Stone and Vedic Period: Jharkhand History- JPSC/ JSSC/ PSC

Stone and Vedic Period: Jharkhand History

The history of Jharkhand dates back to the Stone Age when humans began to manufacture tools made of sharp stones to meet their needs, such as digging the soil and hunting the animals. Extensive evidence of human development in the Jharkhand region during that period has been obtained during archaeological excavations. Here tools related to the two periods of the Stone Age (East and Late Stone Age) have been found.

Ancient History of Jharkhand:

1. Early Stone Age:

During this period of the region of Jharkhand was surrounded by dense forests and the density of trees was such that nothing was clearly visible. At that time, like other places, there were such human beings, who were called semi-human or primitive men. The main tools used by them include the remains of stone axes, knives, and pieces of stone used as knives. These remains have been received from Singhbhum, Ranchi, Santhal Pargana, and Hazaribagh in the order of archaeological excavation.

2. Late Stone Age:

This period is also called the Neolithic period. Many remains of this period have been found here. Possibly when the Bronze Age culture was developing in the Indus Valley, the Neolithic culture was developing in Chotanagpur during the same period. Smooth polished stone craft tools and pottery have been found here. The main objects found here related to the Neolithic period are axes, celts, chisels, chalk, iron, and copper saws.

Another thing that is worth noting is that most of the stone tools of this period found from here are polished. Twelve (12) types of hand-crafts belonging to the Neo-Stone Age have been found in India. Almost all of these hand-crafts have been found in Chotanagpur. The remains found in the above period do not give detailed information about the history, but the evidence of the life of the primitive man and the indications of the gradual changes taking place in it.

3. Iron Age:

Iron was used in the later Vedic period. The name 'Pand' of Jharkhand is first found in the Aitareya Brahmin, the composition of the later Vedic period. A tribe found here 'Asura' is seen associating with this period. The main work of the Asura tribe has been to prepare tools by smelting iron. Therefore, it is clear from this that the Iron Age must have developed here as well.

Vedic Age:

The relation of any historical fact related to Jharkhand from the Rigveda period has not been received till now. Iron was used in the later Vedic period, due to which some tribes working in iron, especially the Asura, are discussed in the Aitareya Brahmana of the later Vedic period.

Religious Movement:

In the year 6th Century BC Jain and Buddist movements took place, which had a wide impact and the Jharkhand was no exception to this.

Buddhism:

Buddism had a profound impact on Jharkhand. Relics related to Buddhism have been found in various places in Jharkhand. 

• A lion head has been found from Murtiya village (Palamu), where resembles the lion head engraved on the entrance of the Sanchi Stupa. 

• A Buddhist stupa has been found in Karua village. 

• Today's Dhanbad district was an important center of Buddhism. Many Buddhist monuments have been found from Diyapur-Dalmi and Boudhpur of Dhanbad, among which the Budheswar temple of Buddhapur is notable. 

• A fragmentary stone Buddha statue has been found from Gholmara (near Purulia).

• A stone statue of Buddha has been found from Suryakund (near Barhi, Hazaribagh).

• The remains of a Buddhist Vihara have been found in Belvadag village (Khunti, Ranchi).

• A Buddha statue has been found from Balan reaching Johna Falls.

• A Buddha statue has been found in Katega village (Bano railway station, Gumla).

• Two Buddha statues have been found from Patamba village (Jamshedpur).

• The idol of Tara (Buddhist Goddess) has been found from the Ichagarh (Saraikela-Kharsawan), which is kept in Ranchi Museum.

Jainism:

Jainism also had a profound impact on Jharkhand. Nirvana of 23rd Tirthankara of Jains, Parshvanath, in 717 BC, was born on a mountain near Isri (Giridih), which was named Parsvanath/ Parasnath mountain after him. This mountain is famous as a major pilgrimage site for Jains. Manbhum (today's Dhanbad) of Chotanagpur was the center of Jain civilization and culture.

The main Jain sites of this region were;

• Pakbira, Tuisama, Deoli, Pawanpur, Palma, Arsha, Charg, Golmara, Badam, Balrampur, Karra, Para, Katras, etc.

• Jains remains found in the valley of Kansai and Damodar rivers confirm the spread of Jainism.

• Some places of worship of Jains have been found in Hanumand village (near Satbarwa) of Palamu.

• The early inhabitants of Singhbhum were Jains, who were called 'Saraks'. 'Sarak' is a spoiled form of the word Sharvak. The householder of Jain faiths was called Shravak. Later the people of the Ho tribe drove them out of Singhbhum.

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Hari Baba Movement (1930): JPSC/ JSSC/ PSC

Hari Baba Movement (1930)

In the 1930s, the Duku Ho of Singhbhum, who was popularly known as Haribaba, started a movement called the 'Haribaba Movement'.

The aim of the Haribaba movement was the purification of the crumbling and disintegrating social, economic, religious system. Through this, an attempt was made to organize the people of the 'Ho' tribes so that they could escape the tyranny of outsiders.

In this movement, apart from Hari Baba, Singrai Ho residents of Bhutagaon of Barkel Pir area, Bamia Ho of Bhadahatu area, and Hari, Dula, and Birjo Ho of Garia area played an important role. These people propagated Sarna Dharma.

The Haribaba movement also adopted Gandhiji's self-purification and sacrifice, because he hoped that through this movement he could drive away from the demons. This movement became political under the influence of Gandhiji. He believed that Gandhiji was capable of driving away from the British government. 

On 15th May 1931, he also showed ferocity and uprooted the telegraph wires in Singhbhum. Seeing this, the government took action to suppress this movement. The Haribaba Movement disintegrated as a result of the repression.

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Sardari Movement (1858-95): JPSC/JSSC/ PSC

Sardari Movement (1858-95)

Causes:

• It was originally against the zamindars, which arose out of the snatching of the leadership of the tribes.

• To solve the problems, the Chotanagpur Tenure Act was implemented in 1869, but the complaints did not end, due to which this movement took place. In this movement, the Munda Sardars agitated for collective farming.

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Kherwar Movement (1874): JPSC/ JSSC/ PSC

Kherwar Movement (1874)

The Kherwar movement has a remarkable place in tribal reformist movements in Jharkhand. This movement initially taught monotheism and social reform, but just before its suppression, it took the form of a campaign against the activities of revenue endowment.

This movement was led by Bhagirath Manjhi of the Kherwar tribe. That is why it is called the 'Bhagirath Manjhi movement'.

Key facts of the Kherwar Movement (for MCQ):

• The Kherwar Movement was one of the non-violent struggles against British rule.

• This movement started in 1874 AD. Its leader was Bhagirath Manjhi.

• Its form was in no way different from the Safahor movement which manifested in its true form in later days.

• The credit for articulating this goes to Bhagwan Das (Rajmahal) and Lambodar Mukherjee (Dumka).

• Bhagirath had adopted a non-cooperative policy towards the British rule and by declaring himself the king of the village of Bounsi, he started the system of collecting rent himself by not paying rent to the landlords and the government.

• Later Gandhiji used to aspects to his non-cooperation.

• Bhagirath Manjhi was born in Taldiha village of Godda district where he has established a bench.

• The second phase of the Kherwar movement is considered to be the movement led by Dilemma Gossain against the 1881 census.

• Bhagirath Manjhi was known as 'Baba' among the tribals.

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Safahod Movement (1870): JPSC/ JSSC/ PSC

Safahod Movement (1870)

Causes and Nature of Rebellion:

• The credit for giving rise to this rebellion goes to Lal Hembram alias Lal Baba.

• He found that the biggest reason for the failure of the Santhal rebellion was the lack of religious spirit and self-confidence among the people. So he emphasized the force of character.

• He gave the mantra of 'Ram-Naam' to the Safahod (Safahor) agitators. He used to give the white signals to the Santhals. They used to wear Janeu and used to stop the consumption of meat and liquor.

• Being frightened, the British banned the making of Tulsi Chaura in the courtyard and chanting Ram-Naam.

• Lal Baba had formed the 'Deshoddharak Dal' in Santhal Parganas on the lines of Azad Hind Fauj.

• His associates were Paika Murmu, Pagan Marandi, Bhatu Soren, and Rasik Lal Soren.

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Ho Movement (1820-21): JPSC/ JSSC/ PSC

Ho Movement (1820-21)

The abode of the Ho people was known as 'Ho Desam'= the land of the Ho caste or Kolhan= Kol place.

Ho Desam was never owned by the Mughals or Marathas. Although the Singh kings of Porhat had influence over them, they were equal and not subordinate to the Singh dynasty. They did not pay any regular tax to the Singh kings, only gave some gifts from time to time. As a result of being free from external control for a long time, he became freedom-loving and a fighter in nature. For this reason, during the company period, these fighters were famous as 'Kol'.

1820: At the request of Raja of Singhbhum, political agent Major Rafsej entered Ho Desam with an army. The British were victorious in a battle with the Ho people on the banks of the Roro river near Chaibasa.

Despite this repression, the Ho of only the northern part of the Desam agreed to pay taxes to the Raja of Porhat. The Ho people of the southern Kolhan continued to oppose the British. Ho people started creating a disturbance in the areas of the border states. As a result of these activities of the Ho people, the Porhat king again had to plead for help from Rafsej.

1821: As a result, a large army under the leadership of Colonel Richard was sent against the Ho people. The Ho people confronted Richard for a month but eventually found the opposition meaningless and thought it better to make a treaty with the company. 

The main terms of the treaty were;

• The Ho people accepted the subordination of the company.

• The people agreed to pay 8 annas (50 paise) per plow annually to their kings and zamindars.

Despite this treaty, the disturbances in Kolhan did not end, in 1831-32 the Ho people took an active part in the Kol rebellion. 

Key facts of Ho rebellion (for MCQ):

• The Ho people of Chotanagpur revolted fiercely in 1820-21.

• This rebellion took place in the area of Singhbhum.

• This rebellion was also against the exploitation of the British and the landlords.

• The main reason for this rebellion was the exploitation by Raja Jagannath Singh and its backwardness to the British.

• The Ho rebellion was suppressed in 1820-21 under Major Rusage and in 1837
•  under Captain Wilkinson.

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Chero Revolt (1770-71), Bhogta Revolt (1771), Chero Movement (1800-18): JPSC/ JSSC/ PSC

Revolts/ Movement:

Chero Revolt (1770-71):

In the year 1770-71, the Chero ruler Chitrajit Rai of Palamu and his Dewan Jaynath Singh organized a rebellion against the British fighting on behalf of Gopal Rai, the claimant to the throne of Palamu, which is known as 'Chero Rebellion'. In fact, it was a battle to capture the throne of Palamu.

Eventually, the British Captain Jacob Camac was successful in defeating the Cheros' rebels and capturing Palamu. On July 1, 1771, Gopal Rai was declared the king of the Palamu.

Bhogta Revolt (1771):

In fact, the Bhogta rebellion was a supplementary event of the Chero rebellion (1770-71). Jainath Singh, the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Raja Chitrajit Rai of Palamu was a bountiful chieftain. The British used to talk directly to Jainath Singh only. 

On January 9, 1771, Jainath Singh received a letter from Patna Council through his messenger Ghulam Hussain Khan, in which order was given to hand over the Palamu Fort to the company peacefully. From here the Bhogta rebellion started. It was fought together with the Cheros. Jainath Singh was ready to leave Palamu Fort, but with some conditions. 

Since the Company was intent on capturing the Palamu Fort, therefore, the British refused to accept conditions laid by Jainath Singh, calling them unreasonable. The fight has started. Both Bhogta and Cheros fought the British together, but Bhogta Sardar Jayanath Singh was defeated and fled to Sarguja and the British declared Gopal Rai as the king of Palamu.

Chero Movement/ Andolan (1800-1818):

The Chero tribe of Palamu revolted under the leadership of Bhukhan Singh in 1800 against the high tax collection and re-acquisition of sub-dependent pattas. In suppressing it, the British resorted to deceit and cunning. As a result of this rebellion, in 1809, the British government formed the Zamindari Police Force to maintain peace and order in Chotanagpur. 

1814: Under the guise of action of Palamu pargana, the British captured it and handed over the responsibility of governance to Raja Ghanshyam Singh of Bhardev. In 1817, they revolted against this conspiracy of the British by ensuing tribal cooperation, but this too was suppressed. This rebellion was suppressed by Colonel Jones. 

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