Early resistance movements

Early resistance movements

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2. Early Resistance Movements against the British

3. Resistance and struggles against colonial state began from its very inception. Majority of these movements occurred before the Revolt of 1857. Historians have recorded no less than 40 major rebellions and hundreds of minor ones in the period between 1757and 1857. They were organized by the native princes, chieftains ,landlords , peasants, tribals and soldiers. The early resistance movements were traditional and regional in character. They were unequal contests between bows and bullets, cavalry and canons, handloom and power loom , and the old and the new. The early struggles against the colonial state took various forms. They may be broadly classified as civil rebellions, peasant revolts, tribal uprisings, and sepoy mutinies.

4. Civil Rebellions The civil rebellions were usually led by the deposed rajas, prince chieftains , nobles, and dispossessed zamindars and l and lords . As the Company's territories expanded large number of traditional ruling class and zamindars lost their powers, prestige and social status. They raised the banner of revolt against the colonial state either to protector to regain their powers. Large section of peasants and artisans used to join these revolts because of their own grievances against the foreign rule. Some of the notable anti-British civil rebellions of the early years of the British rule are the following ; The revolt of the Raja of Vizianagaram (1794) Pazhassi Revolt (1800-1805) Revolt of Velu Thambi (1809) Poligar Rebellion (1801-1815) Kittur Uprising (1824)

5. The first major civil rebellion against the British was organized by the Raja of Vizianagaram. When the British acquired Northern Sarkars , they asked the Raja a present of three lakhs and ordered him to disband his troops. On the Raja's refusal, his state was annexed .With the support of his people and troops, Raja revolted against the British and died fighting in 1794. Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, a member of Kottayam royal family in North Malabar also led a revolt against the British. When the Malabar was occupied by the British , Pazhassi Raja was denied permission to collect taxes from the people. Enraged by this, Pazhassi Raja organized an armed struggle against the British with the support of local population, especially of Kurichiya tribesmen. When the British took Harsh military measures ,he retreated to Wynad jungles and resorted to guerrilla warfare. In1805, the British chased him into the forest and shot him to death.

6. Another challenge to British authority was raised by Velu Thambi ,the Dalawa of Travancore. Velu Thambi resisted the interference of the British Resident in the internal affairs of Travancore. To save the country and the king, he decided to fight the British. Paliath Achan, the prime minister of Cochin, also joined him. In 1808, Velu Thambi’s forces attacked Resident's bungalow at Cochin, which marked the beginning of the revolt. He also issued a proclamation, known as Kundara proclamation, calling the people to overthrow the British. Unable to meet The British resistance and the opposition of his own king Velu Thampi was forced to commit suicide.

7. The Poligars of South India also revolted against the British . The Poligars were the military and administrative chieftains functioned under native kings. When the British attacked South India, most of the native kings surrendered to them readily. But the patriotic Poligars did not surrender to the British. The resistance movements against king, Velu Thambi was forced to commit suicide .the British was led by Veera Pandya Kattabomman , the Poligar of Panchalam Kurichi and Maruthu Pandian, the Poligar of Sivaganga.After a courageous struggle, Kattabomman was captured and hangedin 1799. In 1801, Maruthu Pandian and his associates were captured and hanged. Thus the Poligar rebellions were suppressed. The Kittur uprising was led by queen Channamma from 1824 to1830. When her husband died leaving no son to succeed him , Channamma adopted a boy as the successor. But the British denied her the right of adoption and tried to annex Kittur . Channamma organized an armed struggle against the British with the support of Rayappa , a local chieftain. The struggle continued for a few years and Rayappa was captured and executed. Channamma was taken prisoner and she died in prison

8. Peasant Revolt The peasant had played a great role in the early resistance movements against the British. The land revenue settlements of the British, illegal taxes, and the oppression of government officials created widespread unrest among the peasantry. The peasants lost their traditional rights over the land and majority of them were either dispossessed of their lands or rack-rented. With the support of the British, the zamindars, moneylenders, and planters exploited the peasants leading them into indebtedness and poverty. The peasants reacted against their oppressors through a series of rebellions. The peasants' anger was often directed against the immediate source of their misery: the British officials, indigo planter zamindars and money lenders . It is to be noted that many of the peasant revolts were led by religious leaders and hence had religious colouring. The first major peasant revolt broke out in Bengal soon after the establishment of the British rule there. It was led by the Sanyasis and Fakirs and spread to many areas of eastern India. Originally the Sanyasis and Fakirs were peasants who were displaced from their lands. They started a rebellion against the British in 1763 which lasted up to 1800. The government restrictions on visiting holy places ,excessive land revenue, imposing of new taxes, sufferings caused by the Bengal famine of 1770 etc, were the main factors that forced the Sanyasis and Fakirs to revolt against the British. They organized the peasants, formed their own armies and attacked the British troops .It took the British about thirty years to suppress this revolt.

9. Another major peasant rebellion confronted by the British colonial state was the Chuar Rebellion of Bihar and Bengal. It broke out in1796 and carried on till 1816, It was widespread and could not be suppressed easily. The Kurichia rebellion of Wynad in Kerala was a major tribal-peasant rebellion against the Britsh . The Kurichias , the adivasis of Wynad started a rebellion in 1812 when the British increasedthe land tax and ordered that the tax must be paid only in cash. The rebels captured many British posts and the British rule in Wynad almost came to standstill. The rebellion was ultimately suppressed by theBritish forces. The Mappila peasants of Malabar also posed serious challenges to the colonial rule. The British occupation of Malabar and the changes introduced in the land revenue administration brought unbearable hardships to the Mappila peasants. Evicted and oppressed ,the Mappila peasants rebelled against the British and the landlords .There were 22 Mappila rebellions between 1835 and 1854, The peasants attacked the landlords and burnt their houses. The Mappila rebellions were suppréssed by the British with the help of a specially formed police force called Malabar Special Police. Some peasant movements were led by religious leaders. The Sanyasi, Fakir, Wahabi, and Faraizi movements had religious overt ones .The Wahabi movement was led by Syed Ahmed of Bareilly. It offered the most serious and well-planned challenge to British supremacy in India from 1830's to 1860's. This rebellion had the strong support of the peasants. Similarly, the Faraizis , followers of a Muslim sect in Eastern Bengal, started a rebellion to overthrow the British rule.This movement supported the cause of the tenants against exactions of the Zamindars.The Faraizi rebellion began in 1838 and continued till 1857 .

10. Tribal Uprisings Numerous tribal uprisings had occurred throughout the period British colonialism. The tribals were hunter-gatherers, who practice shifting cultivation and were heavily dependent on forests for food fuel and cattle feed. The British penetration into the tribal life shattered their simple and sheltered life. The British land revenue policies and forest laws adversely affected the tribal people and brought them within the purview of colonial exploitation. Forests were felled either for valuable wood, or cleared for agriculture. Tribal societies were exploited by revenue collectors, moneylenders, traders and revenue farmers. Tribal society and culture were undermined, tribals lost their lands and were reduced to the position of agricultural labourers. Poverty and indebtedness became common.

11. Driven to desperation, tribals in different parts of the countryrose up against the British. The most notable uprisings were those of the Bhils , Kols , Kolis , Ramosis and Santhals.Kol Risings: The Kols of Chhotanagpur resented the transfer ofland from Kol headmen ( Mundas ) to outsiders like Sikh and Muslimfarmers . In 1831 the Kol rebels killed or burnt about a thousand outsiders . The rebellion spread to Ranchi, Singhbhum , Hazaribagh,Palameu andwestern parts of Manbhum . Order could be restored only after large-scale military operations . Bhil Risings : Tribe Bhils , an aboriginal tribe, live in the Western Ghats with their strongholds in Khandesh . During 1817-19 the Bhils revolted against their new masters, the English East India Company . Koli Risings : Tribe Kolis , living in the neighbourhood of the Bhils,also resented the imposition of British rule and rose in rebellion in1829, in 1839 and once again during 1844-48.Ramosi Risings: Tribe Ramosis , the hill tribes in the Western Ghats , were not conciled the British rule and the British pattern of administration . In 1822 their leader Chittur Singh revolted and plundered the places around Satara . Santhal Risings: The most legendary tribal revolt was that of theSanthals of Bihar and Bengal. Santhals were exploited by the British,zamindars , moneylenders and traders. Lands owned by them were Jost to the zamindars, and they were forced to do compulsory labour . During 1855-1856 more than 60,000 Santhal tribals rose up in violent rebellion . They were led by leaders like Kanhu and Sidhu. They attacked police stations, railway construction sites, post offices and homes of zamindars. With their bows and arrows, and axes, they were no match for the better-armed British. Finally the Santhals were mercilessly suppressed, and about 15,000 of them were slaughtered . Although they were crushed, their heroic struggle still remains alive in local legends.

12. Sepoy Mutinies Revolts against the British were not confined to the civilian population. They occurred in the army as well. The Company’s soldiers known as sepoys had many grievances. The British policy of hurting the caste and religious sentiments and freedom of the sepoys created grave unrest among them. Poor salary and promotion possibilities, humiliating treatment and racial discrimination led them to the brink of mutiny. As early as 1766, a regiment of the Bengal army had rebelled, but the rebellion had been ruthlessly suppressed .A more serious uprising occurred in the Madras army at Vellore in1806. It grew out of rumours that the government was planning to forcibly convert them to Christianity. This uprising was also crushed . In 1824, the sepoy regiment at Barrackpur refused to go overseas to fight a war in Burma. When the soldiers refused to move from the Barrackpur parade-ground, they were gunned down. The ring leaders were hanged and the regiment was disbanded. In 1838, an Indian regiment at Sholapur mutinied for non-payment of full bata . This mutiny was also suppressed. Despite this, sepoy mutinies continued to occur periodically and culminated in the Revolt of 1857.

13. The early struggles against the colonial state were not only frequent but also widespread. They occurred in almost all parts of India. They were, however, local and uncoordinated. They arose from specific grievances and not out of a clear plan to throw the British rule out of India . All the groups that revolted had one reasons or the other to dislike the British rule . They were not inspired by feelings of nationalism, because such a feeling was absent in those times. Most of these movements were backward looking. Their leaders wanted to go back to pre-British times and to regain their lost power and positions. Even so, these struggles were very important. They were the dress rehearsals for the forthcoming struggle for independence. They created a powerful tradition of local resistance to British rule. They served as a great source of inspiration for the fight for freedom that began in the late 19th century.  

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