Question map
After the Santhal Uprising subsided, what was/were the measure/measures taken by the colonial government ? 1. The territories called 'Santhal Paraganas' were created. 2. It became illegal for a Santhal to transfer land to a non-Santhal. Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Explanation
The correct answer is option C (Both 1 and 2).
After the Santhal Revolt (1855-56), the Santhal Pargana was created, carving out 5,500 square miles from the districts of Bhagalpur and Birbhum.[1] This confirms that statement 1 is correct.
Regarding statement 2, although the rebellion was crushed, British administrators realised the need to honour local custom in order to maintain peace.[2] The British employed a unique policy in terms of land revenue administration in Santhal Parganas, and the Santhal Parganas Tenancy (Supplementary provisions) Act, 1949, is a codification of many extant rules/regulations as well as Santhal custom[3] that were established after the uprising. These protective measures included restrictions on land transfer to non-Santhals, making statement 2 also correct.
The colonial government recognized that moneylenders (dikus) were charging high rates of interest and taking over the land when debts remained unpaid[1], which had been a major cause of the uprising. Therefore, both administrative and legal measures were implemented to address Santhal grievances.
Sources- [1] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 242 THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY – PART III > p. 242
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewStatement 1 is a direct lift from NCERT Themes Part III (Page 242). Statement 2 is an 'applied history' inference: the NCERT explicitly lists land alienation to 'dikus' (outsiders) as the cause; the administrative solution logically had to address this to restore order. This is a Cause-Effect question masquerading as a factual one.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Did the British colonial government create the Santhal Parganas as a distinct administrative territory after the Santhal Uprising (1855–56)?
- Statement 2: After the Santhal Uprising (1855–56), did British colonial authorities make it illegal for Santhals to transfer land to non-Santhals?
- Explicitly states that 'It was after the Santhal Revolt (1855-56) that the Santhal Pargana was created.'
- Gives administrative detail: carved out 5,500 square miles from Bhagalpur and Birbhum, indicating a formal territorial creation.
States that a large area (Damin-i-Koh) was declared to be 'the land of the Santhals' with a formal land grant and mapped boundaries.
A student could check whether such formal designation was later accompanied by legal restrictions on sale/transfer in colonial records or subsequent tenancy/land acts for that territory.
Records that the Santhal Pargana was created after the revolt, carving out territory from existing districts.
One could inspect administrative orders establishing the Pargana for clauses limiting alienation of land by Santhals to outsiders.
Explains that Santhals were invited to settle, given land, and that the territory was surveyed, demarcated and enclosed with boundary pillars.
Survey and demarcation often precede special legal regimes; a student might examine land survey records or local regulations to see if transfer restrictions were recorded.
Notes that tribal lands were being leased out to non-Santhal zamindars, which was a specific grievance leading to the uprising.
Given this grievance, a student could look for post-rebellion measures aimed at preventing leasing/alienation to non-Santhals as a remedy in official correspondence or legislation.
Describes dispossession of Santhal lands by moneylenders and zamindars with official support — the core problem behind the rebellion.
A student might search for colonial policy responses to such dispossession (e.g., protective rules for tribal land) in the administrative reports after 1856.
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter (Statement 1) + Logical Extension (Statement 2). Source: NCERT Themes in Indian History Part III, Chapter 9, Page 242.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Colonial Response to Resistance. The syllabus isn't just the 'Event' (Rebellion), but the 'State's Reaction' (Administrative/Legal changes).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Map other Rebellion-Outcome pairs: 1) Munda Rebellion → Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908); 2) Deccan Riots → Deccan Agriculturists Relief Act (1879); 3) Indigo Revolt → Indigo Commission (1860); 4) Pabna Revolt → Bengal Tenancy Act (1885).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Stop memorizing just leaders (Sidhu/Kanhu). Shift focus to the 'Aftermath'. Did the rebellion fail, or did it force the British to pass a specific Act or redraw a map? The 'Outcome' column is high-yield.
The statement links the 1855–56 uprising directly to the creation of Santhal Pargana; references describe the revolt and the territory carved out afterwards.
High-yield for UPSC: explains how tribal uprisings influenced colonial administrative responses and territorial reorganisation. Connects to topics on peasant/tribal resistance, colonial policy shifts, and post-rebellion administrative measures. Useful for answer-writing on causes, course, and consequences of rural/tribal revolts.
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 242 THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY – PART III > p. 242
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 6: People’s Resistance Against British Before 1857 > The Santhal Rebellion (1855-56) > p. 157
References describe earlier British demarcation (Damin-i-Koh) and formal settlement of Santhals, showing a pattern of colonial territorial engineering.
Important for framing questions on colonial land policies and tribal settlement schemes; links to revenue policy, forest clearance, and displacement issues. Helps explain continuity between pre-revolt land policies and post-revolt administrative changes.
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 2. The Hoe and the Plough > p. 241
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 2.2 The Santhals: Pioneer settlers > p. 240
Sources attribute the Santhal uprising to exploitation by zamindars and moneylenders backed by colonial apparatus, a proximate cause for administrative response.
Useful for answering 'causes of revolts' questions; ties social-economic exploitation to political outcomes and administrative reactions. Helps integrate social history with administrative changes in essays and selective questions.
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 242 THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY – PART III > p. 242
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science, Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: The Colonial Era in India > Tribal uprisings > p. 106
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 6: People’s Resistance Against British Before 1857 > The Santhal Rebellion (1855-56) > p. 157
The references state that after the Santhal revolt the Santhal Pargana was created, indicating an administrative response by the colonial state to the uprising.
High-yield for questions on colonial administrative reforms and tribal policy: explains how rebellions produced territorial/administrative changes. Links to land policy, tribal autonomy, and British strategies of pacification. Learn by mapping uprisings to consequent administrative acts and comparing similar responses (e.g., settlements or special districts).
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 242 THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY – PART III > p. 242
Sources describe Damin-i-Koh being declared 'land of the Santhals' with specific grant conditions, showing pre-revolt land arrangements.
Important for questions on colonial land policies and tribal settlement schemes: shows how the British demarcated and regulated tribal lands (conditions like cultivation quotas). Connects to broader themes of forest policy, settlement incentives, and causes of dispossession. Study by noting terms of grants and their implications for ownership and alienation.
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 2. The Hoe and the Plough > p. 241
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 2.2 The Santhals: Pioneer settlers > p. 240
Multiple references link the rebellion to Santhals losing lands to zamindars and moneylenders with colonial support—central to understanding why they revolted.
Crucial for exam answers on causes of tribal uprisings and colonial rural distress: ties economic exploitation, revenue regime and social change to popular resistance. Helps frame analytical answers comparing causes across uprisings. Prepare by cataloguing economic and administrative drivers in each major revolt.
- THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE > 242 THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY – PART III > p. 242
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 18: Early Resistance to British Rule > Santhal Hool (rebellion) (1855-56) > p. 292
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 6: People’s Resistance Against British Before 1857 > The Santhal Rebellion (1855-56) > p. 157
The 'Damin-i-Koh' Grant Conditions (NCERT p. 241). Before the revolt, Santhals were given land with a specific stipulation: they had to clear and cultivate at least one-tenth of the area within the first ten years. This specific quota is a potential future statement.
Use 'Grievance-Redressal Logic'. The NCERT states the rebellion was caused by 'dikus' (outsiders) taking land. For the uprising to 'subside' via government measures, the measure MUST address the root cause. Therefore, banning land transfer to non-Santhals (Statement 2) is the only logically consistent administrative response.
Mains GS2 (Tribal Rights/Schedule V): The restriction on land transfer in Santhal Parganas is the historical ancestor of the 'Land Transfer Prohibition' clauses in the Fifth Schedule and the PESA Act. Use this to argue for the historical continuity of protecting tribal land rights.