Important Civil Uprisings (I): Eastern and Central India
Modern History › People's Resistance Before 1857 · Topic 9.3
The important civil uprisings of eastern and central India include the Sanyasi Revolt (1763-1800), Midnapore and Dhalbhum (1766-74), the Moamarias of Assam (1769-99), Ganjam and Gumsur, Palamau (1800-02), Bundelkhand (1808-12), Parlakimedi, the Paika Rebellion of Odisha (1817) and the Ahom Revolt (1828).
8 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · People's Resistance Before 1857
At a Glance
- What it is Nine uprisings against the Company in eastern and central India, 1763-1828
- Earliest Sanyasi Revolt, 1763-1800
- Best known Paika Rebellion of Odisha, 1817
- Common thread Land revenue, loss of status and Company expansion
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: People’s Resistance Before 1857
Where Does It Fit?
This is the third topic of the category on people’s resistance before 1857. The previous topic gave the causes and characteristics of civil uprisings. This topic tells the stories of nine uprisings in eastern and central India. The next topic covers the uprisings of the south, west and north. Previous topic: Civil Uprisings: Causes and Characteristics.
What Was the Sanyasi Revolt (1763-1800)?
The disastrous famine of 1770 and the harsh economic order of the British compelled a group of sanyasis in eastern India to fight the British yoke. Originally peasants, even some evicted from land, they were joined by a large number of dispossessed small zamindars, disbanded soldiers and the rural poor. They raided Company factories and treasuries and fought the Company’s forces. It was only after prolonged action that Warren Hastings could subdue them.
Hindus and Muslims took part equally, and the uprising is sometimes called the Fakir Rebellion. Majnum Shah (Majnu Shah), Chirag Ali, Musa Shah, Bhawani Pathak and Debi Chaudhurani were important leaders. Debi Chaudhurani’s participation recognises the role of women in early resistance. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s semi-historical novel Anandamath is based on the Sanyasi Revolt, and he also wrote Devi Chaudhurani.
What Happened in Midnapore and Dhalbhum (1766-74)?
The English took hold of Midnapore in 1760, when there were about 3,000 zamindars and talukdars with cordial relations with their ryots. This changed after the English introduced a new land revenue system in 1772. According to the British governor Vansittart, the Midnapore zamindars sided with the ryots in conflicts between the ryots and the English revenue officials. The zamindars of Dhalbhum, Manbhum, Raipur, Panchet, Jhatibuni, Karnagarh and Bagri, in the Jungle Mahals of west and north-west Midnapore, were dispossessed of their zamindaries by the 1800s. The leaders included Damodar Singh and Jagannath Dhal.
What Was the Revolt of the Moamarias (1769-99)?
The revolt of the Moamarias in 1769 was a potent challenge to the Ahom kings of Assam. The Moamarias were low-caste peasants who followed the teachings of Aniruddhadeva (1553-1624), and their rise was similar to that of other low-caste groups in north India. Their revolts weakened the Ahoms and opened the way for others to attack the region. In 1792 the king of Darrang, Krishnanarayan, assisted by his burkandazes (demobilised soldiers of Muslim armies and zamindars), revolted. To crush these revolts the Ahom ruler had to request British help. The Moamarias made Bhatiapar their headquarters, and Rangpur and Jorhat were the most affected places.
The Ahom kingdom survived the rebellion, but the weakened kingdom fell to a Burmese invasion and finally came under British rule, as seen in Anglo-Burmese Relations.
What Happened in Ganjam, Gumsur, Palamau and Bundelkhand?
| Uprising | Years | Main facts |
|---|---|---|
| Ganjam and Gumsur | 1800; 1835-37 | Strikara Bhanj, a zamindar of Gumsur, refused to pay revenue in 1797 and openly rebelled in 1800; the English had to assign him certain districts. His son Dhananjaya Bhanj rebelled again; Dhananjaya died in December 1835, the struggle lasted till February 1837 when Doora Bisayi was arrested, and the zamindari of Gumsur was forfeited |
| Palamau | 1800-02 | Bhukhan Singh, a Chero chief, rose in rebellion; Colonel Jones camped two years in Palamau and Sarguja; the rising calmed after Bhukhan Singh died in 1802 |
| Bundelkhand | 1808-12 | Bundela chiefs resisted from nearly 150 forts; Lakshman Dawa of Ajaygarh surrendered in February 1809; Darya Singh of Kalanjar was suppressed in January 1812; Gopal Singh eluded British forces for four years; the British bound the hereditary chiefs with contractual obligations called Ikarnamahs |
Bundelkhand had been conquered during the Second Anglo-Maratha War and put within the Presidency of Bengal, as told in Subsidiary Alliance Years 1803-05 Trigger Treaty of…">Second Anglo-Maratha War, 1803-05.
What Was the Parlakimedi Outbreak (1813-34)?
Parlakimedi, on the western border of Ganjam district (now in Odisha), witnessed resistance from the zamindars and rajas. When the Company acquired Ganjam, Narayan Deo was the raja, and his resistance forced the British to send an army under Colonel Peach. The chapter says Peach defeated Narayan Deo and had Gajapathi Deo, his son, proclaimed zamindar, but Narayan Deo, supported by his son and brothers, revolted again. As the resistance did not calm down, the Madras Presidency appointed George Russell as commissioner in 1832 with full powers to suppress the revolt. Russell pacified the region by 1834.
What Was the Paika Rebellion (1817)?
The Paiks of Odisha were the traditional landed militia (literally, foot soldiers) and enjoyed rent-free land tenures for their military service and policing functions on a hereditary basis. The Company’s conquest of Odisha in 1803 and the dethronement of the Raja of Khurda had greatly reduced their power and prestige. The extortionist land revenue policy caused resentment among zamindars and peasants. The common people were hit by rising salt prices due to taxes, the abolition of the cowrie currency and the demand for payment of taxes in silver.
Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar had been the military chief of the Raja of Khurda. In 1814 his ancestral estate of Killa Rorang was taken over by the Company, reducing him to penury. The spark was lit by the arrival of a body of Khonds from Gumsur into Khurda in March 1817. With the active support of Mukunda Deva, the last Raja of Khurda, and other zamindars, Jagabandhu led an army of Paiks and forced the Company troops to retreat for a time. The rebellion is known as the Paika Bidroh.
| Stage | What happened |
|---|---|
| March 1817 | Khonds from Gumsur arrive in Khurda; the rebellion begins |
| Early success | The rebels forced the Company to retreat and the whole province covering Odisha was in arms for some time |
| Mid-1817 | Khurda back under Company control; the Paiks turned to guerrilla tactics |
| 1818 | The rebellion was brutally repressed; Dinabandhu Santra surrendered in November 1818; priests of the Puri temple who sheltered Jagabandhu were hanged |
| 1825 | Jagabandhu surrendered on negotiated terms (some sources say he was captured and died in captivity in 1829) |
The Paika Rebellion succeeded in getting large remissions of arrears, reductions in assessments, suspension of the sale of the estates of defaulters at discretion, a new settlement on fixed tenures and other features of a liberal governance. In spite of rewards offered, none of the people of the province betrayed their leaders.
What Was the Ahom Revolt (1828)?
The British had pledged to withdraw from Assam after the First Burma War (1824-26). Instead of withdrawing, they tried to incorporate the Ahoms’ territories into the Company’s dominion. This sparked a rebellion in 1828 under Gomdhar Konwar, an Ahom prince, with Dhanjoy Bongohain and Jairam Khargharia Phukan. The rebels, assembled near Jorhat, formally made Gomdhar Konwar the king. Finally the Company followed a conciliatory policy and handed over Upper Assam to Maharaja Purandar Singh Narendra, and part of the kingdom was restored to the Assamese king.
As an analytical point, the Paika and Ahom cases show that these rebellions could win concessions. The Company eased the revenue demand in Odisha and gave back part of Assam, which suggests that pressure from local resistance, not only fear of defeat, shaped its policy.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Prelims lists Leaders, years and places of these revolts are asked in matching questions
- Regional coverage They show resistance in Bengal, Assam, Odisha and the central region
- Link to causes Each example matches the causes given for civil uprisings
What Came Next?
The next topic tells the stories of important civil uprisings in south, west and north India. Next topic: Important Civil Uprisings (II): South, West and North India.
Key People and Terms
- Sanyasi Revolt The 1763-1800 uprising of sanyasis, peasants and others in eastern India
- Fakir Rebellion Another name for the Sanyasi Revolt, from the Muslim participants
- Moamarias Low-caste peasant followers of Aniruddhadeva who rose against the Ahoms
- Paiks The hereditary landed militia of Odisha
- Ikarnamah A contract binding hereditary chiefs of Bundelkhand to the Company
- Killadar The commander of a fort
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Sanyasi Revolt 1763-1800: leaders Majnum Shah, Bhawani Pathak, Debi Chaudhurani; Anandamath.
- Moamarias 1769 against the Ahoms; headquarters Bhatiapar.
- Palamau 1800-02: Bhukhan Singh, a Chero chief.
- Paika Rebellion 1817: Jagabandhu Bidyadhar, Raja of Khurda.
- Ahom Revolt 1828: Gomdhar Konwar.
Do Not Confuse With
- Moamarias and Ahoms The Moamarias were rebels; the Ahoms were the ruling dynasty they challenged
- Ahom Revolt (1828) and Moamaria revolt (1769) The Ahom revolt of 1828 was against the British; the Moamaria revolt was against the Ahom kings
- Gumsur and Parlakimedi Both are in the Ganjam region; Strikara Bhanj led Gumsur, Narayan Deo led Parlakimedi
Memory Hook
Sanyasis in Bengal, Paiks in Odisha, Ahoms in Assam.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for examples of early revolts. These points add depth.
- Women and religion Debi Chaudhurani and the Hindu-Muslim unity of the Sanyasi Revolt
- Concessions won The Paika and Ahom revolts forced the Company to ease its demands
- Common thread The causes were land revenue, loss of status and Company expansion
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe any two civil uprisings of eastern India before 1857 and their consequences.”
How to Answer
- Choose Take the Paika Rebellion and the Sanyasi or Ahom Revolt.
- Causes Land revenue, loss of status, famine.
- Course Name leaders and years.
- Result Concessions or repression.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Sanyasi Revolt?
The Sanyasi Revolt of 1763-1800 was an uprising of sanyasis, peasants, dispossessed zamindars and disbanded soldiers in eastern India after the famine of 1770. They raided Company factories and treasuries, and Warren Hastings finally subdued them after prolonged action.
Who led the Sanyasi or Fakir Rebellion?
Majnum Shah, Chirag Ali, Musa Shah, Bhawani Pathak and Debi Chaudhurani were important leaders. Hindus and Muslims took part equally, and Debi Chaudhurani's role recognises the part women played. Bankim Chandra's Anandamath is based on this revolt.
What was the Paika Rebellion?
The Paika Rebellion of 1817 was an uprising in Odisha led by Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar, supported by the last Raja of Khurda. The Paiks had lost rent-free lands and status after the Company took Odisha, and the rebellion was brutally repressed by 1818.
Who were the Moamarias?
The Moamarias were low-caste peasants who followed the teachings of Aniruddhadeva. Their revolt from 1769 challenged the Ahom kings of Assam, weakened the Ahom kingdom, and left it open to a Burmese invasion before it finally came under British rule.
What happened in the Ahom Revolt of 1828?
After the First Burma War the British did not withdraw from Assam but tried to incorporate the Ahom territories. Gomdhar Konwar, an Ahom prince, was made king near Jorhat in 1828, and the Company then followed a conciliatory policy and restored part of the kingdom.
What did the Paika Rebellion achieve?
Although repressed, the Paika Rebellion succeeded in getting large remissions of arrears, reductions in assessments, suspension of the sale of defaulters' estates at discretion, and a new settlement on fixed tenures, along with other measures of a more liberal governance.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Anandamath by Bankim Chandra is based on the Sanyasi Revolt.
He also wrote Devi Chaudhurani.
2 The Moamarias revolted against the British in 1769.
They revolted against the Ahom kings of Assam.
3 The Paika Rebellion of 1817 was led by Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar.
The Raja of Khurda supported it.
4 Gomdhar Konwar led a rebellion in Assam in 1828.
He was made king by the rebels near Jorhat.
5 The Ikarnamahs were used by the British to bind the chieftains of Bundelkhand.
They were contractual obligations.
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