Nilambar and Pitambar: Brothers Who Captured Palamu Fort

Two brothers from a small Chotanagpur jagir captured a British fort in 1857 and held it long enough to wage a real guerrilla war. It took a full colonial column, and a betrayal, to bring them down.

Timeline

• 21 October 1857: Nilambar and Pitambar lead about 500 rebels in an attack on Raghubar Dayal, a British loyalist, at Chainpur. They then cause heavy destruction at Lesliganj.
• 1857: Their forces capture Palamu Fort. They wage guerrilla war from it, in the Chotanagpur region.
• 21 January 1858: Commissioner Edward Tuite Dalton arrives with reinforcements, including troops from the Madras Regiment and Ramgarh Cavalry, and retakes Palamu Fort. The brothers are forced to flee.
• 28 March 1859: They are hanged at Lesliganj, after capture and a brief trial.

The Uprising Need to Know

• Nilambar and Pitambar were brothers from the Bhogta clan of the Kharwar tribe, born at Chemo-Senya village, Latehar district, now Jharkhand.
• They led an armed uprising against British rule during the Revolt of 1857, in the Palamu region of Chotanagpur.
• On 21 October 1857, they led about 500 rebels in an attack on a British loyalist, at Chainpur.
• Their forces captured Palamu Fort, and waged guerrilla war from it.
• They were hanged on 28 March 1859, at Lesliganj, after British forces retook Palamu Fort and captured them.

Siege and Aftermath Good to Know

• Their father, Chemu Singh, was a Jagirdar, a feudal landowner. The brothers themselves held ancestral jagirs before the revolt.
• Neighbouring Chero jagirdars also joined their uprising, widening its base beyond their own clan.
• At Lesliganj, they besieged the residence of Lieutenant Graham, who had only about 50 soldiers to defend it.
• After their execution, the British confiscated all their property.
• Modern honours include Nilamber-Pitamber University. In 2024, IIM Ranchi renamed two of its academic buildings Nilamber Block and Pitamber Block.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. During the Revolt of 1857, Nilambar and Pitambar led an uprising and captured which fort in the Palamu region?

Palamu Fort

Ranchi Fort

Chainpur Fort

Latehar Fort

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A Wider Pattern in Chotanagpur Great to Know

• Their capture followed Commissioner Dalton’s forces overwhelming their base at Palamu Fort. It shows how fort-based resistance eventually gave way to a better-supplied colonial force.
• The revolt drew in neighbouring Chero jagirdars too. That shows how 1857 could unite different tribal and feudal groups against a shared colonial threat.
• Property confiscation after their execution was a common British tactic. It was meant to deter other jagirdars from joining similar revolts.
• Modern recognition includes a university and IIM Ranchi’s 2024 building renaming. Both reflect renewed interest in Jharkhand’s own local 1857 history, beyond well-known centres like Delhi, Jhansi, and Kanpur.
• See ModHist0187 — Budhu Bhagat, whose rebellion came a quarter-century earlier. Both reflect the same pattern: Chotanagpur’s tribal leaders repeatedly resisting colonial encroachment on ancestral land.