Santhal Rebellion (1855-56)

The Santhal Rebellion was the most serious challenge faced by the English East India Company in the first century of its rule.

Operations by landlords and money lenders, accompanied by a huge increase in revenue burden, had caused enough disaffection among the tribal peasants. Over and above this, the European railway contractors often demanded forced labor. Some of the tribal people also migrated elsewhere, something which the Santhals looked upon as a clear sign of the disintegration of the tribal community.

It was against this background of discontent that the hostility against the outsiders erupted. On June, 1855 Sidhu and Kanu, the two brothers, gave a call of rebellion. The rebellious Santhals assembled at Bhagna Dihi and rose in arms against the inequities of the British revenue system.

The Santhal rebellion continued for a few months and threatened the imperial control in the region. During the course of the rebellion, the rebels also received a good deal of support from the submerged social classes. The main center of the rebellion was Birbhum and Murshidabad districts of Bengal and Bhagalpur in Bihar. Despite the intensity of the rebellion, the rebels ultimately failed to outclass the superior military power of British rule. After a few months the Santhal rebellion was ruthlessly suppressed. Occasional Santhal insurgencies later in the nineteenth century often harked back to the heroic memory of the Santhal hool.