Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu

Also called: Sidhu Manjhi, Sidhu Murmu · Topic: Peasant and Tribal Resistance under Company Rule · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 4 "The Colonial Era in India"; Class 12, Ch 1 "Colonialism and the Countryside"

Meaning

Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu were Santhal brothers who led the Santhal Hul (1855–56). On 30 June 1855 they called the Santhals to drive out dikus (outsiders), zamindars and the British, and to set up their own Santhal rule. [2] Sidhu was captured in mid-August 1855 and later hanged. Kanhu was executed on 23 February 1856. [2]

They matter because their rising was one of the largest tribal revolts under Company rule. It was crushed, but it still forced the British to create the Santhal Pargana, a separate district with special laws.

Explanation

Background: why the brothers rose

• The Santhals were invited as pioneers.
• Pioneers here means the first settlers, who cut down forest and made fields.
• They settled in the Rajmahal hills of the Bengal Presidency.

• Their tract was the Damin-i-Koh ("skirts of the hills"), land the Company marked off for Santhal farming. [2]

• Within two decades the land began slipping from their hands. Three pressures hit them at the same time:

• The colonial state: heavy and rising taxes on land the Santhals themselves had cleared. A bad harvest meant they had to borrow.
• Moneylenders (dikus): diku is the Santhal word for "outsider", mostly traders and moneylenders from the plains. They charged very high interest and took over the land of anyone who could not repay. Britannica also names mahajans (moneylenders) and landlords as the main targets. [2]

• Zamindars: landlords claimed rights over the Damin area, which the Santhals believed was theirs because they had cleared it.

• So by the 1850s Sidhu and Kanhu's enemies were clear: zamindars, moneylenders and the colonial state.

The call to revolt: 30 June 1855

• Who led: the class 8 NCERT book names the brothers Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu. The class 12 book's image caption calls the leader Sidhu Manjhi.
• The gathering: on 30 June 1855 the brothers spoke to about 10,000 Santhals in the heart of Damin-i-Koh. [2]
• The message:
• They said Thakur Bonga (the great spirit) had appeared to them.

• He had ordered them to clear the land of outsiders (mahajans, zamindars and the British) and set up Santhal rule. [2]

• The aim: an ideal world of Santhal rule. The rebels declared their own government and vowed to "fight to the last drop of blood."

• The name: Hul means "revolution" in Santhali. [2]
• A wider leadership: Government of India records also name their younger brothers Chand-Bhairav and their sisters Phulo-Jhano. 30 June is observed as Hul Diwas. [3]

Suppression and the fate of the brothers

• At first the British lost ground. The rising took them by surprise.
• Then the army moved in.
• Troops burned whole villages and killed thousands, leaders included.
• Martial law (army rule in place of normal courts) was imposed in the affected districts. [2]

• The fighting lasted about six months. An estimated 15,000–20,000 Santhals died. [2]

• The brothers' end:

• Sidhu was caught in mid-August 1855. Other Santhal leaders betrayed him, and he was later hanged. [2]

• Kanhu was executed on 23 February 1856. [2]

• Indian elites helped the Company: Maharaja Mehtab Chand of Burdwan helped the British against the Santhals, and again in 1857.

Results: what the brothers' revolt achieved

• The Santhal Pargana was created.
• It was 5,500 square miles taken out of Bhagalpur and Birbhum districts.
• It had special laws. The British hoped a territory of their own would calm the Santhals.

• The British called these administrative reforms. They gave the Santhals more self-rule and some protection from exploitation. [2]

• British pictures of the Santhals changed.

• In 1851 the Illustrated London News drew Santhal villages as peaceful places.

• After 1855 it showed "violent and savage deeds", burning villages and chained prisoners, to display British power to readers in Britain.

• The Hul inspired others. It became a model for later tribal risings.

Time, place and evidence

• Period: Company rule in the Bengal Presidency. The rising ran from 1855 to 1856.
• Place: Damin-i-Koh in the Rajmahal hills. The Santhal Pargana was later carved from Bhagalpur and Birbhum districts.
• Key people:
• Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, the main leaders. Sidhu is also called Sidhu Manjhi.
• Chand-Bhairav and Phulo-Jhano, the brothers' siblings. [3]

• Maharaja Mehtab Chand of Burdwan, who helped the British.

• How we know:

• NCERT class 8 (Ch 4 "The Colonial Era in India") and class 12 (Ch 1 "Colonialism and the Countryside"). The class 12 book has an image caption naming Sidhu Manjhi.
• British pictures: the Illustrated London News sketches of 1851 and after 1855.
• Britannica's account of the rebellion, which gives the dates, death toll and martial law. [2]
• Government of India (PIB) records marking Hul Diwas, which name the wider leadership. [3]

Don't confuse with

• Sidhu Manjhi vs Sidhu Murmu: these are the same person. The class 12 caption says "Sidhu Manjhi" and the class 8 book says "Sidhu Murmu". Do not treat them as two leaders.
• Chand-Bhairav and Phulo-Jhano: they also led in the Hul, but Chand-Bhairav were the younger brothers and Phulo-Jhano the sisters. Sidhu-Kanhu were the main leaders. [3]
• Birsa Munda and the Munda Ulgulan: Birsa led the Mundas decades later, at the end of the 19th century. Sidhu-Kanhu led the Santhals in 1855–56. Both used a religious call, so they are easy to mix up.
• The Deccan Riots: these were peasant riots against moneylenders in the Deccan in 1875. They followed the same debt pattern, but they were not a tribal war in Damin-i-Koh.

Prelims Hooks

• Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu led the Santhal Hul (1855–56). Hul means "revolution" in Santhali. [2]
• 30 June 1855: the brothers addressed about 10,000 Santhals, citing an order from Thakur Bonga. This date is now Hul Diwas. [2][3]
• Sidhu was captured in mid-August 1855 and hanged. Kanhu was executed on 23 February 1856. [2]
• Region: Damin-i-Koh, Rajmahal hills. [2]
• Trap: "Phulo-Jhano were Sidhu-Kanhu's brothers" is wrong. Phulo-Jhano were the sisters and Chand-Bhairav the younger brothers. [3]
• Result: the Santhal Pargana, 5,500 sq miles from Bhagalpur and Birbhum, with special laws.

Mains Points

• A defeated revolt still changed the law.
• Sidhu and Kanhu were killed and the rising was crushed.
• Yet the British created the Santhal Pargana with special laws.

• This shows that colonial protection for tribals began as a way to restore order and protect revenue, not out of goodwill.

• Faith as a tool to gather people.

• The brothers did not send petitions. They spoke in the name of Thakur Bonga. [2]
• With no legal way to be heard, a divine command gave their call authority and drew thousands to it.

• Compare this with Birsa Munda and the Kol revolt.

• The "triple exploitation" behind the leadership.

• State taxes, diku debt and zamindari land grabs had one root: the Company turned land into something that could be taxed, mortgaged and sold.
• Tribal custom did not see land this way.
• The same pattern appears again in the Deccan Riots and the Munda Ulgulan.
• In 1851 the Illustrated London News showed Santhal villages as peaceful. After 1855 it showed burning villages. This change shows how the British built the "savage tribe" image for readers at home.

Related concepts

• Diku
• Santhal rebellion
• Santhal Pargana

Read more

• The Santhal Hul, 1855–56