Who was the leader of the Santhal Revolt of 1855-56?
- Birsa Munda
- Gonoo
- Sidhu Manjhi
- Shah Mal
The Correct Option is C
Approach Solution - 1
The leader of the Santhal Revolt of 1855-56 was Sidhu Manjhi. The Santhal Revolt, also known as the Santhal Hool, was a significant uprising led by the Santhal tribal community against the oppressive policies of the British East India Company and the local Zamindars. The revolt took place in the region that is now part of Jharkhand, India. Sidhu Manjhi, along with his brother Kanhu, played a crucial role in organizing the Santhal people and leading the rebellion. This uprising was one of the earliest tribal revolts against British colonial rule in India, highlighting the resistance of indigenous communities to the exploitation and injustices they faced.
Approach Solution -2
Sidhu Murmu and Kanhu Murmu were the primary leaders of the Santhal Rebellion (Hul Revolt).
- Cause: Against oppressive British land revenue policies, moneylenders (dikus), and zamindars.
- Region: Spread across Santhal Parganas (present-day Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar).
- Outcome: Brutally suppressed, but led to the creation of the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act (1876).
Why Important?
- One of the earliest tribal revolts against British colonial rule.
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Arrah (Bihar) : Kunwar Singh; _______ : Birjis Qadr
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Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Two rebels of 1857
Shah MalShah Mal lived in a large village in pargana Barout in Uttar Pradesh. He belonged to a clan of Jat cultivators whose kinship ties extended over chaurasee des (eighty-four villages). The lands in the region were irrigated and fertile, with rich dark loam soil. Many of the villagers were prosperous and saw the British land revenue system as oppressive: the revenue demand was high and its collection inflexible. Consequently cultivators were losing land to outsiders, to traders and moneylenders who were coming into the area.
Shah Mal mobilised the headmen and cultivators of chaurasee des, moving at night from village to village, urging people to rebel against the British. As in many other places, the revolt against the British turned into a general rebellion against all signs of oppression and injustice. Cultivators left their fields and plundered the houses of moneylenders and traders. Displaced proprietors took possession of the lands they had lost. Shah Mal’s men attacked government buildings, destroyed the bridge over the river, and dug up metalled roads – partly to prevent government forces from coming into the area, and partly because bridges and roads were seen as symbols of British rule. They sent supplies to the sepoys who had mutinied in Delhi and stopped all official communication between British headquarters and Meerut. Locally acknowledged as the Raja, Shah Mal took over the bungalow of an English officer, turned it into a “hall of justice”, settling disputes and dispensing judgments. He also set up an amazingly effective network of intelligence. For a period the people of the area felt that firangi raj was over, and their raj had come.
Shah Mal was killed in battle in July 1857.
How did the rebellion led by Shah Mal challenge the authority of the British?
- CBSE CLASS XII - 2025
- History
- The Great Revolt of 1857
Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Two rebels of 1857
Shah MalShah Mal lived in a large village in pargana Barout in Uttar Pradesh. He belonged to a clan of Jat cultivators whose kinship ties extended over chaurasee des (eighty-four villages). The lands in the region were irrigated and fertile, with rich dark loam soil. Many of the villagers were prosperous and saw the British land revenue system as oppressive: the revenue demand was high and its collection inflexible. Consequently cultivators were losing land to outsiders, to traders and moneylenders who were coming into the area.
Shah Mal mobilised the headmen and cultivators of chaurasee des, moving at night from village to village, urging people to rebel against the British. As in many other places, the revolt against the British turned into a general rebellion against all signs of oppression and injustice. Cultivators left their fields and plundered the houses of moneylenders and traders. Displaced proprietors took possession of the lands they had lost. Shah Mal’s men attacked government buildings, destroyed the bridge over the river, and dug up metalled roads – partly to prevent government forces from coming into the area, and partly because bridges and roads were seen as symbols of British rule. They sent supplies to the sepoys who had mutinied in Delhi and stopped all official communication between British headquarters and Meerut. Locally acknowledged as the Raja, Shah Mal took over the bungalow of an English officer, turned it into a “hall of justice”, settling disputes and dispensing judgments. He also set up an amazingly effective network of intelligence. For a period the people of the area felt that firangi raj was over, and their raj had come.
Shah Mal was killed in battle in July 1857.
How did Shah Mal’s leadership contribute to the spread of the rebellion?
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- Which one of the following policies by the British led to discontent among Indian soldiers, contributing to the Revolt of 1857?
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