Santhal rebellion
Part of Indian independence movement
An illustration of an engagement during the Santhal rebellion by The Illustrated London News
Location
Santhal Pargana, Jharkhand

24°46′N 87°36′E / 24.767°N 87.600°E / 24.767; 87.600
Commanded bySidhu and Kanhu Murmu
ObjectiveRemoval of the zamindari system
DateJune 30, 1855 – January 3, 1856 (1855-06-30 – 1856-01-03)
(6 months and 4 days)
OutcomeSanthal Parganas Tenancy Act, 1876
Casualties15,000 deaths, many displaced[1]

The Santhal rebellion (also known as the Sonthal rebellion or the Santhal Hool), was a rebellion in present-day Jharkhand and West Bengal against the East India Company (EIC) and zamindari system by the Santhals. It started on June 30, 1855, and on November 10, 1855, martial law was proclaimed by the East India Company which lasted until January 3, 1856, when martial law was suspended and the rebellion was eventually suppressed by the presidency armies. The rebellion was led by the four sibling brothers - Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand, and Bhairav.[2]

Background

The rebellion of the Santhals began as a reaction to end the revenue system of the East India Company (EIC), usury practices, and the zamindari system in India; in the tribal belt of what was then known as the Bengal Presidency. It was a revolt against the oppression of the colonial rule propagated through a distorted revenue system, enforced by the local zamindars, the police and the courts of the legal system set up by the British East India Company.[3]

Santhal Pargana area before arrival of the Santhal people. Damin-i-koh region labeled as "Country Unexplored by Europeans" (1776 map by James Rennell).

The Santhals lived in a territory that stretched from Hazaribagh to Medinipur, along the Subarnarekha River, and they depended on agriculture. Those areas were greatly affected by the 1770 Bengal famine.[4] In 1832, the EIC demarcated the Damin-i-koh region in present-day Jharkhand and encouraged the pre-existed Paharia tribe of the Rajmahal hills to clear forests and practice agriculture. However, the Paharia tribe declined the offer, leading the company to invite the Santhals to settle in the region. Due to promises of land and economic amenities a large numbers of Santhals came to settle from Dhalbhum, Manbhum, Hazaribagh, Midnapore, and other surrounding areas. Soon, their population increased significantly from 3,000 to 83,000 in between 1830 and 1850. This growth in the number of agriculturists resulted in a 22-fold increase in Company revenue from the area. Subsequently, Mahajans and Zamindars, acting as money lenders, tax collectors, and other intermediaries employed by the EIC, came to dominate the local economy, governance, and administration.[5] Many Santals became victims of corrupt money lending practices. They were lent money at exorbitant rates. When they were unable to repay the loan, their lands were forcibly taken and they were forced into bonded labour. This sparked the Santals to mobilize against the intermediaries, eventually leading to a rebellion against the EIC and the establishment of self-governance.[6]

Rebellion

On 30 June 1855, two Santal rebel leaders, Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, mobilized roughly 60,000 Santhals and declared a rebellion against the EIC. Sidhu Murmu had accumulated about ten thousand Santhals to run a parallel government during the rebellion. The basic purpose was to collect taxes by making and enforcing his own laws.

Soon after the declaration, the Santhals took to arms. In many villages, the Zamindars, money lenders, and their operatives were executed. The open rebellion caught the Company administration by surprise. Initially, a small contingent was sent to suppress the rebels but they were unsuccessful and this further fueled the spirit of the revolt. When the law and order situation was getting out of hand, the Company administration finally took a major step and sent in a large number of troops assisted by the local Zamindars and the Nawab of Murshidabad to quell the Rebellion. The East India Company announced an bounty of Rs. 10,000 to arrest Sidhu and his brother Kanhu Murmu.

A number of skirmishes occurred after this which resulted in a large number of casualties for the Santhal forces. The primitive weapons of the Santhals proved to be unable to match the gunpowder weapons of the EIC army. Troop detachments from the 7th Native Infantry Regiment, 40th Native Infantry, and others were called into action. Major skirmishes occurred from July 1855 to January 1856, in places like Kahalgaon, Suri, Raghunathpur, and Munkatora.[7]

A skirmish between British Railway Engineers and Santhals.
The British Army conducting search operations to capture Santhals.
Army recovering plundered items from Santhals after destroying their homes.
The British Army taking captured Santhals to prison.
Illustration of the Santhal Rebellion, as published in 1856 by The Illustrated London News.

The revolt was eventually suppressed after Sidhu and Kanhu were killed in action. War elephants, supplied by the Nawab of Murshidabad, were used to demolish Santhal huts during the rebellion. In this event, over 15,000 were killed, tens of villages were destroyed, and many were displaced during the rebellion.

During the rebellion, the Santhal leader was able to mobilize roughly 60,000 Santhal forming groups,[4] with 1500 to 2000 people forming a group. The rebellion is supported by poor tribals and non-tribals like Gowalas and Lohars (who were milkmen and blacksmiths) in the form of providing information and weapons.[8] Ranabir Samaddar argues that apart from Santhals, other aboriginal inhabitants of the region like Kamars, Bagdis, Bagals and others also participated in the rebellion.[9][10][2]: 745 

Legacy

English author Charles Dickens, in Household Words, wrote the following passage on the rebellion:

There seems also to be a sentiment of honor among them; for it is said that they use poisoned arrows in hunting, but never against their foes. If this be the case and we hear nothing of the poisoned arrows in the recent conflicts, they are infinitely more respectable than our civilized enemy, the Russians, who would most likely consider such forbearance as foolish, and declare that is not war."[11]

Mrinal Sen's film Mrigayaa (1976) is set during the Santhal rebellion.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Santhal Hul Wasn't Just the First Anti-British Revolt, It Was Against All Exploitation". The Wire. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  2. 1 2 Xalxo, Abha (2008). "The Great Santal Insurrection (Hul) of 1855-56". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 69: 732–755. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44147237.
  3. ↑ India's Struggle for Independence - Bipan Chandra, Pg41
  4. 1 2 Angad, Abhishek (July 3, 2023). "Hul Diwas: Remembering the Santal rebellion against the British". The Indian Express.
  5. ↑ Somers, George E. (1979). The dynamics of Santal traditions in a peasant society. Schenkman Pub. Co. p. 43. OCLC 5668202.
  6. ↑ Jha, Amar Nath (2009). "Locating the Ancient History of Santal Parganas". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 70: 185–196. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44147668.
  7. ↑ India's Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra, p. 42–43. ISBN ? (if it is ISBN 9788184751833, then )
  8. ↑ Chandra, Bipin; Mukharjee, Mridula; Mahajan, Suchita (2016). India's Struggle for Independence (PDF) (reprint ed.). pp. 18–20. ISBN 9788184751833. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-05-14.
  9. ↑ Partha Chatterjee, ed. (1995). Texts of Power: Emerging Disciplines in Colonial Bengal. Minneapolis, London: University of Minnesota Press. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-8166-2686-1. JSTOR 10.5749/j.ctttsttm.
  10. ↑ Singh, Kumar Suresh (2008). People of India: Bihar, including Jharkhand (2 pts). Anthropological Survey of India. p. 584. ISBN 978-81-7046-303-0.
  11. ↑ Dickens, Charles (1850–1859). Household Words Vol 12. University of Buckingham. London : Bradbury & Evans. p. 349.

Bibliography

Further reading

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