Peasant Movements With Religious Overtones

At a Glance

• What it is Peasant revolts against rent, eviction and moneylenders, with religious colour
• Aim Occupancy rights for peasants, among other things
• Major movements Narkelberia, Pagal Panthis, Faraizi, Moplah
• Region Bengal and Malabar
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: People’s Resistance Before 1857

Where Does It Fit?

This is the fifth topic of the category on people’s resistance before 1857. The previous topics covered civil uprisings. This topic covers the second form of resistance, peasant movements. The next topic covers tribal revolts. Previous topic: Important Civil Uprisings (II): South, West and North India.

What Were Peasant Movements?

Peasant uprisings were protests against evictions, increases in land rent and the greedy ways of moneylenders, and their aim was occupancy rights for peasants among other things. They were revolts and rebellions of the peasants themselves, though they were led by local leaders in many cases. The movements below covered the period till the outbreak of the Revolt of 1857 and its immediate aftermath.

What Was the Narkelberia Uprising?

Mir Nithar Ali (1782-1831), or Titu Mir, inspired the Muslim tenants of West Bengal to rise against landlords, mainly Hindu, who imposed a beard tax on the Faraizis, and against British indigo planters. It is often considered the first armed peasant uprising against the British. The revolt soon took on a religious hue and later merged into the Wahabi movement, which is described in Important Civil Uprisings (II): South, West and North India.

Who Were the Pagal Panthis?

The Pagal Panthis were a semi-religious group mainly made up of the Hajong and Garo tribes of Mymensingh district, then in Bengal. The sect was founded by Karam Shah, and the tribal peasants organised themselves under his son Tipu to fight the oppression of the zamindars. From 1825 to 1835 the Pagal Panthis refused to pay rent above a certain limit and attacked the houses of zamindars. The government introduced an equitable arrangement to protect these peasants, but the movement was violently suppressed.

What Was the Faraizi Revolt?

The Faraizis were followers of a Muslim sect founded by Haji Shariat-Allah of Faridpur in Eastern Bengal. They advocated radical religious, social and political changes. His son Dudu Mian (1819-60) organised the followers with the aim of expelling the English intruders from Bengal. The sect also supported the cause of the tenants against the zamindars. The Faraizi disturbances continued from 1838 to 1857, and most of the Faraizis later joined the Wahabi ranks.

What Were the Moplah Uprisings?

A hike in the revenue demand and reduction of field size, together with the oppression of officials, caused widespread peasant unrest among the Moplahs of Malabar. The chapter counts twenty-two rebellions between 1836 and 1854, none of which proved successful. A second Moplah uprising occurred after the Moplahs were organised by the Congress and the Khilafat supporters during the Khilafat Committee Congress approval Special session at Calcutta, September 1920 Nagpur session…">Non-cooperation Movement, but Hindu-Muslim differences distanced the Congress and the Moplahs from each other. By 1921 the Moplahs had been subdued.

What Was the Peasants’ Role in 1857 and After?

Peasant participation in the Revolt of 1857 was active only in some areas, mainly in western Uttar Pradesh. In many places the peasants united with local feudal leaders to fight foreign rule.

After the revolt the plight of the peasants worsened, because the British Government decided to gain the support of the landed classes and ignored the peasants. Occupancy peasants’ interests suffered. In Awadh, land was restored to the taluqdars with revenue and other powers, and the peasants could not use the provisions of the 1859 Bengal Rent Act. As a punishment for taking part in the revolt, the peasants had to pay an additional cess in some regions. The Awadh background is in Annexation of Awadh.

As an analytical point, religion gave these movements a language and an organisation, since sects like the Faraizis and the Wahabis already had leaders and followers, but the underlying demand in each was economic: lower rent, security of tenure and freedom from moneylenders. The peasant movements are therefore a bridge between the elite-led civil uprisings and the tribal revolts, and they share the weaknesses described in Weaknesses of the Pre-1857 People’s Uprisings.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Direct facts Titu Mir, the Pagal Panthis, Faraizis and Moplahs are standard Prelims items
• Link to later movements They show agrarian issues running into the later national movement
• Mains theme Religion and economy mixed in early peasant protest

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the causes and characteristics of tribal revolts. Next topic: Tribal Revolts: Causes and Characteristics.

Key People and Terms

• Occupancy right A peasant’s right to hold land against eviction
• Beard tax A tax imposed on the Faraizis for wearing beards
• Faraizi A follower of the sect founded by Haji Shariat-Allah
• Pagal Panthi A semi-religious group of Hajong and Garo peasants
• Moplah A Muslim peasant community of Malabar
• Taluqdar A landlord in Awadh with revenue powers

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask for the nature of early peasant movements. These points add depth.

• Economic core Rent, eviction and moneylenders drove all four movements
• Religious organisation Sects supplied leaders and followers
• After 1857 Peasants were ignored in favour of the landlords