The Ulgulan of 1899-1900
The Ulgulan of 1899-1900
Ulgulan means the great tumult. Birsa Munda launched it around Christmas 1899 in the Munda country and it was broken within weeks, but it forced the colonial state to change the land law of Chotanagpur for the first time.
Meaning — the great tumult | Period — December 1899 to early 1900 | Area — Khunti, Tamar, Basia, Ranchi
Causes
- Steady loss of khuntkatti land to outsider landlords and contractors
- Forced labour called beth begari demanded without payment
- Failure of the Sardari movement to win anything through courts
- Famine and epidemic in the 1890s that deepened rural distress
- Missionary and landlord authority both seen as outside control over Munda life
- A ready organisation already existed in the Birsait network of preachers
Course of the rising
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Christmas 1899 | Large gathering; the Ulgulan is launched |
| Late December 1899 | Attacks on police posts, churches and landlord property |
| 5 January 1900 | Two police constables killed at Etkedih |
| 7 January 1900 | Attack on the Khunti police station |
| 9 January 1900 | Decisive firing on Birsa's followers at Sail Rakab, Dombari hill |
| 3 February 1900 | Birsa arrested at Jamkopai forest near Chakradharpur |
| 9 June 1900 | Birsa dies in Ranchi jail |
Why it was crushed so fast
- Bows and axes against modern firearms decided every engagement
- The rising was concentrated in a compact belt, so troops could seal it
- Rewards brought informers, and Birsa's location was betrayed
- Dombari hill was the turning point, with very heavy casualties
- Hundreds were arrested and many transported after the suppression
What it achieved
- The government finally accepted that land transfer was the root problem
- It led to the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908, which restricted transfer of tribal landबार-बार पूछा जाता है
- Beth begari was formally attacked as a practice
- Khuntkatti rights received legal recognition rather than only customary status
- No earlier revolt in the region had produced a change in the land law itself
Terms to lock in
- Ulgulan — the great tumult, in Mundari
- Dombari Buru — the hill where the decisive firing took place
- Sail Rakab — the site name that appears alongside Dombari
- Beth begari — forced unpaid labour
- Jamkopai — the forest near Chakradharpur where Birsa was arrested
Ulgulan compared with the Hool
| Point | Santhal Hool | Ulgulan |
|---|---|---|
| Years | 1855 to 1856 | 1899 to 1900 |
| Community | Santhal | Munda |
| Leaders | Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu | Birsa Munda |
| Region | Santhal Pargana | Khunti and Ranchi belt |
| Religious base | Santhal tradition and Safa Hor reform | Birsait faith |
| Main result | Santhal Parganas district, 1855 | Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908 |
उलगुलान (Ulgulan) मुंडारी शब्द है जिसका अर्थ है महाविद्रोह या महाहलचल। इसीलिए इसे 'बिरसा विद्रोह' के साथ-साथ उलगुलान भी कहा जाता है।
Memory hook — Ulgulan ki chaar tarikh — Christmas 1899 shuruat, 9 January 1900 Dombari, 3 February 1900 giraftari, 9 June 1900 mrityu. Aur parinaam ek — CNT Act 1908.
Yahan confuse hote hain — Ulgulan ka saal aur CNT Act ka saal alag hain.
✗ Ulgulan and the CNT Act are both of 1900 | ✓ Ulgulan 1899-1900; CNT Act 1908
✗ Ulgulan Santhal Pargana me hua | ✓ Ulgulan Munda kshetra me hua — Khunti, Tamar, Basia, Ranchi
Exam pointer — JPSC me Ulgulan ke karan aur CNT Act se uska rishta Mains me poora question ban jaata hai. JSSC CGL, JTGLCCE, JKCE aur JTET me Ulgulan ka arth, saal aur Dombari ka naam seedha aata hai. Jharkhand GK me is topic se question na aaye, aisa lagbhag hota nahi.
Ek nazar me
- Ulgulan means the great tumult
- Launched around Christmas 1899
- Area — Khunti, Tamar, Basia, Ranchi
- Causes — land loss, beth begari, failure of legal means
- 5 January 1900 — constables killed at Etkedih
- 7 January 1900 — attack on Khunti police station
- 9 January 1900 — firing at Dombari hill / Sail Rakab
- 3 February 1900 — Birsa arrested at Jamkopai forest
- 9 June 1900 — Birsa dies in Ranchi jail
- Result — Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, 1908