Tilka Majhi

Tilka Majhi
Statue of Tilka Majhi, Dumka, Jharkhand
Born	Jabra Pahadia 11 February 1750 Tilakpur, Sultanganj, Bihar, India
Died	13 January 1785 Bhagalpur, Bihar, India
Cause of death	Execution by hanging
Nationality	Indian
Occupation(s)	Tribal leader, Revolutionary
Movement	Manjhi Revolt, Tribal resistance against British colonial rule

Tilka Majhi (11 February 1750 – 13 January 1785) was a notable tribal leader and revolutionary from present-day Bihar and Jharkhand, recognized as one of the earliest figures to rebel against British colonial oppression in India. Leading a rebellion from 1771 until his capture and execution in 1785, he mobilized Adivasi communities against the exploitative practices of the East India Company and their allied zamindars and princely rulers. This revolt, often considered the first people's uprising against British rule in India, set a precedent for subsequent tribal rebellions, such as the Santhal Hool of 1855–1856 and other localized resistance movements. He fought against the destruction of forests and the acquisition of tribal lands which they held as sacred commons.

Early life

Tilka Manjhi was born as Jabra Pahadia, into a Santhal family on 11 February 1750 in a small village called Tilakpur located in present-day Sultanganj, Bihar. His name,Tilka, meaning "person with angry red eyes" in Pahadia language was given due to his fierce nature. As a village head, he adopted the title "Manjhi," which signifies a leader in both Pahadia and Santhal communities. Manjhi played a crucial role for worship and leading the Santal community. He was revered as Majhi Baba. His father name was Sundara Murmu. Tilka Manjhi took up arms against the British in 1784, predating the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by more than half a century. He organized the adivasis predominantly Santal to form an armed group to fight against the resource grabbing and exploitation of British.

Tribal leader

In 1784, the first armed rebellion occurred against the British, and was the beginning of the Santal revolt. It was due to a famine in 1770 and the consequences of the Court of Directors order influenced by William Pitt the Younger—the Court of Directors issued a ten year order on the settlement of zamindari. This resulted in a minimal chance to negotiate between local zamdindars and Santhal villagers. Baba Tilka Majhi attacked Augustus Cleveland, the British commissioner lieutenant, and Rajmahal with a gulel (similar to a slingshot). The British surrounded the Tilapore forest from which he operated, although he and his men held them at bay for several weeks. When he was finally caught in 1784, he was tied to the tail of a horse and dragged to the collector's residence at Bhagalpur in Bihar. There, his lacerated body was hung from a Banyan tree.

Our people have lived here since the dawn of creation. We have never been the lords of the earth. The earth is our mother. We are all her children. We are the trustees of this land. It is our responsibility to see that the land continues to sustain future generations that we have not even imagined. This is our heritage. Then how can you, British, an alien race, declare yourselves the lords and masters of the forests that sustain us and give us life? How can you deny us entrance to the only home we have ever known? We will die before we accept this rule.[1]

— Majhi

A statue to him was erected at the spot where he was hanged, after Indian independence. The nearby residence of S.P. Bhagalpur was named after him. Bhagalpur University was renamed after him – Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University.