Component-I (A) – Personal details: 1 Component-I (B) – Description of module: Subject Name Indian Culture Paper Name Outlines of Indian History Module Name/Title Resistance to the British Rule Module Id I C/ OIH / 32 Pre-requisites Knowledge in Modern Indian History It enables readers to know the movements against Objectives the British rule before the formation of India National Congress in 1885 National Congress / British / 1857 revolt / tribal Keywords movements / Santhal E-text (Quadrant-I) 1. Introduction : The struggle against the British rule in India did not begin suddenly. It began from the time of the very inception of the British rule. The reason for this was its very nature of rule i.e., colonial nature. The latter destroys the country and the society where its rule is established. It creates a situation in which the ruled would resort to rebellion to drive out the alien rulers and save themselves from oppression, exploitation etc. For example, the Britishers dethroned several native rulers and chieftains in India. They removed the land rights of rulers, chieftains etc. They collected heavy tribute from all of them. Several of their rights were removed. Similarly, heavy ‘rent’ was collected from the peasants. In case of failure to pay their rent they were removed from their landholdings. They were even harassed, tortured, arrested and ‘confined’ for the same reasons. Even the then existing Acts, Judiciary etc., stood by the British. There was no development of agriculture and irrigation facilities. The ancient and medieval irrigation systems spreading all over the country were neglected and were transformed into historical ruins. There was widespread corruption in all the departments of the British government. Indian trade and commerce was destroyed through various measures. The privileges of the elite in the society i.e., of the villages, castes, sects, religions, servants of villages like headmen etc., were removed. Even the rights of the tribal’s were denied. In fact, the pride of the Indians was hurt by the British. Naturally, the Indians of different regions decided to drive out the Britishers from their regions and for that organized rebellions against the British. 2. Anti-Colonial Movements : In the beginning, the opposition to British rule took the character of sporadic but heroic and self-sacrificing peasant struggles. The peasants and artisans driven to desperation often rose, arms in hand, against the colonial rulers and their native agents. One among the great peasant and adivasi rebellions which aimed at overthrowing colonial rule was the revolt of the ‘Sannyasins’ and ‘Fakirs’ of Bengal. This was the first widespread peasant revolt against the British rule. It began in 1763 and went through different phases until it was finally suppressed in 1800. The others include the revolt of the hillmen and peasants of Birbhum, Bishnupur and contiguous areas in 1789-99, the Chuar rebellions of 1769-70 and 1798-99. The latter extended from Midnapur to Bankura, Manbhum and contiguous districts and broke out from time to time in a wide area including Chota Nagpur and Western Bengal throughout the early half of the 19th century. There was insurrection of the Paiks in Orissa (1817-18). There were also the Wahabi revolts in certain parts of India including some districts of Bengal in 1831 and 1838-47 which waved the Muslim religious banner but were essentially struggles of the poor and landless peasants against the alien rulers, landlords and 2 moneylenders. Among other anti-colonial movements were the revolts of the Kols of Chota Nagpur (1831-32), the resistance of the Bhils in Khandesh and neighbouring areas (1818- 31), the revolts of the Kolis which broke out in Gujarat and several districts of Maharashtra between 1824 and 1843, and the “long and harassing hill warfare” waged by the Khasis (1829-33). The Santhal rebellion of 1855-56 broke out under the leadership of legendary Sidhu and Kanu and spread over half of Bhagalpur and the greater part of the old Birbhum district which included the Santhal Parganas and the neighbouring areas. The uprising of the adivasis was organized and led by Vasudeo Balvant Phadke in a large area in Maharashtra. The Moplahs (Mappilas) revolted in Malabar in 1836-1896. Though the Moplahs revolts were of the oppressed peasants against oppressive landlords and the British rule, they acquired a Muslim religious tinge. The Munda tribals also revolted under Birsa of Ranchi in Chota Nagpur in the 1890’s. The peasants of the Tamil regions revolted during the last decade of the 18th century and early 19th century, of Malabar and Dindigul between 1800-1801, of Travancore in 1805, and of the palegars of Mysore during 1830-31. There were rebellions in the Telugu regions also. They include the rebellions in Vijayanagaram in 1794, Parlakimidi in 1766-1857, Gumsur from 1788, Visakhapatanam in 1830-34, Kadapa in 1801-1805 and 1846, Chittoor in 1801-1805 and the most widespread Gudem Rampa rising which began in 1839. The consolidation of British rule over the territories they acquired in Andhra took several decades. This was due to the formidable resistance offered to them by the Rajas and Zamindars of Northern Sarkars (between Chinaganjam and Pedaganjam) and Palegars of the Ceded Districts and Chittoor Palems (of present Rayalaseema) and even by the peasants, artisans, traders, tribals and others. The Rajas and Zamindars of Northern Sarkars who were not only farmers of revenue but also hereditary chieftains with strong and well garrisoned forts and a large number of military retainers refused to pay tribute revolted against the British. From 1768 onwards, for about sixty years, no year passed without the use of the military by the British against several zamindars before the tribute, due from them was collected. It may be noted here that by the end of the 18th century there were seventy zamindars with their forty thousand armed peons in Northern Sarkars, eighty palegars with their thirty thousand armed ‘peons’ in the Ceded Districts, the four ‘Western Palegars’ with their twenty one thousand armed peons in Nellore-Chittoor border region and the ten Palegars with their five thousand armed retainers in the then “Chittoor Palems”. 3. The Revolt of 1857 : The last of the Pre-1857 movements was the Uprising of 1857-58, generally called the Mutiny, and by some as the First War of Independence. The mightily popular revolt broke out in northern and central India in 1857 and nearly swept away British rule. It began with a mutiny of the sepoys, or the Indian soldiers of the Company’s army but soon engulfed wide regions and involved the masses. Millions of peasants, artisans and soldiers fought heroically for over a year and by their exemplary courage and sacrifice wrote a glorious chapter in the history of the Indian people. The Revolt of 1857 was much more than a mere product of sepoy discontent. It was in reality a product of the character and policies of colonial rule, of the accumulated grievances of the people against the Company’s administration and of their dislike for the foreign regime. For over a century, as the British had been conquering the country bit by bit, popular discontent and hatred against foreign rule was gaining strength among the different sections of Indian society. It was this discontent that burst forth into a mighty popular revolt. The Revolt began at Meerut, 58 km from Delhi, on 10 May 1857 and then, gathering force rapidly, it cut across northern India as if like a sword. It soon embraced a vast area from the Punjab in the north and the Narmada in the south to Bihar in the east and Rajputana in the west. Even before the outbreak at Meerut, Mangal Pande had become a martyr at Barrackpore. Mangal Pande, a young soldier, was hanged on 29 March 1857 for revolting single-handed and attacking his superior officers. This and many similar incidents were a sign that discontent and rebellion were brewing among the sepoys. On 24 April, ninety men of the 3rd 3 Native Cavalry refused to accept the greased cartridges. This sparked off a general mutiny among the Indian soldiers, stationed at Meerut and spread all over the country. The movement had its impact on southern India also, particularly in the united Andhra Pradesh in the form of the rebellions of Tura Baz Khan in Hyderabad city and Korukonda Subba Reddy in Godavari region of Coastal Andhra during 1857-58. The Uprising of 1857, being the first wide-spread movement of different regions, classes, castes, and communities of India, in contrast to the Pre-1857 localised, unconnected and wholly self-centred rebellions, could have ended the British rule in 1857-1858 itself had the Nizam of Hyderabad kingdom(Deccan) opposed the British rule in southern India and the Mughal rulers at Delhi in northern India had assured the regional and local rulers and chieftains of his support and built up confidence in them. But, both disappointed the people and their aspirations by refusing to take up leadership of the movement. The result was the ruthless suppression of the uprising and killing of lakhs of innocent people and destruction of properties. But, it inspired many a successive movements and culminated, after 1885, in the various streams of the National Movement, non-violent as well as violent, and defined India of August 15, 1947. In other words, the memory of the uprising of 1857-58 did more damage to the British rule than the rebellion itself. 4. Tribal Movements : As noted earlier, the tribal communities also responded to the British exploitation and oppression with occassional violent outbursts with very high order of solidarity.