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Tribal Revolts in Chhattisgarh

Many tribal revolts have taken place in Chhattisgarh. The main are –

1. Halba Revolt (1774-77 AD)
2. Bhopalpattanam Revolt (1795 AD)
3. Paralkot Revolt (1824-25 AD)
4. Tarapur Revolt (1842-54 AD)
5. Maria Revolt (1842-63 AD)
6. Mahan freedom struggle or Lingagiri Revolt (1856-57 AD)
7. Koi Revolt (1859 AD)
8. Muria Revolt (1876 AD)
9. Mahan Bhumkal (1910 AD)

Halba Revolt

After the death of the King of Bastar Dalpatsingh, there was a dispute of succession between the son of the elder queen Dariyav Singh and the son of the Patrani Ajmer Singh. Ajmer Singh won and Dariyav Singh took refuge in Jepur from the King of Jepur. He entered into a treaty with the Bhosles and the British and attacked Jagdalpur. Ajmer Singh lost to the combined Marath and British Army and Ajmet Singh had to run. Ajmer Singh was popular so the Halba people revolted. After a long struggle Dariyav Singh lost but there were soon disputes among the rebels. Dariyav Singh entered into a treaty with the KIng of Jepuraccording to which he agreed to give 5 garhs of Bastar - }Kotpad, Churchinda, NOdagarh, Omarkot and Raigada to Jepur. He also accepted that if be get the throne, Bastar will become a part of Maratha Empire. He also promised to the British that he will be subordinate to the company government. After this the combined forces of Jepur, British and Marathas attacked jagdalpur. Jagdalpur lost the war. Ajmer Singh was killed. Halbas were cruelly executed. Only one Halba was able to save his life. Thus the rule of Chalukya dynasty ended in Bastar.

Bhopalpattanam Struggle

The Gonds of Bastar stopped Captain Bunt from crossing Indrawati and going to Bhpalpattanam in April 1795. Blunt tried to reason with them through Banjara interpreters but Gonds still did not give him the way. This is called Bhopalpattanam struggle.

Revolt of Paralkot

Paralkot was the oldest zamindari in north-west Bastar. The kings of Paralkot considered themselves to be Suryavanshis. They were Abhjhmarias. Paralkot is situated at the confluence of rivers Kotri, Nibra and Gudra. The tribal people of Paralkot were tiered of exploitation by the Marathas and British. They felt that the tribal people will lose their identity. On the call of Gend Singh Abujhmarias collected in Paralkot on 24th December 1824. On 4th January 1825 the revolutionaries came up to Chanda. First they looted the Banjaras who used to supply goods to the Marathas. After this they hid themselves to ambush the Marathas and British. Branches of the Dhawda tree were sent from one village to another as an invitation to join the rebellion. The village was required to reach the revolutionaries before the leaves on the branches dried. In a short time the revolt spread to the whole area. On the request of Agnue of Chhattisgarh a force was sent to Paralkot under Pev, the police superintendent of Chanda. The rebels used to keep women in front and raid the British army. The rebels fought with bow and arrow. Gend Singh was arrested on 10th January 1825. Gend Singh and his colleagues were hanged in front of the palace.

Tarapur Revolt

Tarapur pargana is 80 kilometers southwest of Jagdalpur. Dalganjan Singh, the brother of King Bhupladev was administrator here. The King of Bastar increased the tax of this area at the instance of Marathas, The tribal people were already angry with the Banjaras who supplied the rasad to the Marathas. They felt that the Marathas were destroying their way of life The tribal people along with Dalganjan Singh and Manjhis revolted to remove the Diwan Jagbandhu of this area. The Diwan was taken hostage. After the intervention of the King he was released but the tribal people became angry b this. The Diwan defeated the tribal people with the help of the army from Nagpur. Dalganjan Singh was arrested and sent to Nagpur Jail where he was imprisoned for 6 months. The resident Major Williams removed the Diwan Jagbandhu to quell disaffection of the tribal people and also removed the new tax.

Meria Revolt

The trbals of Dantewada revolted in 1842. Gribson has written that the British gave orders to King Bhpaldev to stop human sacrifice or Meria in Dantewada. The Bhosla King kept a platoon in Danteawada for 22 years (1842 ?? 1863) to stop human sacrifice.The tribals considered this to be against their traditions and revolted. Tahsildar Sher Khan was brought from Raipur on the suggestion of Diwan Waman Rao to stop human sacrifice. The tribal people became angry with this and demanded under the leadership of Hidma Manjhi that the British should go. Sher Khan tortured the people burnt their houses and raped women. Finally the revolt was quelled.

Mahan freedom struggle – Lingagiri Revolt

The tribal people of Bhopalpattanam zamindari revolted against the British under he leadership of Taluqdar Dhurwaram. The Dorla tribals looted the wagons loaded with goods to be supplied to the British army. A fierce battle was fought on 3rd March 1856 between the tribal people under Dhurwa Ram and the British in Chintalnar form 8 in the morning till 3 in the afternoon. Finally Dhurwa Ram was captured. 460 tribal people were arrested along with their wives and children. Dhurwa Ram was hanged on 5th March 1856 and his estate was given to the Zamindar of Bhopalpattanam.

Koi Revolt – the revolution to save the forests

In the Dorli language of Bastar, Koi means people who live in forests and hills. The zamindar of Fotkel Nagula Dorla along with the zamindar of Bhopalpattanam Ram Bhei and zamindar of Bheji, Juggaraju opposed the felling of Sal trees. Information sent to the Hyderabadi contractors of the British that no Sal trees will be allowed to be cut. The British sent armed soldiers against Nagula. The tribal people burned the wood godowns of the British and killed the loggers. They gave the slogan of one head for each Sal three. The British and the Hyderbadi contractors had to enter into an agreement with Nagula. The Deputy Commissioner finally stopped the system of contracts for felling of trees in Bastar.

Muria Revolt

The main reasons for the Muria Revolt of 1876 were–

1. Experiments of the British Government in land revenue system
2. Interference of the British in the personal life of the King Bhairamdev.
3. Exploitation of the tribal people by Diwan Gopinath and bureaucrats and their interference in the tribal way of life.
4. Exploitation by the Munshis.
5. Begari system
6. Reduction in the authority of Manjhis.

In January 1864 the tribal people stopped King Bhairamdev 6 Kilometers from jagdalpur to go to Bombay for giving salute to the Prince of Wales because they feared that in the absence of the King the Diwan Kapaddar will torture them. The Diwan ordered firing. Some tribal people died in firing and 18 people were arrested and sent to Jagdalpur. However 500 tribal people got them released in Kurangpal and captured the soldiers. They made Jhada Sirha their leader and continued the struggle. King Bhairamdev was afraid by this turn of events and ordered firing. 6 persons died and the rest ran away. Jhada Sirha again organized the people. Branches of the mango tree were sent as invitation to join the rebellion. 3 to 5 thousand tribal people collected and surrounded the palace. They stopped all supplies to the palace including communication material, water and food. The King and the Diwan had decided to surrender but in the meantime the Diwan had sent request for help with a Mahra woman who had taken a letter wrapped in wax in her pot of Pej to the British officers in Sironja. In May 1876 the Deputy Commissioner of Sironja sent an army from Jepur and Vishakhapatnam and defeated the rebels. British Government held the King and his officers responsible for this incident and all the kayastha employees were sent away from Bastar. A Muria darbar was held in Jagdalpur on 8th March 1876 to hear the grievances of the people. Many reforms were done after this. New 10 years settlement was done. The work of revenue collection was given to Pechha in hill area, Diwan, Nega and thanedar in Khalsa area. Diwan Gopinath was arrested and sent to Sitronja. Thus it can be said that this revolt was successful in its objectives.

The revolt of 1910 - Bhumkal

Bhumkal means upheaval, earth quake or huge change. The slogan of this revolt was Bastar for Bastariyas. The tribal people wanted to establish Muria raj in Bastar. The main reasons for this revolt were –

1. Throne was not given to Rudrapratap
2. Diwan was not made from the royal family.
3. Exploitation by the local administration.
4. Neglect of Lal Kalendra Singh and Rajmata Suwarna Kunwar Devi.
5. The forests of Bastar were made reserved forests.
6. Tribals did not get reasonable price for forest produce.
7. Increase in land revenue and continuation of the contract system.
8. Ban on home brewed liquor.
9. Low wages.
10. Exploitation of tribals by outsiders.
11. Begari system.
12. Torture by the police.
13. Demand of free chicken, liquor, ghee and forest produce by government officers.
14. Tribal people were considered slaves.
15. Christian Missionaries efforts at religious conversion by force.

Rajmanta Swarna Kunwar Devi exhorted the tribal people in Tadoki on the Dushehra day in October 1909 in the presence of Lal Kalendra Singh for armed revolt against the British. Lal Kalendra Singh chose Gundadhur of Netanar village to lead the revolt and nominated one person from each pargana to run the revolt. Secret meetings were once again held in Tadoki in January 1910. Revolution spread in entire Bastar on 1st February 1910. Invitation was sent to villages in the form of branches of mango, red chilies, lumps of soil, bow and arrows as symbols and they were requested to give one person from each family. On 2nd February the rebels looted the Bazar in Poospal. on 4th February to rebels named Buntu and Somnath killed a trader in Kukanar. On 5th February Karanji Bazar was looted. On 7th February establishment of Muria Raj was announced in Geedam. Government offices were attacked in Barsur, Konta, Kutru, Kuankonda, Gaded, Bholapatanam, Jagargunda, Usoor, Chhote Dongar etc. Fierce battle happened between the British and the rebels in Khadagghat on the banks of Indrawati on 16th February. The rebels were dfeated in thsi battle. Rebels were defeated again on 24th February in Gangamunda. On 25th February a battle was fought under the command of Gundadhur in Dafnagar. Aytu Mahra led the battle in Abujhmarh. The British commander Gear subdued the rebels with the help of army from Punjab. Rajmata Swarna Kunwar Devi and Lal Kalendra Singh were arrested on 6th March 1910. The tribal people were disarmed. Many were punished with canings. The rebellion was quelled. After the revolt Deewan Baijnath Panda was removed and James was made the Deewan. The British also tried to develop an god relationship with the tribal people. Gundadhur was never captured.