India got independence from the British Empire on 15th August 1947, but its wrong to assume that the freedom was achieved in one day. The British ruled India for almost 190 years, and many brave souls have given their ultimate sacrifice for independence.
In the history of India’s freedom movement, The Sepoy mutiny is considered as the earliest revolt against colonialism. It can’t be denied that the Sepoy mutiny was massive in scale. But before this Sepoy mutiny, several lesser-known armed rebellions broke out against British rule.
When we say The Santal Hul, it refers to the armed rebellion of 1855. But almost 71 years before the Santal Hul a lesser-known armed resistance took place which was lead by Baba Tilka.
Pre British period
During the time of Mughal rule Santal people along with other indigenous groups would live in the area of Chotanagpur plateau; from the east of Rajmahal hill to Munger and Hajaribag in the west; from Bhagalpur in the north to Mayurbhanj of Odisha in the south.
This area is hilly, and the terrain is rough. During that time maximum of that area was covered with jungle and wild animals used to roam across. All these natural obstacles prevented the Mughals or Nawab of Bengal from intervening in the regular life of these forest dwellers.
Right to Diwani
In the year 1765, the treaty of Allahabad was signed between Mughal Emperor Shah Alam-II and Robert Clive on behalf of British East India Company. By this treaty, the British East India Company got the Diwani right, the right to collect tax in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha.
As they got the Diwani right, they focused on how to increase the revenue from land. Gradually they started to establish their institutions to collect more and more revenue. They began to add more land on which tax can be levied. For this, the fallow land must be converted to arable, and for this job, the forest dwellers are the best option. So, they tried to get those forest dwellers under their grip by force or by trick. Anyhow they must be under the company’s control; otherwise, the company’s rule can’t sustain.
The Paharias
The Paharia tribe would live in the hilly area of that region, and the people of plain feared them as they used to loot in plain land. Company officials had tried to subdue these Paharias by force, but they failed.
In 1772 Captain Brooke, with his troops, went to punish and suppress the Paharias. It was unfortunate for Captain Brooke that Paharias killed a large number of his forces by shooting arrows from the jungle.
Augustus Cleveland
In the year 1779, Augustus Cleveland was appointed as the collector Bhagalpur district. Soon after his appointment, he realized that force couldn’t control these tribal people, so he applied another trick. He started to convince them that he wants their wellbeing. He took initiatives to establish a friendship with them, and for that, he arranged meetings with Paharia Sardars and with Majhis; two meetings would be conducted every year, and Augustus Cleveland himself would conduct the meetings.
He allotted monthly remuneration for Sardars and Majhis. To honour them he would give them a blue shirt and red turban. Apart from this, many Paharias were enlisted to the company’s troop. Paharias became delighted with Cleveland and gave him the nickname Chilimili Saheb. Thus he was able to conquer the heart of Paharias. He then established a separate region named Damin-E-Koh which means land in the foothills for Paharias.
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Problem with Santals
Though he brought Paharias under his control, there was another problem, the Santals. They don’t like the company’s rule to be imposed upon them, and they don’t want to be under any one’s control. They work hard, live simple lives; they have been living there peacefully for hundreds of years without anyone’s intervention.
They created cultivable land on their own, and the company did not gift these lands; now why should they pay tax to the company, why should they become the subject of the company? So, they denied the company’s rule. This behavior angered the company’s officials, and they started to torture the Santals. British officials looted their house, burnt their house down. The company’s officials would bring the Santals to Bhagalpur and would torture them. The life of the Santal people became very pathetic.
Rise of Baba Tilka
In this time of crisis one man named Tilka Murmu known as Baba Tilka stepped forward as a saviour to Santals. He visited from village to village talking to people, inspiring the youths that they must fight against this foreign ruler, that they must take revenge. He established a guerrilla force and trained them with bow and arrow, spear, axe, and Bantul (a kind of weapon in which burnt clay projectiles are used). Under his leadership, many Santal youths joined his force.
Baba Tilka’s fight & killing of Augustus Cleveland
He started fighting in guerilla tactics; the company’s troop was baffled in fighting with Baba Tilka’s force. Baba Tilka’s army would charge a sudden attack against the British forces and would disappear inside the jungle. British troops had no capability or courage to enter the forest. Whenever the soldiers got closer to the jungle, the guerilla force would kill them by shooting arrows at them from the jungle. In this way, conflict continued, and both sides had lost hundreds of lives. On 13th January 1784, Baba Tilka made Augustus Cleveland his target and killed him with his Bantul.
Fight at Tilakpur
After the killing of Augustus Cleveland, Company adopted a cruel way to suppress the rebellion. The troop burnt houses after houses, village after village, killing Santal people indiscriminately. But still, Baba Tilka continued his fight from the jungle. At last, one day, Baba Tilka’s Guerilla force was surrounded by British troops at Tilakpur village near Sultanganj. In front of firearms, many Santal fighters lost their lives.
Baba Tilka, along with his force went back into the jungle but British troops didn’t want to enter inside the forest. As time passed, Baba Tilka’s force was facing a shortage of food; also, they had no arrows left. In this situation, they decided to charge the British troops with axes, spear, etc. As they thought, so they did, in this fight many Santal fighters lost their lives as they were fighting with their primitive weapons against the firearm.
Baba Tilka’s arrest
In Tilakpur, British troops caught Baba Tilka and brought him to Bhagalpur where he was whipped brutally, and then he was tied to a horse and was dragged around the Bhagalpur town. But he didn’t die, so, he was hanged to death in the year 1785.
This way, the East India Company Suppressed the first wave of the Santal revolution. The aftermath of this revolution will be discussed in the next part.
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