why did the santhals rebel against the british rule?
Answers
Answered by
16
The Santhal rebellion (sometimes referred to as the Sonthal rebellion), commonly known as Santal Hool, was a native rebellion in present day Jharkhand, in eastern India against both the British colonial authority and upper caste zamindari system by the Santal people. It started on June 30, 1855 and on November 10, 1855 martial law was proclaimed which lasted until January 3, 1856 when martial law was suspended and the movement was brutally ended by troops loyal to the British. The rebellion was led by the four Murmu Brothers - Seedo, Kanhu, Chand and Bhairav.The uprising of the Santals began as a tribal reaction to racism and corrupt usury moneylending practices, and the zamindari system and their operatives, in the tribal belt of what was then known as the Bengal Presidency. It was a revolt against the oppressive environment propagated by the colonial rule through a distorted revenue system and kept alive by the local zamindars, the police and the courts of the legal system set up by the British.[2]
Before the advent of the British in India, Santals resided in the hilly districts of Manbhum, Barabhum, Chhotanagpur, Palamau, and Birbhum. They engaged in their agrarian way of life by clearing the forest and also by hunting for subsistence. But as the agents of the new colonial rule claimed their rights on the lands of the Santals, they retreated to reside in the hills of Rajmahal. After a brief period, the British operatives along with their native counterparts, i.e., the local upper caste landlords and zamindars jointly started claiming their rights in this new land as well. The Santals felt cheated and were revealed unintentionally. Many Santal tribes were turned into bonded labourers. Zamindars and the money lenders who first appeared to them as businessmen and traders and had allured them first by goods lent to them on loans. However hard a Santal tried to repay these loans, they never ended. In fact through corrupt practices of the money lenders, the compound interest accumulated on the principal amount of the loan multiplied to large sum, an amount (for repaying) which an entire generation of an indigent Santal family had to work as slaves. This dispossession turned the Santals into rebels and finally they took an oath to launch an attack on the most visible symbol of authority, i.e., the British.On 30 June 1855, two Santal rebel leaders, Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, mobilized ten thousand Santals and declared a rebellion against British colonists. Sidhu Murmu had accumulated about ten thousands Santhal to run parallel government against British rule. The basic purpose was to collect taxes by making his own laws.
Soon after the declaration the Santals took to arms. In many villages the Zamindars, money lenders and their operatives were put to death. The open rebellion caught the British Government in surprise. Initially a small contingent was sent to suppress the rebels but it could not succeed and this further fueled the spirit of the revolt. When the law and order situation was getting out of hand the British Government finally took a major step and sent in large number of troops assisted by the local Zamindars and the Nawab of Murshidabad to quell the Rebellion. British Government had announced an award of Rs. 10,000 to arrest Sidhu and his brother Kanhu Murmu.
A number of skirmishes occurred after this which resulted in large number of casualties for the Santals. The primitive weapons of the Santals, weren't a match against the musket and cannon firepower of the British. 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.
The revolt was brutally crushed, the two celebrated leaders Sidhu and Kanhu were killed. Elephants supplied by the Nawab of Murshidabad were used to demolish Santal huts and likewise atrocities were committed by the British army and it allies in suppressing the Rebellion. Of the 60,000-odd tribesmen who had been mobilised in the rebellion, over 15,000 were killed, and tens of villages were destroyed. They did get the support of Gwalas (milkmen) and Lohars (blacksmiths).
Before the advent of the British in India, Santals resided in the hilly districts of Manbhum, Barabhum, Chhotanagpur, Palamau, and Birbhum. They engaged in their agrarian way of life by clearing the forest and also by hunting for subsistence. But as the agents of the new colonial rule claimed their rights on the lands of the Santals, they retreated to reside in the hills of Rajmahal. After a brief period, the British operatives along with their native counterparts, i.e., the local upper caste landlords and zamindars jointly started claiming their rights in this new land as well. The Santals felt cheated and were revealed unintentionally. Many Santal tribes were turned into bonded labourers. Zamindars and the money lenders who first appeared to them as businessmen and traders and had allured them first by goods lent to them on loans. However hard a Santal tried to repay these loans, they never ended. In fact through corrupt practices of the money lenders, the compound interest accumulated on the principal amount of the loan multiplied to large sum, an amount (for repaying) which an entire generation of an indigent Santal family had to work as slaves. This dispossession turned the Santals into rebels and finally they took an oath to launch an attack on the most visible symbol of authority, i.e., the British.On 30 June 1855, two Santal rebel leaders, Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, mobilized ten thousand Santals and declared a rebellion against British colonists. Sidhu Murmu had accumulated about ten thousands Santhal to run parallel government against British rule. The basic purpose was to collect taxes by making his own laws.
Soon after the declaration the Santals took to arms. In many villages the Zamindars, money lenders and their operatives were put to death. The open rebellion caught the British Government in surprise. Initially a small contingent was sent to suppress the rebels but it could not succeed and this further fueled the spirit of the revolt. When the law and order situation was getting out of hand the British Government finally took a major step and sent in large number of troops assisted by the local Zamindars and the Nawab of Murshidabad to quell the Rebellion. British Government had announced an award of Rs. 10,000 to arrest Sidhu and his brother Kanhu Murmu.
A number of skirmishes occurred after this which resulted in large number of casualties for the Santals. The primitive weapons of the Santals, weren't a match against the musket and cannon firepower of the British. 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.
The revolt was brutally crushed, the two celebrated leaders Sidhu and Kanhu were killed. Elephants supplied by the Nawab of Murshidabad were used to demolish Santal huts and likewise atrocities were committed by the British army and it allies in suppressing the Rebellion. Of the 60,000-odd tribesmen who had been mobilised in the rebellion, over 15,000 were killed, and tens of villages were destroyed. They did get the support of Gwalas (milkmen) and Lohars (blacksmiths).
Charisma11:
please please please please mark as brainliest answer
Answered by
17
The Santhals rebel against the British because they feel threatened by their policies.
Explanation:
- The Santhal Rebellion began in 1855, as they decided to fight against the British.
- The Santhals were the tribal people whose occupation remain cultivation in the region of Rajmahal Hill in Bihar.
- Santhal weighed down by heavy debts because of exploitation by British officials and moneylenders, which pushed them towards poverty and the humiliation of being landless.
- All this led the Santhal to fight against the British for their land and rights.
Learn More:
Why did santhals rebel against British Rule?
brainly.in/question/2266556
Similar questions