British military.
The Kol Uprising (1831): The Kol mutiny was a revolt of the adivasi Kol people of Chhota Nagpur during 1829-1839 as a reaction to economic exploitation brought on by the systems of land tenure and administration that had been introduced by the East India Company. The rebel kols were under the leadership of Buddhu Bhagat, Joa Bhagat, Madara Mahato and others.
The Khasi Rebellion (1833): The Khasi uprising took place in 1833 in the regions between the Khasi hills and Jaintia Hills, against a planned British Road in that area. The leader of this uprising was Tirot Sing Syiem.
The Khond Uprising (1846-1855): The Khond Uprising took place in Orissa in 1846 and 1855. The Khond people were led by Chakra Bisoi. The Khonds in Orissa played a vital role in preparing the revolt of 1857 against the British Government.
The Santhal Rebellion (1855-1856): The Santhal rebellion, was a rebellion in present-day Jharkhand, against both the British East India Company and zamindari system by the Santhal. In 1855, under the leadership of two brothers, Sidhu and Kanoo, who mobilised 10,000 Santhals, they declared rebellion.
The Munda Rebellion (1899-1900): Munda Rebellion is one of the prominent 19th century tribal rebellions in the subcontinent. Birsa Munda led this movement in the region south of Ranchi in 1899-1900. The ulgulan, meaning 'Great Tumult', sought to establish Munda Raj and independence. The impact of the Munda revolt was the establishment of the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act in 1908. The act banned the transfer of tribal lands to non-tribal owners.
The Kuki Revolt (1917-1919): The resistance to British hegemony by the Kuki people of Manipur was seen in 1917–19 when their territories were subjugated by the British and divided between the administrations of British India and British Burma.
The Rampa Rebellion (1922): It was a tribal uprising, led by Alluri Sitarama Raju in Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. It began in August 1922 and lasted until the capture and killing of Raju in May 1924.
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Peasant Movements in British India
Causes of Peasant Movements:
The colonial land revenue systems such as The system of Zamindari, Ryotwari and Mahalwari had led to disruption in the traditional social structure.
Peasants were disabled due to high taxation, eviction from their lands, frequent rise in the taxes and lack of security of tenure.
Growth of intermediary revenue collectors, money lenders, and tenants had led to severe economic exploitation of the peasants.
Major Peasant Movements in India:
The Fakir Sannyasi Rebellion (1776): It was the activities of sannyasis and fakirs in Bengal, India in the late 18th century which took place around Murshidabad and Baikunthpur forests of Jalpaiguri. The Fakir-Sannyasi resistance movement was organised and led by Majnu Shah, a sufi saint of Madaria sect. It was also led by the famous dacoit leader Bhawani Pathak and his lady assistant Debi Chaudhurani. In 1872, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay published Anandamath, a historical novel set in the background of the Sanyasi Rebellion of the late 18th century.
Civil Rebellion in Awadh (1799): Massacre of Benares by Wazir Ali. He was the fourth Nawab of Awadh who was later deposed and pensioned off by the British.
Polygar Revolt (1799-1805): The first Polygar War broke out in 1799 in Tirunelveli district of modern Tamil Nadu. The Polygars were led by Kattabomma Nayak. Polygars were the landlords belonging to South India. They rose in revolt against the British due to their revenue demands.
Revolt of Diwan Velu Thampi (1808-1809): The revolt took place in the state of Kerala. The state of Travancore fell into arrears after agreeing into a Subsidiary alliance. The British resident of Travancore was meddling in the internal affairs of the state. This made Velu Thampi rise against the Company.
The Paika Rebellion (1817): It was an armed rebellion against the East India Company rule in India in 1817 that took place in the state of Odisha. The Paiks of Odisha were the traditional landed militia. The leader of this Revolt was Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar.
The Ahom Revolt (1828): The revolt took place in the Assam region after the First Anglo Burmese War (1824-1826). The Treaty of Yandabo was the peace treaty that ended the First Anglo-Burmese War. The treaty was signed on 24 February 1826. The Ahom rebellion was against the annexation of the territories under the British Empire in 1828. The leader of this movement was Gomdhar Konvar. The revolt was suppressed by the British military.
The Wahhabi Movement:
Islamic revivalist movement, founded by Sayyid Ahmad of Rae Bareli, the Wahhabi Movement in India was a vigorous movement for socio-religious reforms in Indo-Islamic society in the nineteenth century with strong political undercurrents. To overthrow the Sikhs in the Punjab and the British in Bengal and to restore the lost glory of Muslim power in India, was the main aim of the Wahabi movement in India. Conversion of Dar-ul-Harb into Dar-ul-Islam was propagated. Jihad was declared on Sikhs and later on British.
The Kuka Movement: It was founded by Bhagat JawaharMal in Western Punjab. Another major leader was Baba Ram Singh who founded the Namdhari Sikh Sect. The objectives of the Kuka rebellion was to purify the sikh religion of its abuses and superstitions and the revival of sikh sovereignty.
Narkelberia Uprising (1831): Led by Titumir who constructed a fort of bamboo at Narkelberia and declared independence from the British administration. It was merged into the Wahabi Movement in Bengal.
The Pagal Panthi Movement (1825-1835): It was a socio-religious order that emerged in the late 18th century in the Mymensingh region of Bengal. Pagal Panthis were a mixture of Hinduism, Sufism and Animism, which became prominent in Bengal in the initial years of the 19th century. The sect was founded by Karam Shah, and his son Tipu Shah led these people to uphold the religion and rights of the peasants in Bengal.
Faraizi Revolt (1818): Haji Shariatullah was the founder of the ‘Faraizi Movement’ in the year 1818. ‘Faraizi’ signifies duties that one must perform mandatorily as authorised by the supreme Islamic god. The movement seeks to purify the religion by out casting all practises and preaching that are not in line with Islamic beliefs. The revolt was later carried on by Dadu Mian who organised his followers to expel the British from Bengal.
The Moplah Rebellion (1921): The Moplah Riots of 1921 was the culmination of a series of riots by Mappila Muslims peasants of Kerala in the 19th and early 20th centuries against the British and the Hindu landlords in Malabar (Northern Kerala). It was an armed revolt. It was led by Baba Ramchandra.
The Indigo Revolt (1859-1860): The indigo revolt (Nil bidroho) was a peasant movement and subsequent uprising of indigo farmers against the indigo planters that arose in Chowgacha village of Nadia district in Bengal, where Bishnucharan Biswas and Digambar Biswas first led the rebellion against the Indigo planters, in 1859.
The Champaran Satyagraha (1917):
It was the first Satyagraha movement led by Gandhi in India and is considered a historically important revolt in the Indian Independence Movement. It was a farmer's uprising that took place in Champaran district of Bihar, India, during the British colonial period.
Kheda Satyagraha (1918):
The Kheda Satyagraha was principally led by Sardar Patel and Gandhiji after the region was hit by a famine, cholera and plague, destroying the agrarian economy. The Bombay Presidency had increased the taxes in 1917-18 by 23% despite many deaths following a cholera outbreak.
Eka Movement or Unity Movement (1921):
It was a peasant movement which surfaced during the end of 1921. Initially started by Congress and the Khilafat movement, it was later headed by Madari Pasi.
Bardoli Satyagraha (1928):
The Bardoli Satyagraha, 1928 was a movement in the independence struggle led by Sardar Vallabhai Patel for the farmers of Bardoli against the unjust raising of taxes. He got the name 'Sardar' from the local farmers and peasants due to this Satyagraha.
All India Kisan Sabha (1936):
All India Kisan Sabha, is the name of the peasant front of the Communist Party of India, an important peasant movement formed by Sahajanand Saraswati in 1936.
Tebhaga Movement (1946-1947):
It was a militant campaign initiated in Bengal by the All India Kisan Sabha (peasants front of Communist Party of India) in 1946-47. At that time share-cropping peasants had to give half of their harvest to the owners of the land. The movement demanded two thirds of the produce from land for themselves and one third for the landlords. Tebhaga literally means 'three shares' of harvests.
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