Birsa Munda

Birsa Munda, a tribal revolutionary who frightened the British & became a stumbling block in path of conversion by Christian missionaries.

Long before they arrived on the scene, and a few decades before Mahatma Gandhi and Bhagat Singh made their presence felt in the freedom struggle, there was Birsa Munda, a tribal revolutionary who frightened the British colonialists.

Born on November 15, 1875, Birsa spent much of his childhood moving from one village to another with his parents. He belonged to the Munda tribe in the Chhotanagpur Plateau area. He received his early education at Salga under the guidance of his teacher Jaipal Nag. On the recommendation of Jaipal Nag, Birsa converted to Christianity in order to join the German Mission school. He, however, opted out of the school after a few years.

The impact of Christianity was felt in the way he came to relate to religion later. Having gained awareness of the British colonial ruler and the efforts of the missionaries to convert tribals to Christianity, Birsa started the faith of ‘Birsait’. Soon members of the Munda and Oraon community started joining the Birsait sect and it turned into a challenge to British conversion activities.

During the period, 1886 to 1890, Birsa Munda spent a large amount of time in Chaibasa which was close to the centre of the Sardars agitation. The activities of the Sardars had a strong impact on the mind of the young Birsa, who soon became a part of the anti-missionary and anti-government program. By the time he left Chaibasa in 1890, Birsa was strongly entrenched in the movement against the British oppression of the tribal communities.

When he left Chaibasa in 1890, Birsa found himself immersed in a full-time struggle against British colonialists. What he also saw was how the British rule had devasted the ways and lives of the Santhal and Munda tribes by introducing rent payment for the land and taxes on the produce.

It all kickstarted in October 1894, when Birsa mobilised a protest march for remission of forest dues that the local Zamindars collected. Forest produce, he believed, belonged to the Adivasis.

Responding to the gross exploitation of his people, Birsa and his band of loyal followers began “Ulgulan” (The Great Tumult) or the rebellion against the British colonialists. The movement sought to assert the rights of the Adivasis as the real owners of the soil, and the expulsion of Zamindars and the British. Marked by a series of concerted guerrilla-style attacks on the British, the rebellion claimed the lives of many of its police officers.

He advice people to follow the path of purity, austerity and prohibited cow- slaughters. He declared himself a prophet who had come to get back the lost kingdom of their people. He told that the reign of the Queen Victoria was over and the Munda Raj had begun. He gave orders to the raiyats to pay no rents. The mundas called him Dharati Aba, the father of earth. 

What this did was bring other tribes like the Oraon, Mundas and Kharias on one platform. He also advised them to boycott the exploitative practices of the Zamindars and British backers. He was imprisoned for two years at the Hazaribagh Central Jail for his actions.

On 28 January 1898, he was released from jail.  After his release, Birsa and his followers stepped up their attack against the British. Bisra Munda stressed on the need of the tribals to study their own religion and not forget their cultural roots. He influenced his people to realise the importance of owning their land and asserting their right upon them,”

The British responded to this rebellion with brutality, while discrimination and exploitation against local tribal communities only increased. For example, in 1900, the British laid siege to his followers camping at Dumbari Hills, firing indiscriminately. Hundreds died in the attack.

Birsa was becoming the stumbling block in path of conversion so they wanted to stop him. His followers were arrested. Birsa went underground for two years. During this period he visited Jagarnath temple. 

A few months later, he was unfortunately captured by the British. He was arrested at Jamkopai forest in Chakradharpur on March 3, 1900. He was fast asleep in the Jamkopai forest near Chakradharpur town when the British picked him up. After enduring brutal torture in prison, Birsa passed away on June 9, 1900, although British authorities claim that he died of cholera.

It’s impossible to encapsulate the legacy he left behind. Nearly every major institution of note in Jharkhand is named after Birsa Munda—the airport, the athletics stadium, and even a Central Jail.

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