Santhal Revolt

The 19th century witnessed innumerable movements, but the one like, the Santhal revolt hold a significant position in India’s
struggle for freedom. The Santhal rebellion was a rebellion in present-day Jharkhand, Eastern India against both the British
East India Company (BEIC) and the zamindari system by the Santhal.
Background to the Rebellion
In order to control the vast territory of India, East India Company began to implement revenue policies, law and order rules
to be followed by the countrymen from the time they began consolidating, after Battle of Plassey in 1757.

The Santhal Rebellion was an uprising of the Santhal people, an indigenous community of eastern India, against British
colonial rule in 1855-56.
The Santhal people were unhappy with the British colonial administration’s policies, which included the introduction of
land revenue systems and the acquisition of their traditional lands.
The Santhal people were also oppressed by local landlords who were supported by the British administration.
In June 1855, the Santhals rebelled against British rule, led by the brothers Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu. They attacked
British government offices and police stations and targeted British supported landlords and their local agents. The rebellion
spread rapidly, with thousands of Santhals joining the movement.
The revolt was primarily caused by the following factors
Administrative Causes: The Santhals were primarily an agricultural community, and their livelihood depended on their
land. However, during British colonial rule, the British introduced new land revenue systems and began acquiring Santhal
lands for commercial exploitation, which led to displacement and loss of livelihood for many Santhal communities.

Fig- causes of Santhal Revolt

Economic Exploitation: The British colonial administration supported local landlords who were often exploitative and
oppressive towards the Santhal people. They forced the Santhals to work as bonded laborers, pay exorbitant rents, and
subjected them to other forms of exploitation.

Santhals typically borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates from the local Sahukars and Mahajans for various
purposes, including planting seeds.
When these individuals failed to repay the loans, the Sahukars and Mahajan began to seize land in the Damin-i-Koh
region.
In the process, Sahukars, Zamindars, and Mahajans were consistently backed by British officers and police.
The British introduced the New Forest Policy, which limited the Santhals’ control over the forest resources. It left the
Santhals deeply disappointed.

Cultural Causes: The Santhal people had a unique culture, customs, and traditions, which were often suppressed by the
British colonial administration. The British authorities sought to impose their language, culture, and religion on the Santhal
people, which created resentment and resistance among the Santhals.

Religious Causes: Christian missionaries were able to spread Christianity throughout India thanks to the Charter Act of 1813.
Christian missionaries were attacking Indian tribes and endangering the customs and values of the Santhal people.

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Socio-political Causes: The Manjhi System and the Parha Panchayat System are customary Santhal systems that entail
group decision-making and self-determination at the village level. British laws and regulations had a significant impact on
each of these two systems.

Ignorance of Santhal Concern: The Santhal people had no representation in the British colonial administration, which
meant that their concerns and grievances were often ignored.

Immediate cause: A petty larceny incident in June 1855 resulted in the arrest and severe beating of numerous Santhal people
by the local police. A group of Santhals assassinated the police station inspector in retaliation for this occurrence.

All of these factors led to a growing sense of resentment and anger among the Santhal people, which eventually culminated in
the Santhal Revolt of 1855-56. The revolt was led by the brothers Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu and aimed to challenge British
colonial rule and achieve freedom for the Santhal people.
Reason of Failure
The Santhal Revolt, while ultimately unsuccessful in achieving its immediate goals, had a significant impact on the history
of India’s freedom struggle. The outcome of the Santhal Revolt can be summarized as follows:

Fig- Reason of failure

Characteristic of Santhal revolt

Fig- Characteristic of Santhal revolt.

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How Was the Revolt, Different from the Other Revolts
Organized Movement
The Santhal uprising was an organized movement with good leadership qualities. In a short period of time, it was successful
in uniting about 60,000 people.
If we look at the other spontaneous movement of that time, we find that none of the movements was that well-arranged as
the Santhal revolt. The unity of the Santhals shook the nerve of the Britishers.
Use of weapons & Tactics
Despite the Santhal using bows and arrows against the weapons and artillery used by the Britishers, the guerrilla tactics,
which was a new occurrence for Bihar to fight against the Britishers, gave Santhals an upper hand.
Trained leadership
The prominent leaders of the war, Sidhu, and Kanhu in a short span of time, were successful in mobilizing a huge number
of people to fight against the cause.
Blow on British powers
The Santhal rebellion was a blow on the British powers. It was such a fierce movement that Britishers had to implement
martial law to quell the powers of Santhals.
Identity of the tribal people
The Santhal rebellion gave birth to the modern Santhal identity.
It also promoted the tribal people to protect their culture and tradition from any kind of destruction and interference.
Successful movement
It was seen that the Britishers did acknowledge their follies, despite the Santhals being defeated
Further, after the end of the war, the Santhal Paraganas Tenancy Act was enacted which provided the tribes some protection
against the oppressive British Rule.
This was successful in inculcating nationalist feelings among the people.
In conclusion
The Santhal Revolt was a significant event in India’s freedom struggle, as it highlighted the issues of land acquisition,
exploitation, and cultural suppression faced by indigenous communities under British colonial rule. The revolt had a lasting
impact on India’s political and social landscape, inspiring future freedom fighters and contributing to the recognition of
indigenous identities and cultures in independent India. The Santhal uprising is not only a movement of great Historical
importance. It rather, is the root cause behind it, the rights to tribal lands that they find that time, becomes relevant in present
context. Thus, History truly is a continuum and it is important to understand the past and to make sense of the present it also
helps to deal with current Tribal related issues in India.

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