Birsa Munda

Birsa Munda
Photograph from S. C. Roy's The Mundas and their Country[1]
Born(1875-11-15)15 November 1875
Ulihatu, Ranchi district, Bengal Presidency (now in Khunti district, Jharkhand)
Died9 June 1900(1900-06-09) (aged 24)
Ranchi, Bengal Presidency (now in Jharkhand)[2][3]
NationalityIndian
MovementIndian independence movement
Parents
  • Sugana Munda (father)
  • Karmi Hatu (mother)

Birsa Munda pronunciationⓘ (15 November 1875 – 9 June 1900)[4] was an Indian tribal independence activist, and folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe. He spearheaded a tribal religious millenarian movement that arose in the Bengal Presidency (now Jharkhand) in the late 19th century, during the British Raj, thereby making him an important figure in the history of the Indian independence movement.[5] The revolt mainly concentrated in the Munda belt of Khunti, Tamar, Sarwada and Bandgaon.[6]

Birsa received his education in Salga under the guidance of his teacher Jaipal Nag. Later, Birsa converted into a Christian to join the German Mission School but soon dropped out after finding out that Britishers were aiming to convert tribals to Christianity through education.[unreliable source] After dropping out of school, Birsa Munda created a faith called Birsait. Members of the Munda community soon started joining the faith which in turn became a challenge for the British activities.The Birsaits openly declared that the real enemies were the British and not Christian Mundas. The cause of the Munda revolt was the 'unfair land grabbing practices by colonial and local authorities that demolished the tribal conventional land system'.[specify][7] Birsa Munda is known for challenging the British Christian missionaries and revolting against the conversion activities along with the Munda and Oraon communities.[8] His portrait hangs in the Indian Parliament Museum.[9][10]

  1. ^ Rycroft, Daniel J. (4 January 2002). "Capturing Birsa Munda: The Virtuality Of A Colonial-Era Photograph". University of Sussex. Archived from the original on 27 August 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference cipra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "birsamunda". Tribalzone.net. 1999–2015. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  4. ^ India Today Web Desk (15 November 2021). "Birsa Munda birth anniversary: All about the Indian tribal freedom fighter". India Today. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  5. ^ Awaaz, Aapki (9 June 2015). "बिरसा मुंडा : शक्ति और साहस के परिचायक" [Birsa Munda: represents strength and courage] (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  6. ^ Singh, K. S. (1983). Birsa Munda and His Movement, 1874–1901: A Study of a Millenarian Movement in Chotanagpur. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-561424-4. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ Birsa Munda birth anniversary: All about the Indian tribal freedom fighter: Article published in india today dated 15-11-2021 |url=|
  8. ^ "Remembering Birsa Munda On 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas'". Pragativadi. 15 November 2021. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Birsa Munda". Parliament of India: Rajya Sabha – Council of States. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  10. ^ Singh, Kumar Suresh (2002) [1983]. Birsa Munda and His Movement (1872–1901): a Study of a Millenarian Movement in Chotanagpur. Seagull Books. ISBN 978-817046205-7.