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With reference to the history of India, "Ulgulan" or the Great Tumult is the description of which of the following events ?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 4: Birsa Munda's Revolt of 1899 - 1900.
The term "Ulgulan" (meaning the Great Tumult) is specifically associated with the tribal uprising led by Birsa Munda in the Chotanagpur region. This movement was a response against the destruction of the traditional Khuntkatti (joint landholding) system by colonial policies, moneylenders (dikus), and missionaries.
Why other options are incorrect:
- The Revolt of 1857: Known as the First War of Independence or the Sepoy Mutiny.
- The Mappila Rebellion (1921): An agrarian riot by Muslim peasants in Kerala against Hindu landlords and British rule.
- The Indigo Revolt (1859-60): A peasant movement in Bengal against forced indigo cultivation.
Birsa Munda aimed to establish a Munda Raj and reform tribal society. His leadership earned him the title Dharti Aba (Father of the Earth), making "Ulgulan" synonymous with his specific revolutionary legacy.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a classic 'Reward for Reading' question. It checks if you read the text of the chapter rather than just the summary tables. The term 'Ulgulan' is bolded in standard texts like Spectrum and NCERT. If you missed this, you are skimming, not studying.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: In the history of India, is "Ulgulan" (the Great Tumult) the name used for the Revolt of 1857?
- Statement 2: In the history of India, is "Ulgulan" (the Great Tumult) the name used for the Mappila Rebellion of 1921?
- Statement 3: In the history of India, is "Ulgulan" (the Great Tumult) the name used for the Indigo Revolt of 1859–60?
- Statement 4: In the history of India, is "Ulgulan" (the Great Tumult) the name used for Birsa Munda's Revolt of 1899–1900?
- Explicitly names Ulgulan as a revolt led by Birsa Munda dated 1899-1900.
- By giving the date 1899-1900, this passage assigns Ulgulan to a different event than the 1857 revolt.
- Defines the Munda Rebellion as "also known as the Ulgulan or the Great Tumult."
- Provides the date for that Ulgulan as occurring "between 1899 and 1900," distinguishing it from 1857.
- Describes Ulgulan (The Great Tumult) as the movement founded by Birsa Munda aiming to overthrow British authorities.
- Associates the term Ulgulan with Birsa Munda’s late-19th-century tribal movement rather than with 1857.
Explicitly associates 'the Ulgulan' with the Birsa Munda tribal uprising of 1899–1900, showing the term is used for a later tribal revolt rather than 1857.
A student could note the temporal mismatch and check that 'Ulgulan' refers to the Munda movement (1899–1900) not the 1857 events, making it unlikely to be a common name for 1857.
A standard NCERT account of the 1857 Revolt describes its leaders, spread, and popular nature yet does not use the term 'Ulgulan' or any alternate indigenous label in this snippet.
A student could infer that major textbook treatments of 1857 would likely mention a widely used indigenous name if one existed, so absence here weakly counts against 'Ulgulan' being a common name for 1857.
Another standard description (same chapter) gives dates, places and key incidents of 1857 without using 'Ulgulan', reinforcing that mainstream accounts of 1857 do not employ that term.
Combine this absence with the explicit use of 'Ulgulan' for 1899–1900 (snip 5) to suspect 'Ulgulan' is not a name for the 1857 Revolt.
Describes legislative and administrative consequences of the 1857 Revolt (1858 Act) without referring to 'Ulgulan', indicating conventional terminology for 1857 is 'Revolt of 1857' or similar.
A student could use this to argue that major consequences and formal records use the standard name, so 'Ulgulan' likely refers to a different event.
Discusses various pre-1857 resistances and labels them by region and tribe, demonstrating that Indian uprisings often have specific tribal/regional names (e.g., Ho, Munda), suggesting 'Ulgulan' might be a tribal/regional label separate from the pan-Indian 1857 label.
A student could reason that 'Ulgulan' being attached to a tribal uprising (see snip 5) fits the pattern of region-specific names, making it less likely to be a general name for 1857.
- Explicitly identifies 'Ulgulan' as the name of the Munda Rebellion (not Mappila rebellion).
- States the rebellion took place in 1899–1900, showing a different event and date than 1921.
- Refers to 'Ulgulan (Revolt) of 1899-1900' under Birsa Munda, linking the term to the 1899–1900 Munda uprising.
- Confirms 'Ulgulan' denotes the Munda revolt rather than any 1921 Mappila events.
- States the Ranchi Munda Rebellion (1899–1900) 'is known in history as ‘Ulgulan’ in Munda language.'
- Clarifies the meaning and usage of 'Ulgulan' as tied to the Munda uprising, not to the 1921 Mappila rebellion.
Explicitly identifies 'the rebellion (ulgulan) of the Munda tribesmen led by Birsa Munda' in 1899–1900, linking the term Ulgulan to the Munda uprising.
Compare the regions/communities named here (Mundas, Chotta Nagpur) with the Mappila/Malabar context to judge whether Ulgulan ordinarily refers to Mappila events.
Refers to the Ulgulan as one of the significant tribal uprisings (connected to Birsa Munda), reinforcing that Ulgulan is used for that tribal revolt.
Use this pattern (Ulgulan = Birsa Munda uprising) and basic geography to see if the 1921 Mappila Rebellion, occurring in a different region, would likely have the same local name.
Discusses multiple Mappila/Moplah incidents in Malabar across the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, framing the Mappila struggles as region-specific (Malabar) with recurring local labels.
A student could check whether local Malabar sources or histories use 'Ulgulan' for their rebellions or prefer terms like 'Mappila'/'Moplah' uprisings.
Describes the Mappila movement's grievances and its merger with the Khilafat agitation, situating the 1921 events in Malabar under the label 'Mappila movement/revolt'.
Combine this naming pattern (Mappila Revolt) with the fact that Ulgulan is tied to Birsa Munda to infer that 'Ulgulan' is not the standard name for the 1921 Malabar events.
Uses the term 'Moplah/Moplahs' and notes repeated uprisings in Malabar leading up to 1921, indicating a local/religio-ethnic label for those revolts rather than the tribal term Ulgulan.
A student can contrast the ethnic/region-based naming conventions shown here (Moplah/Mappila for Malabar) with the tribal-specific name 'Ulgulan' for Birsa Munda's revolt.
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- Explicitly identifies Ulgulan as the revolt led by Birsa Munda and gives the dates 1899–1900.
- Directly contradicts the claim that Ulgulan refers to the Indigo Revolt of 1859–60 by assigning it to a later, different uprising.
- States that the Munda Rebellion is "also known as the Ulgulan or the Great Tumult" and gives the dates 1899–1900.
- Links the name Ulgulan specifically to the Munda uprising, not to the Indigo Revolt of 1859–60.
- Refers to Ulgulan as "The Great Tumult" and describes it as Birsa Munda’s movement against British authorities.
- Associates the term Ulgulan with the Munda movement rather than with the Indigo Revolt.
Explicitly gives the Indigo Revolt as occurring in Bengal in 1859–60 and describes its nature and leaders (peasants vs European planters).
A student could use this date and region (Bengal, 1859–60) on a timeline/map to check whether the label 'Ulgulan' appears in Bengal sources for that event.
Also describes the Indigo Revolt in Bengal (1859) with named leaders and specifics of the peasant resistance, reinforcing the event's location and date.
Compare the leaders/region/dates here with sources that use the term 'Ulgulan' to see if they match; mismatches would argue against the statement.
Defines 'the rebellion (ulgulan) of the Munda tribesmen led by Birsa Munda' as occurring in 1899–1900 in the Chota Nagpur region, giving an explicit use of the term 'ulgulan' for a distinct later tribal uprising.
A student can note the different date (1899–1900) and region (Chota Nagpur) and thus test whether 'ulgulan' is primarily associated with the Munda revolt rather than the 1859–60 Indigo Revolt in Bengal.
States that 'The Ulgulan was one of the most significant tribal uprisings in the period 1860-1920' linked to Mundas, indicating 'Ulgulan' as a name for the Birsa Munda uprising within a later time window.
Using this broader periodization, a student could check whether contemporary or later histories tie the term 'Ulgulan' to events in the 1850s–60s or only to the Munda movement around 1899–1900.
Lists the Indigo Revolt (1859–1862) in a school text, reinforcing the established date range and educational usage for that event.
Cross-reference standard school histories and regional histories: if 'Ulgulan' is absent from Bengal/Indigo entries and present in Munda/Birsa entries, that supports separating the names.
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- Explicitly names the rebellion as 'ulgulan' and ties it to Birsa Munda.
- Gives the dates 1899–1900 for the uprising.
- Identifies the Munda tribesmen and locates the revolt in the Chotta/Chhotanagpur region.
- States that Mundas rose under Birsa Munda in 1899–1900 and refers to the event as the Ulgulan.
- Describes the Ulgulan as a significant tribal uprising in the period 1860–1920.
- Places the uprising in the region south of Ranchi, confirming geographic context.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Direct hit from Spectrum (Chapter: People's Resistance) and TN Class 11 History. Mandatory knowledge for any serious candidate.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Tribal Uprisings (1757–1947). Specifically, the 'Indigenous Vocabulary of Resistance'—UPSC loves asking what a movement called *itself*.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize these Sibling Terms: Santhal Revolt = 'Hool'; Paika Rebellion = 'Paika Bidroha'; Munda enemies = 'Dikus'; Munda land system = 'Khuntkatti'; Oraon movement = 'Tana Bhagat'.
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When making notes on revolts, create a specific column for 'Local/Indigenous Name'. Do not just memorize 'Birsa Munda = 1899'; memorize 'Birsa Munda = Ulgulan = Anti-Diku'.
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Ulgulan is the name given to the late-19th/early-20th century tribal uprising led by Birsa Munda in the Chotanagpur region.
High-yield for distinguishing tribal movements from pan-Indian events: helps answer questions on regional revolts, their leaders, timelines and how they differ in causes and demands from larger rebellions. Connects to topics on tribal polity, land/revenue grievances and regional resistance movements in modern Indian history.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 6: People’s Resistance Against British Before 1857 > Ho and Munda Uprisings (1820-1837) > p. 157
The Revolt of 1857 began as a sepoy mutiny and rapidly spread across large parts of northern and central India.
Core concept for modern Indian history: useful for questions comparing types of uprisings, evaluating claims of 'first war of independence', and mapping the revolt's spread and participants. Links to studies of causes, leadership profiles, and regional variations in resistance.
- Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 8: The Revolt of 1857 > The Revolt of 1857 > p. 133
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 7: The Revolt of 1857 > Starts at Meerut > p. 172
- Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 8: The Revolt of 1857 > MODERN INDIA > p. 140
The revolt led to the end of Company rule and the transfer of authority to the British Crown with accompanying administrative changes.
Essential for answering cause–effect and impact questions: explains institutional shifts in governance, legal changes and policy reforms after 1857. Connects to colonial administrative history, constitutional changes and subsequent British strategies to prevent future uprisings.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 7: The Revolt of 1857 > Consequences > p. 182
Ulgulan is the local name given to the tribal uprising led by Birsa Munda in Chota Nagpur during 1899–1900.
High-yield for UPSC because precise naming, leader and date linkage helps place tribal resistance in the broader chronology of Indian anti-colonial movements; connects to topics on tribal land rights and forest-society conflicts. Mastering this prevents conflation of regionally named revolts and aids in answering questions on causes and outcomes of tribal uprisings.
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 18: Early Resistance to British Rule > Munda Rebellion > p. 292
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 6: People’s Resistance Against British Before 1857 > Ho and Munda Uprisings (1820-1837) > p. 157
The Mappila uprising of 1921 occurred in Malabar and was linked with agrarian grievances and the Khilafat-Non-Cooperation context, distinct from Ulgulan.
Important for UPSC as it highlights communal and agrarian dimensions of regional revolts and their interaction with pan-Indian movements (e.g., Khilafat, Non-Cooperation). Knowing this helps answer comparative questions on rural unrest, communalisation of movements, and regional variations.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 31: Peasant Movements 1857-1947 > Mappila Revolt > p. 579
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 31: Peasant Movements 1857-1947 > Mappila Revolt > p. 580
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 6: People’s Resistance Against British Before 1857 > Moplah Uprisings > p. 153
Revolts in colonial India are often identified by local names tied to specific leaders, regions and years; accurate identification requires matching all three attributes.
Crucial for UPSC to avoid misattribution (e.g., mixing up Ulgulan with Mappila 1921). This concept improves accuracy in chronology questions, source-based questions, and comparative essays on peasant/tribal movements.
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 18: Early Resistance to British Rule > Munda Rebellion > p. 292
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 31: Peasant Movements 1857-1947 > Mappila Revolt > p. 579
Ulgulan refers to the tribal rebellion led by Birsa Munda in 1899–1900, not the mid-19th century indigo peasant movement.
High-yield for UPSC because it tests precise naming and dating of tribal movements; helps distinguish tribal revolts from peasant uprisings and supports accurate chronology-based answers and matching questions. It links to topics on tribal policy, land alienation, and leadership figures in colonial resistance.
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 18: Early Resistance to British Rule > Munda Rebellion > p. 292
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 6: People’s Resistance Against British Before 1857 > Ho and Munda Uprisings (1820-1837) > p. 157
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The 'Khuntkatti' System. This was the joint land-holding system of the Mundas that the British replaced with individual ownership, triggering the Ulgulan. Expect a question linking Khuntkatti to the Munda revolt.
Linguistic Profiling. 'Ulgulan' has a distinct tribal (Austro-Asiatic) phonetic sound. 'Mappila' is Malayalam/Arabic. 'Indigo' is usually associated with 'Nil Bidroha' (Bengali). The Revolt of 1857 is 'Ghadar' (Hindustani). The sound of the word points directly to the Chotanagpur tribal belt.
Mains GS1 (Society) & GS3 (Internal Security): The Ulgulan is the historical ancestor of modern tribal assertions. Link it to the 5th Schedule (PESA Act) and the root causes of Left Wing Extremism (alienation from land/forest rights).
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