Give a brief account of the Birsa Munda Movement.

Brief Account of the Birsa Munda Movement (Ulgulan - 1899–1900):

The Birsa Munda Movement (उलगुलान - The Great Tumult) was a monumental socio-religious, economic, and anti-colonial tribal revolution in the Chhotanagpur plateau (Ranchi, Jharkhand) led by Bhagwan Birsa Munda (Dharti Aaba - Father of the Earth):

• 1. Causes of the Uprising:
  • Destruction of traditional collective tribal land tenure (Khuntkatti System) by British revenue settlements.
  • Severe exploitation, land alienation, and generational debt servitude imposed by outside exploiters (Dikus: moneylenders, traders, contractors).
  • Aggressive proselytization by Christian missionaries undermining tribal cultural identity.
• 2. Ideology and Course of Revolution:
  • Birsa declared himself a divine prophet (1895), founding the Birsait sect propagating ethical living, monotheism (Singbonga), and total abstinence.
  • Launched armed guerrilla rebellion in 1899 targeting police stations, churches, and moneylenders with bow and arrows to establish independent "Munda Raj".
• 3. Climax and Lasting Impact: Heroic resistance at Dumbari Hill (1900); Birsa was arrested through treachery and martyred in Ranchi jail on 9 June 1900. Forced the British to pass the landmark Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT Act, 1908), legally banning tribal land transfers to non-tribals.