Tribal Revolts of Chhattisgarh (including Bhumkal 1910)

Prerequisites

• Veer Narayan Singh and 1857: the plains side of resistance in the same century
• Tribes of Chhattisgarh: who the Halba, Gond, Maria, Muria, Dhurwa and Koya are
• British Rule, Princely States and Zamindaris: Bastar as a princely state under the Kakatiya (Chalukya) rulers

The Hook: Chillies, Mango Twigs and a Lump of Earth

Why it matters: Prelims loves “match the revolt with its leader and year” and statement questions on Bhumkal. Mains GS-I asks about the causes and character of tribal resistance and its link with forest policy.

The Big Picture: Why Bastar Revolted

Bastar was a large, forested princely state ruled by a Kakatiya line (also called the Chalukya line in some books) from Jagdalpur. Over the 18th and 19th centuries it came first under Maratha and then under British supervision. The revolts had recurring causes:

1. Outside interference in tribal customs and self-rule: new officials, diwans and police.
2. Forest policy: felling of sal by outside contractors, reservation of forests, bans on shifting cultivation, hunting and collection of forest produce.
3. Revenue pressure: higher takoli (tribute), leasing villages to contractors (thekedars), forced labour (begar, बेगार).
4. Oppressive local officials: diwans and munshis who were seen as agents of the British.

Revolts at a Glance

The Koi revolt and the sal tree

The Koi revolt of 1859 is the clearest early link between forest rights and resistance in Bastar. The British gave contracts to outside timber contractors to fell sal. The Koi zamindars of south Bastar, led by Nangul Dorla, refused to allow it. State GK books quote the rebels’ slogan as “one head for every sal tree felled” (एक साल वृक्ष के पीछे एक व्यक्ति का सिर). The contracts were withdrawn, making it one of the few revolts of the period that won its immediate demand.

The Muria revolt and “Muria Raj”

In 1876 the Muria rose against the Raja’s diwan Gopinath Kapardar and munshi Adil Prasad, whom they blamed for heavy exactions. Their single demand was the removal of these two officials. The British intervened, and the episode is remembered as a demand for fair administration rather than for overthrowing the Raja.

Bhumkal, 1910 (भूमकाल विद्रोह)

Leaders and setting

Causes

1. Forest reservation: in 1905 the colonial government proposed to reserve about two-thirds of Bastar’s forests. Shifting cultivation, hunting and the collection of forest produce were to be stopped there.
2. Displacement and forced labour: villages inside reserves were to move or work for the forest department without pay (begar).
3. Revenue pressure: higher rents; villages leased to contractors who squeezed the cultivators.
4. Oppressive officials: a diwan and police seen as agents of the British, plus anger in the royal family at being sidelined.

Course

flowchart LR
    A["1905: plan to reserve about 2/3 of the forests"] --> B["Oct 1909: Dussehra meeting at Tadoki"]
    B --> C["Jan 1910: secret conference at Tadoki"]
    C --> D["Early Feb 1910: rising across Bastar"]
    D --> E["7 Feb 1910: Raja telegraphs for help"]
    E --> F["Troops from outside crush the rising"]
    F --> G["Leaders arrested; Gunda Dhur never caught"]
    G --> H["Reservation suspended, area cut to about half"]

• Rebels attacked police stations, forest offices, schools, markets and the homes of officials and traders, which they saw as symbols of the new order.
• The small state police could not cope. British troops arrived and put down the rising with harsh measures, including the burning of villages.
• Lal Kalendra Singh and Rajmata Suvarna Kunwar were arrested. Gunda Dhur escaped.

Outcome and significance

• Partial success: according to NCERT’s account, work on reservation was temporarily suspended, and the area to be reserved was reduced to roughly half of what had been planned before 1910.
• Unity across tribes: Dhurwa, Muria, Maria and others acted together across much of the state, unlike the more local earlier revolts.
• Link to forest policy: Bhumkal is one of India’s best-documented revolts against colonial forest laws, alongside other forest protests of the period.
• Memory: Gunda Dhur is a folk hero of Bastar. The rising is commemorated in Bastar as Bhumkal Diwas in February.

Memory Tricks

Don’t Confuse

Common Mistakes

Practice

These are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.

Level 1: Foundation

1. The main tribal leader of the Bhumkal of 1910 was ________ of village Nethanar.
2. The Paralkot revolt of 1825 was led by ________.
3. The Koi revolt of 1859 was against ________.

Level 2: Prelims MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements about the Bhumkal of 1910:

1. Gunda Dhur, its main leader, was captured and hanged at Jagdalpur.
2. Planning meetings were held at Tadoki.
3. After the revolt, the area proposed for forest reservation was reduced to roughly half.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Match List-I (Revolt) with List-II (Leader):

(a) A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4 (b) A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1 (c) A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1 (d) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1

Q3. Arrange the following Bastar revolts in chronological order:

1. Koi revolt
2. Paralkot revolt
3. Muria revolt
4. Lingagiri revolt

(a) 2-4-1-3 (b) 2-1-4-3 (c) 4-2-1-3 (d) 2-4-3-1

Q4. The Muria revolt of 1876 in Bastar demanded mainly:

(a) Withdrawal of sal-felling contracts (b) Removal of Diwan Gopinath Kapardar and Munshi Adil Prasad (c) Restoration of Lal Kalendra Singh as diwan (d) Abolition of the meria custom

Q5. Which of the following was used as a signal to spread the Bhumkal of 1910?

(a) Chapatis (b) Lumps of earth, chillies, arrows and mango twigs (c) Lotus flowers (d) Drum beats only

Level 3: Mains Answer Writing

Q1. Examine the causes and significance of the Bhumkal of 1910 in Bastar. (150–200 words)

Q2. “Tribal revolts in Bastar were as much against the Raja’s officials as against the British.” Discuss with examples. (250 words)

Quick Revision Table

Key Takeaways

What’s Next

• Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience in Chhattisgarh: the Gandhian phase
• Jungle Satyagraha: how forest grievances became mass civil disobedience
• Forests, Wildlife, National Parks and Sanctuaries: the forests at the heart of these conflicts
• Social Aspects of Chhattisgarh: tribal society for Mains GS-IV