With reference to the history of India, ‘Ulgulan’ or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following events?

Correct Option

• Ulgulan, meaning 'Great Tumult', refers to the rebellion led by Birsa Munda.
• This significant tribal uprising occurred between 1899 and 1900 in the Chotanagpur plateau region.
• It was primarily a protest against the exploitation by landlords (dikus), moneylenders, and the British administration, who encroached upon tribal land and disrupted their traditional Munda agrarian system (Khuntkatti system).
• The movement aimed to assert tribal land rights, achieve self-rule (Munda Raj), and protect the Munda community from external exploitation.
• Although Birsa Munda was arrested and died in jail in 1900, the rebellion prompted the British government to enact the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908, which provided certain protections to tribal land ownership.

Incorrect Options

The Revolt of 1857:

The Revolt of 1857 was a widespread uprising primarily involving sepoys, peasants, and local rulers across large parts of North and Central India. Its causes were diverse, including military grievances, annexation policies, and economic exploitation. It was not a localized tribal movement like Ulgulan.

The Mappila rebellion of 1921:

The Mappila Rebellion, also known as the Malabar Rebellion, occurred in 1921 in Kerala. It was an uprising by the Mappila Muslim tenant farmers against Hindu landlords (jenmis) and the British administration, often linked to the Khilafat Movement. Its primary issues were agrarian grievances and communal tensions, distinct from the tribal land and autonomy demands of Ulgulan.

The Indigo revolt of 1859–60:

The Indigo Revolt took place in Bengal between 1859 and 1860. It was a peasant movement against European indigo planters who forced cultivators to grow indigo under exploitative terms. This revolt was an agrarian protest by non-tribal peasants against forced commercial cultivation, differing significantly from the tribal uprising led by Birsa Munda.