Santhal rebellion

The Sonthal Rebellion, also known as t he Santhal Rebellion, Santal Rebellion, or Santhal Hool,
was a rebellion in present -day Jharkhand against t he East India Company (EIC) and zamindari syst em
by t he Sant als. It st art ed on 30 June 1855, and on 10 November 1855, mart ial law was proclaimed
by t he East India Company which last ed unt il 3 January 1856, when mart ial law was suspended and
t he rebellion was event ually suppressed by t he presidency armies.

The rebellion was led by t he four sibling brot hers, Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand, Bhairav and Rohansai who was
t he main leader of t he Sant hal Tribe and t heir t wo sist ers Phoolo and Jhano, who were killed in t he
cause.[6]

Background

The rebellion of t he Sant hals began as a react ion t o end t he revenue syst em of t he East India
Company (EIC), usury pract ices, and t he zamindari syst em in India; in t he t ribal belt of what was t hen
known as t he Bengal Presidency.[7][5] It was a revolt against t he oppression of t he colonial rule
propagat ed t hrough a dist ort ed revenue syst em, enforced by t he local zamindars, t he police and t he
court s of t he legal syst em set up by t he Brit ish East India Company.[8][9]

Santhal Pargana area before arrival of the

Santhal people. Damin-i-koh region labeled
as "Country Unexplored by Europeans"
(1776 map by James Rennell).
 Sant hal rebellion

Part of the Indian independence movement

Houses of newly settled Santhals, made of

plaited bamboo walls and thatched with
rice straw.

The Sant als lived in a t errit ory t hat st ret ched

from Hazaribagh t o Medinipur, spanning t he
Subarnarekha River, along wit h ot her Munda
An illustration of an engagement during the
et hnolinguist ic t ribals, and t hey engaged on Santal rebellion by The Illustrated London
agricult ure. Those areas were great ly affect ed by News
t he 1770 Bengal famine, t hus creat ing a need for
Location Santhal Pargana,
virgin land.[10][11]
Jharkhand
24°46′N 87°36′E (htt
In 1832, t he EIC demarcat ed t he Damin-i-koh
ps://geohack.toolfor
region in present -day Jharkhand and encouraged
ge.org/geohack.ph
t he pre-exist ed Paharia t ribe of t he Rajmahal hills
p?pagename=Santh
t o clear forest s and pract ice agricult ure. al_ rebellion&params
However, t he Paharia t ribe declined t he offer, =24_ 46_ N_ 87_ 36_ E
leading t he company t o invit e t he Sant als t o _)
set t le in t he region. Due t o promises of land and
Commanded by Sidhu and Kanhu
economic amenit ies a large numbers of Sant als
Murmu
came t o set t le from Dhalbhum, Manbhum,
Hazaribagh, Midnapore, and ot her surrounding Objective Removal of the

areas. Soon, t heir populat ion increased zamindari system

significant ly; for inst ance, wit hin a 13-year Date June 30, 1855 –
t imeframe, t hey grew from 3,000 in 1838 t o January 3, 1856
[12]
82,790 in 1851. (6 months and
4 days)
The wave of migrat ion st art ed in t he lat e 1790s
and cont inued t ill t he beginning of t he rebellion,[12] Outcome Creation of Santal

as The Illustrated London News report ed on 23 Parganas

district,[1] viz. The
February 1856 t hat around 120,000 Sant als had
Sonthal Parganas
set t led in t he area. This growt h in t he number of
agricult urist s result ed in a 22-fold increase in
Company revenue from t he area. Subsequent ly, Act, Act 37 of
Mahajans and Zamindars, act ing as money lenders, 1855[2]

t ax collect ors, and ot her int ermediaries employed Land protection

by t he EIC, came t o dominat e t he local economy, regulations, viz.
[13] The Santhal
governance, and administ rat ion. Many Sant als
became vict ims of corrupt money lending Parganas Tenancy
Act, 1876[3]
pract ices. They were lent money at exorbit ant
rat es. When t hey were unable t o repay t he loan, Casualties 10,000-15,000
t heir lands were forcibly t aken and t hey were deaths,
forced int o bonded labour. Numerous pet it ions many displaced[4][5]
were made by disgrunt led Sant al leaders t o t he
administ rat ion against t hese act ivit ies, but t hese
were largely ignored. This sparked t he Sant als t o
mobilise against t he int ermediaries, event ually
leading t o a rebellion against t he EIC and t he
Santhal
est ablishment of self-governance.[14] Pargana

In t he lead up t o t he rebellion, t he EIC recorded

numerous inst ances of dacoit s who were
especially t arget ing Bengali zamindars. One was
Bir Singh Manjhi, a Sant al who led a gang of
robbers and who claimed t o have received
Location of the rebellion
support from a god who had whispered a secret
mantra int o his ear. Many ot her leaders like him
promot ed a mix of ant i-st at e act ivit y mixed wit h millenarian fervour, making t he Sant als ripe for
rebellion.[15]

Simult aneously, a chieft ain called Margo Raja began cult ivat ing a net work of secret disciples
t hroughout t he Damin-i-koh, aiming t o unit e all Sant als int o a single body. In addit ion, several
calamit ous port ent s arrived in t he Damin-i-koh t hat fright ened t he Sant als:[15]

The appearance of Lag Lagin snakes

Women wit h equal numbers of children exchanging vows of friendship

Buffalo calves were rest ing in front of houses, during which t ime t he occupant s would die

A golden boat in t he Ganga sank aft er a Dom t ouched it

A child born t o an unmarried girl was a suba (short for Subedar, ident ifying an official leader)
 People were coming t o kill t he dikkus (non-t ribals) and t o ident ify t hemselves Sant als should hang
a buffalo hide and pair of flut es at t he end of t he village st reet

The t ales of t hese various calamit ies made t he Sant als more fearful, and t he rumours of t hem
spread from village t o village and made t hem alert for anyone promising t o save t hem.[15]

Rebellion

Bhognadih

30km
19miles
Wikimedia | © O penStreetMap

On 30 June 1855, t wo Sant al rebel leaders, Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu inhabit ant s of Bhognadih village
of present -day Sahibganj dist rict , mobilised roughly 60,000 Sant als and declared a rebellion against
t he EIC. It was declared aft er t he Lo Bir Baisi (t ribal council) passed a resolut ion at Boda Darha in
Sohraiya village, on t he east ern part of Marang Buru (t he Great Mount ain), t o launch t he Sant al Hul.
The revolt was init iat ed from t he sacred Jug Jaher Than (sacred grove) and Dishom Manjhi Than
(seat of t he t radit ional leader).[16] Sidhu Murmu had accumulat ed about t en t housand Sant als t o run
a parallel government during t he rebellion. The basic purpose was t o collect t axes by making and
enforcing his own laws.

The Sant al Rebellion quickly escalat ed aft er t he declarat ion of war, wit h Sant als at t acking
zamindars, moneylenders, and Company officials. The scale of t he uprising caught t he East India
Company (EIC) by surprise, as report s of armed Sant al mobilizat ion flooded in. On 9 July 1855, t he
Dist rict Magist rat e of Bhagalpur report ed t hat 1,000 Sant als were ready, wit h 4,000–5,000 more
await ing orders. The Dist rict Magist rat e of Aurangabad, A. Eden, relying on int elligence from
zamindars and a former Sant al court scribe, report ed t hat 9,000 Sant als were gat hering in Murdapur
wit h plans t o at t ack Pakur Raj, Samserganj, and t hen ret urn t o Rajmahal and Bhagalpur aft er
rit ualist ically dipping in t he Ganges. By 10 July, an est imat ed 10,000–12,000 Sant als were
assembling near Jangipur, and t he Aurangabad magist rat e lat er claimed t hey had occupied railway
houses. Report s from Birbhum suggest ed anot her 13,000 rebels were burning railway bungalows and
t hreat ening Pakur. Rumors spread t hat Sant als from Bankura and Singhbhum were joining t he fight ,
and even non-Sant al groups like t he Mal Paharias part icipat ed. Meanwhile, Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu
sent let t ers t o zamindars, at t empt ing t o persuade or int imidat e t hem int o support ing t he
rebellion.[15]

The precise number of fight ers under Sidhu and Kanhu remained uncert ain. On 9 July, a non-Sant al
wit ness under oat h est imat ed t heir force at 7,000 men, while a lat er report suggest ed t hey
commanded 30,000 rebels, wit h 12,000 set t o at t ack Rajmahal and t he rest moving along t he railway
line t o Jangipur and Murshidabad. By 11 July, news of t he rebellion reached Bhagalpur, where 20,000
armed Sant als were said t o be marching west ward and t hreat ening non-Sant als. The rebels
advanced wit h 1,000-man at t ack squads, reaching Colgong (modern Kahalgaon) by 11 July and
severing road and rail connect ions t o Bhagalpur by 17 July. Declaring Company rule over, t hey
proclaimed t he rule of t heir suba (Sidhu and Kanhu). A Brit ish proclamat ion on 15 July urging t hem t o
surrender and promising t o examine t heir grievances was ignored. The Sant als t hen rout ed a
company of Paharia Rangers and inflict ed a humiliat ing defeat on EIC t roops at Narayanpur, killing
several Indian officers and 25 sepoys. The Brit ish weapons malfunct ioned due t o wet gun caps,
fueling superst it ions t hat Sidhu and Kanhu had divine prot ect ion, as t hey had earlier claimed EIC guns
would t urn t o wat er. To prevent panic, t he EIC worked t o reassure it s soldiers t hat t he failure was
purely mechanical rat her t han supernat ural.[15]

British forces searching for Santhals

during the rebellion

The Sant al vict ory at Narayanpur boost ed morale, wit h t he Sant als loot ing and burning villages along
t he Rajmahal t o Palassour road by 21 July 1855. Many zamindars t ook refuge in Rajmahal, but were
prohibit ed from at t acking t he rebels. The cit y was poorly defended wit h only a small force of police,
12 Europeans, and 160 sepoys. Meanwhile, 12,000 Sant als were marching t owards t he cit y. The
Bhagalpur Commissioner was ordered t o redist ribut e t roops, leaving Rajmahal vulnerable. The
Sant als, led by Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, moved t owards Pakur, Maheshpur, and Samserganj, wit h
forces growing t o 20,000 by mid-July.[15]

They capt ured and burned Rampurhat and Pulsa. Sidhu and Kanhu organized t heir forces, grant ing
t it les like suba t hakur and nazir t o followers, forming a more st ruct ured leadership. They aimed t o
est ablish a fairer land syst em, charging lower rent s for Bhumij and Bengali peasant s, cont rast ing wit h
t he exploit at ive EIC policies. Their leadership provided unit y and purpose, st rengt hening t he
rebellion.[15]

East India Company initial response

To coordinat e t he suppression of t he Sant al Rebellion, t he East India Company (EIC) appoint ed A.C.
Bidwell as t he "Special Commissioner for t he Suppression of t he Sont hal Insurrect ion." Bidwell,
already in Kolkat a, was t asked wit h overseeing civil affairs in t he affect ed dist rict s while each
dist rict ret ained t he right t o call for milit ary aid independent ly. The Governor’s Council aut horized
full-scale milit ary act ion, deploying t roops from Barrackpore t o Raniganj and reinforcing key posit ions
such as railway st at ions and t he Grand Trunk Road. The plan was t o secure st rat egic locat ions near
t he Ganges, rest rict Sant al movement nort h of t he road, and block t heir ret reat int o t he hills. On 10
July 1855, Major Burroughs led 160 men from Bhagalpur, while ot hers were sent t o prot ect villages in
Samserganj t hana. Local zamindars, including t he Nawab of Murshidabad, were asked t o provide
elephant s, wit h 30 sent by t he Nawab alone. Despit e recommendat ions from t he Divisional
Commissioner of Burdwan t o send 1,500 t roops, t he Lieut enant Governor refused, considering t he
uprising a local insurrect ion t hat did not require excessive reinforcement s.[15]

The t urning point of t he rebellion came on 24 July, when 50 EIC t roops under Commissioner
Toogood, support ed by 200 soldiers from t he Nawab of Murshidabad and 30 elephant s, confront ed
5,000 Sant als near Maheshpur. The bat t le last ed just 10 minut es, wit h 100 Sant als killed before t he
rest fled, leaving behind t heir belongings. Bot h Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu were report edly wounded in
t his bat t le. However, t he EIC forces hesit at ed t o advance t oward Bhagnadi, fearing an est imat ed
20,000 t o 30,000 Sant als in t he area. Meanwhile, Kanhu personally led an at t ack on Barhait , where
t he EIC fired shot s but failed t o hit t he rebels. Rumors soon spread t hat Kanhu had been killed,
leading Sidhu, Chand, and Bhairab t o ret reat int o t he hills wit h loot ed propert y. In Birbhum, t he
conflict remained fluid, wit h t he EIC winning direct confront at ions but st ruggling t o prevent Sant als
from regrouping. On 17 July, 8000 Sant als at t empt ed t o cross t he Mor River t o at t ack Suri, but high
wat er delayed t hem. In an engagement on 22 July, Lieut enant Toulmain's 106 t roops were ambushed
by 8000 Sant als, result ing in Toulmain's deat h and t he loss of 13 Brit ish soldiers, while t he Sant als
suffered 300 casualt ies. Anot her bat t le at Nangolia saw t he EIC pushing t he Sant als back across
t he river, causing 200 more Sant al casualt ies, demonst rat ing t he brut alit y and resilience of t he
conflict .[15]

However maint aining cont rol over t he t errit ory recapt ured was oft en difficult for t he EIC
commanders. In some cases civilians accompanying t he EIC t roops burned Sant hal villages in
revenge.

Regrouping

Towards t he end of July, bot h t he Brit ish and Sant als reorganised t heir forces. The ECI brought in
Major General G. W. A. Lloyd from Dinajpur dist rict , who t ook cont rol of t he t roops from Bidwell, and
gat hered even more forces for t he full suppression of t he rebellion. At t he t ime his command was
est ablished, he had 5 regiment s of local infant ry, Hill Rangers, some European t roops, and cavalry, in
addit ion t o t he various soldiers sent by t he many Zamindars who were aiding t he EIC.[15]

Aft er his ret reat from Bhagnadi Sidhu had regrouped wit h Ram Manjhi, a suboordinat e near Birbhum,
who became t he new leader of t he rebellion, along wit h ot her suba thakurs.[15]

Resumption of guerilla warfare

Event ually t he East India Company resumed it s at t acks. Capt ain Sherwill, who had passed t hrough
t he hills several t imes, had come t o offer his advice in Rajmahal. The EIC t roops in Rajmahal began
moving int o t he count ry, split t ing up Sant al forces and t urning t he villagers int o refugees. The
Dist rict Magist rat e of Munger had armed some of t he ghat wals and discharged sipahis, and sent
t hem t o block t he passes int o t he plains in early August . Lat er some 4,000 Sant als who had int ended
t o move int o Munger's plains had found t he passes blocked and moved furt her sout h. On 10 August ,
a st eamer carrying General Lloyd learned in Cologong t hat t he Sant hals had been driven out t he
nort hern part of t he hills and most of Bhagalpur.[15]

The Sant als now resort ed t o a policy of hit -and-run at t acks on t he EIC t roops. These at t acks
generally resumed in August 1855, alt hough it is unclear whet her t hese at t acks were organised by
t he cent ral leadership of t he rebellion or whet her thakurs were act ing on t heir own in what t hey saw
as t he best int erest s of t he rebellion.[15]
Declaration of Martial Law

Troops of the 45th Regiment of Bengal

Native Infantry recovering property stolen
by Santals after burning a Santal village

During t he period of guerrilla at t acks by t he Sant als, t he East India Company (EIC) debat ed whet her
t o impose mart ial law t o suppress t he rebellion. On 23 August 1855, t he Bhagalpur Commissioner
issued an Urdu proclamat ion permit t ing t he killing of Sant als found in armed groups but prohibit ing
harm t o women and children. Some officials, like t he magist rat e in Rajmahal, even urged t he EIC t o
ext erminat e t he ent ire Sant al t ribe. While t he EIC init ially refused t o declare mart ial law, officers in
t he field cont inued burning villages, claiming t hey harbored insurgent s. On 23 July, Bidwell argued
t hat capt uring prisoners and avoiding t he plunder of insurgent s was impract ical, urging t he
government t o permit execut ions and village burnings. Event ually, t he Lieut enant Governor pressed
t he Governor-General of India t o declare mart ial law, cit ing difficult ies in suppressing t he rebellion
under civil law. Though init ially reluct ant , t he Governor-General declared mart ial law on 8 November
1855, applying it from Bhagalpur t o Murshidabad. This allowed for t he immediat e execut ion of any
armed Sant als, t hough t he government advised minimizing bloodshed.[15]

To dismant le t he rebellion, t he Bhagalpur Commissioner init ially offered large bount ies for t he
capt ure of Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, but t he rewards were lat er revoked. In August 1855, t he EIC
urged commanders t o pardon surrendered insurgent s, except key leaders. As t he uprising weakened,
t he Brit ish promised rent annulment s and grace periods t o t hose who surrendered, provided t hey
gave up weapons and rebel leaders. However, field commanders oft en ignored t hese dist inct ions,
punishing civilians alongside rebels. Surrendering villages were forced t o bet ray insurgent s, leading t o
t he capt ure of Sidhu in August or early Oct ober by Sant als and a Bengali informer. Kanhu, Chand, and
Bhairab init ially hid in t he hills but were report ed t o have t housands of armed followers sout h of t he
Mor River in November 1855. However, by early December, t hey were capt ured by Paharia rangers
while disguised as peasant s, effect ively ending t he rebellion.[15]
Residual conflict

Railway passing through the Santhal

Parganas, 1856

British forces escorting captured Santhals

to prison

In January 1856, marit al law was revoked and milit ary operat ions ended t he following mont h.[15]
Outcome

Martello tower, built to fend off the Santhal

rebellion in by the British colonialists in
Pakur, Jharkhand

The Sant al uprising of 1855-56 exposed t he oppression faced by t he Sant als, prompt ing Brit ish
reforms. The Sont hal Parganas Act , Act 37 of 1855, creat ed Sant al Parganas, a separat e non-
regulat ion dist rict under Bhagalpur’s jurisdict ion. It was administ ered by a Deput y Commissioner in
Dumka, assist ed by ot her officials. This administ rat ive st ruct ure was modeled aft er t he Sout h-West
Front ier Agency of Chot a Nagpur. Covering 5,470 square miles, it was bordered by Bhagalpur, Purnea,
Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Bardwan, Manbhum, Hazaribagh, and Monghyr. The dist rict aimed t o
address Sant al grievances while reinforcing Brit ish cont rol.[5][17][18]

In t his event , over 15,000 were killed, t ens of villages were dest royed, and many were displaced
during t he rebellion. During t he rebellion, t he Sant al leader was able t o mobilise roughly 60,000
Sant hal forming groups,[11] wit h 1500 t o 2000 people forming a group. The rebellion was support ed
by poor t ribals and non-t ribals like Gowalas and Lohars (who were milkmen and blacksmit hs) in t he
form of providing informat ion and weapons.[19] Ranabir Samaddar argues t hat apart from Sant hals,
ot her aboriginal inhabit ant s of t he region like Kamars, Bagdis, Bagals and ot hers also part icipat ed in
t he rebellion.[20][21][6]: 745
Legacy

English aut hor Charles Dickens, in Household Words, wrot e t he following passage on t he 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."[22]

Mrinal Sen's film Mrigayaa (1976) is set during t he Sant hal rebellion.

Karl Marx comment ed on t his rebellion as India's first organised 'mass revolut ion' in his book Notes on
Indian History.[23]

Gallery

A residual skirmish Santal Parganas A Santhal hamlet in

between British district and its railway the Rajmahal Hills,
railway engineers and line as depicted in the illustrating houses,
Santal people 1872 map elephant deities, and
sacrificial head
trophies, Louis
Rousselet (c. 1864 –
c. 1868 observation;
pub. 1875).
See also

Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu

Kol uprising

Bast ar rebellion

References

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2. "SONTHAL PARGANAS ACT 1855" (ht t p://www.commonlii.org/in/legis/cen/num_ act /spa18551

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8. India's St ruggle for Independence - Bipan Chandra, Pg41

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Hist ory Writ ing : Underst anding Adivasi Past s and Concept ualisat ion of Land" (ht t ps://www.epw.
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Further reading

Got t , Richard (2011). "The Gat hering St orm, 1854-58". Britain's Empire: Resistance, Repression and
Revolt (ht t ps://books.google.com/books?id=sNoz_ F_ wQPkC) . Verso Books. pp. 423–469.
ISBN 9781844677382.
External links

"Tribals celebrat e Hool Maha fest ival" (ht t p://www.t hehindu.com/t odays-paper/t p-nat ional/Tribal
s-celebrat e-Hool-Maha-fest ival/art icle16544527.ece) . The Hindu. Ret rieved 2017-05-17.