The Santhal Rebellion (Hul), 1855-56

Two years before the 1857 revolt, thousands of Santhals rose against British rule. They also rose against the moneylenders who had taken their land.

This was the Santhal Rebellion, or Hul, of 1855-56. This lesson covers its causes, its leaders, how it was crushed and the land law it left behind.

1Why did the Santhals rebel?

The Santhals were losing their land and sinking into debt.

• In 1832-33, the British marked out Damin-i-Koh in the Rajmahal Hills for Santhal settlement.
• Santhals moved in and cleared forest for farming.
• Many came from nearby districts in search of land.
• Outsiders followed them into the tract. These were traders, moneylenders and landlords.
• Moneylenders lent grain and cash at very high interest.
• Santhals who could not repay lost their land or fell into debt bondage.
• Forced labour and cash taxes added to the burden.
• Santhals called the outsiders diku.
• Corrupt local officials and police often sided with the diku.
• So the anger was aimed at two targets. One was the British administration. The other was the local system of exploitation.

2Who led the Hul, and how did it begin?

Four brothers led it, and a religious message gave it strength.

• The leaders were the Murmu brothers Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand and Bhairav.
• Their sisters, Phulo and Jhano, also took part.
• The brothers came from the village of Bhognadih.
• On 30 June 1855, about 10,000 Santhals gathered at Bhognadih.
• Sidhu and Kanhu told the crowd that Thakur, the supreme deity, had ordered an end to diku rule.
• This gave the revolt a religious purpose. It helped the call spread quickly across villages.
• The word Hul became the name of the whole movement.
• Santhals began to attack moneylenders, landlords and symbols of the administration.
• Exams like to test the leaders’ names. Remember the four brothers, and remember that the sisters were involved too.

3How did the revolt unfold?

It spread fast at first, then met a hard military response.

• On 16 July 1855, Santhal fighters defeated a British detachment under Major Burrough near Pirpainti.
• That win pulled in many more recruits.
• The revolt drew in about 32 different communities, not Santhals alone.
• Many of these were poor non-tribal castes who also suffered under moneylenders.
• The British brought in more troops and rushed reinforcements to the region.
• On 10 November 1855, they declared martial law in the affected area.
• Martial law stayed in force until 3 January 1856.
• Sidhu was captured and executed in 1855.
• Kanhu was captured later and also put to death.
• Accounts say Chand and Bhairav died in the fighting.
• The death toll among Santhals is often put at 15,000 to 20,000. Estimates differ between sources, so treat the figure as approximate.
• Santhal bows and arrows could not match British guns. This explains the lopsided losses.

4What did the British change afterwards?

They created a new district and later a protective tenancy law.

• On 28 January 1856, the British created Santhal Parganas as a separate district.
• It was a non-regulation district. That meant simpler, more direct administration.
• It was carved out of parts of Bhagalpur and Birbhum.
• The Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, 1876 followed.
• It aimed to protect Santhal land rights.
• It restricted the transfer of land to non-tribals.
• It also tried to regulate moneylending in the area.
• The Act helped, but only partly. Land alienation kept returning as a problem.
• For an earlier tribal revolt in the same region, see Tilka Manjhi: The First Tribal Rebellion.
• For a second look at the same event, see The Santhal Uprising of 1855.

5Why does the Hul still matter?

It shows that organised resistance did not begin in 1857.

• The Hul came two years before the 1857 revolt.
• It shows resistance to British rule was already wide and organised.
• It targeted a whole system of exploitation, not colonial rule alone.
• That is why it appears in answers about tribal responses to colonial rule.
• Historians link it with other tribal revolts, such as the Kol revolt of 1831-32 in Chota Nagpur.
• For the landscape of that region, see The Chota Nagpur Plateau.
• The same issue, tribal land rights, runs through Indian law to this day.
• The Forest Rights Act, 2006 deals with a similar problem, more than 150 years later.
• Jharkhand marks 30 June every year as Hul Diwas, with a main event at Bhognadih.
• Sidhu and Kanhu are remembered in public life. A university at Dumka is named after them.
• India also issued a stamp for Sido and Kanhu Murmu in 2002.