Popular Uprisings & Revolts (1763-1947) #
This list follows a broad chronology and covers the essential leaders, regions, and outcomes.
The Master Chronological Table #
| Year | Uprising | Leaders | Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1763-1800 | Sanyasi-Fakir Revolt | Majnu Shah, Musa Shah, Bhawani Pathak, Devi Chaudhurani | Bengal and Bihar; linked with famine, revenue pressure, and restrictions on ascetics. Bankim’s Anandamath was inspired by this background. |
| 1766-1816 | Chuar Uprisings | Jagannath Singh, Durjan Singh, Rani Shiromani | Jungle Mahal region of Midnapore, Bankura, and Manbhum; resistance against revenue demands and displacement. |
| 1770s-1780s | Pahariya Resistance | Pahariya chiefs | Rajmahal Hills; resistance against Company expansion and outside penetration. |
| 1783 | Rangpur Dhing / Rangpur Rebellion | Dirjinarain, peasants of Rangpur | Bengal; anti-revenue revolt against oppressive revenue farming under Debi Singh. |
| 1795-1805 | Polygar Revolts | Veerapandiya Kattabomman, Marudu brothers, Dheeran Chinnamalai | Tamil region; armed resistance by local chieftains against British control and tribute demands. |
| 1799-1800 | Bhoomji / Bhumij Resistance in Jungle Mahal | Local Bhumij leaders | Early resistance in Jungle Mahal areas; often connected with the wider Chuar resistance. |
| 1806 | Vellore Mutiny | Indian sepoys, sons of Tipu Sultan involved | Early sepoy revolt in Madras Presidency; triggered by military dress regulations and religious fears. |
| 1808-1809 | Travancore Revolt | Velu Thampi Dalawa | Revolt against British interference and subsidiary alliance pressures. |
| 1817-1818 | Paika Rebellion | Bakshi Jagabandhu | Odisha; armed rebellion of Paikas against British revenue policy and loss of traditional privileges. |
| 1818-1831 | Bhil Uprisings | Sewaram, Bhil chiefs | Khandesh and Western India; resistance to British interference, famine, and administrative disruption. |
| 1818-1862 | Faraizi Movement | Haji Shariatullah, Dudu Miyan | East Bengal; religious reform movement that also mobilized peasants against zamindari oppression. |
| 1822-1829 | Ramosi Uprising | Chittur Singh, Umaji Naik | Western India; Ramosi communities resisted British rule, revenue pressure, and loss of traditional employment. |
| 1820s-1870s | Wahabi Movement | Syed Ahmed Barelvi, Wilayat Ali, Inayat Ali | Islamic revivalist movement; important centers included Patna and Sitana. |
| 1825-1835 | Pagal Panthi Revolt | Karam Shah, Tipu Shah | North Bengal and Mymensingh; peasant and tribal protest against zamindars and revenue pressure. |
| 1828-1830 | Ahom Revolt | Gomdhar Konwar, Dhananjay Borgohain | Assam; protest against British failure to restore Ahom rule after the Burmese wars. |
| 1829-1833 | Khasi Uprising | Tirot Sing | Khasi Hills; resistance to British road-building and political interference. |
| 1830s | Singpho Rebellion | Singpho chiefs | Upper Assam; resistance against British expansion and administrative interference. |
| 1831-1832 | Kol Uprising | Buddho Bhagat, Joa Bhagat, Madara Mahato | Chhotanagpur; directed against moneylenders, zamindars, and British-backed outsiders. |
| 1832-1833 | Bhumij Uprising | Ganga Narayan Singh | Manbhum and Jungle Mahal; known as Ganga Narayan’s Hungama. |
| 1837-1856 | Kandh / Khond Uprisings | Chakra Bisoi | Odisha and adjoining hill tracts; resistance to British interference and suppression campaigns. |
| 1844 | Gadkari Revolt | Gadkari soldiers and local leaders | Kolhapur region; revolt by hereditary soldiers affected by administrative changes and unemployment. |
| 1844-1859 | Koya Uprisings | Koya chiefs | Godavari agency areas; early resistance against revenue officials, police, and moneylenders. |
| 1846-1847 | Sambalpur Revolt | Surendra Sai | Odisha; resistance against British annexation and succession interference. |
| 1855-1856 | Santhal Rebellion | Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand, Bhairav, Phulo, Jhano | The Santhal Hool; revolt against moneylenders, zamindars, and officials; led to creation of Santhal Pargana. |
| 1857-1858 | Revolt of 1857 | Mangal Pandey, Rani Lakshmibai, Nana Sahib, Kunwar Singh, Bahadur Shah II, Begum Hazrat Mahal | Major anti-British uprising across north and central India; also called the First War of Independence by nationalist historians. |
| 1859-1860 | Indigo Revolt | Bishnucharan Biswas, Digambar Biswas | Started in Nadia, Bengal; ryots resisted forced indigo cultivation. Subject of Nil Darpan by Dinabandhu Mitra. |
| 1860s-1880s | Kuka / Namdhari Movement | Baba Ram Singh | Punjab; Sikh reform movement with anti-British and anti-cow-slaughter dimensions. |
| 1873-1876 | Pabna Agrarian Unrest | Ishan Chandra Roy, Khoodi Mollah, Shambhu Pal | Bengal; organized anti-rent agitation; contributed to the Bengal Tenancy Act, 1885. |
| 1875 | Deccan Riots | Peasants of Pune and Ahmednagar | Revolt against moneylenders after rural indebtedness; led to Deccan Agriculturists Relief Act, 1879. |
| 1879 | Vasudev Balwant Phadke’s Revolt | Vasudev Balwant Phadke | Maharashtra; early armed nationalist activity with support from Ramosi communities. |
| 1879-1880 | Koya / Rampa Revolt | Tomma Dora and tribal leaders | Godavari hill tracts; protest against forest restrictions, police oppression, and moneylenders. |
| 1891 | Anglo-Manipur Conflict / Manipur Uprising | Tikendrajit Singh, Manipur leaders | Resistance to British intervention in Manipur succession politics. |
| 1899-1900 | Munda Uprising | Birsa Munda | The Ulgulan or Great Tumult; aimed at ending dikus’ exploitation and establishing Munda Raj. |
| 1910 | Bastar Rebellion | Gunda Dhur, tribal communities | Central Provinces; protest against forest laws, forced labour, and administrative intrusion. |
| 1914 onward | Tana Bhagat Movement | Jatra Oraon | Chhotanagpur; Oraon religious and socio-political movement that later connected with Gandhian nationalism. |
| 1917 | Champaran Satyagraha | Mahatma Gandhi, Raj Kumar Shukla | Bihar; peasants resisted tinkathia indigo system; first major Gandhian satyagraha in India. |
| 1918 | Kheda Satyagraha | Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel | Gujarat; peasants demanded revenue suspension after crop failure. |
| 1921 | Moplah / Malabar Rebellion | Ali Musaliar, Variyamkunnath Kunjahammad Haji | Malabar, Kerala; agrarian and religiously charged revolt against landlords and colonial authority. |
| 1921-1922 | Eka Movement | Madari Pasi, peasant groups | Awadh; anti-rent and anti-zamindari peasant movement. |
| 1922-1924 | Rampa Rebellion | Alluri Sitarama Raju | Andhra tribal region; guerrilla struggle against forest laws and colonial rule. |
| 1928 | Bardoli Satyagraha | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | Gujarat; no-tax campaign against revenue enhancement; Patel received the title Sardar. |
| 1930-1932 | Civil Disobedience-linked Tribal and Peasant Actions | Local Congress and peasant leaders | Many local anti-tax, forest, and salt-law protests merged with the national movement. |
| 1930s | Zeliangrong / Naga Movement | Jadonang, Rani Gaidinliu | Naga areas of Manipur and surrounding hills; religious-cultural revival and anti-British resistance. |
| 1936-1939 | All India Kisan Sabha and Peasant Mobilisation | Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, N.G. Ranga, Indulal Yagnik | Organized peasant politics grew stronger; influenced later agrarian movements. |
| 1942 | Quit India Local Uprisings | Matangini Hazra, Chittu Pandey, Nana Patil, local leaders | Parallel governments and popular resistance in Tamluk, Ballia, Satara, and other regions. |
| 1946 | Tebhaga Movement | Sharecroppers, Kisan Sabha leaders, Ila Mitra, Kansari Halder | Bengal; bargadars demanded two-thirds share of produce. |
| 1946-1947 | Punnapra-Vayalar Uprising | Coir workers, communists, peasants | Travancore; working-class and peasant resistance against the princely state. |
| 1946-1951 | Telangana Movement | Peasant revolutionaries, Communist Party leaders | Hyderabad State; armed peasant struggle against the Nizam, jagirdars, and vetti forced labour. |