Bihar, the cradle of Indian civilisation, where human genius unfolded itself in manifold petals age after age, has played a momentous role in our national struggle till the attainment of freedom.
It was here at Champaran that Mahatma Gandhi made his first successful experiment in India’s new nationalism, characterised by emphasis on truth, love, and nonviolence. Response of Bihar to clarion call for liberty in different periods was spontaneous, splendid and fruitful.
Even though the verdict of Plassey (23 June 1757) was in favour of the British but their rising supremacy didn't go unchallenged. A British officer, with experience of Indian affairs, remarked in 1857: "From the days of Mir Kasim Ally, Patna had always been a rebellious city."
The insurrection of Raja Chait Singh of Banaras was supported by Bihar zamindars along with Reza Cawn, the former Aumil of Sasaram. Many of the Ujjainiya Parmar Rajputs of Sasaram backed the uprising against the English Company.
On Aug 29, 1781, Grome, Collector of Saran, wrote:
Narain Singh, Zamindar of Seres and Kutumbah (Gaya), also resisted the march of the Company's troops near Ramnagar at the foot of the Sasaram hills. He was arrested & jailed in Dacca on March 5, 1786. Raja Akbar Ali Khan of Narhat & Samai (Gaya) also rose against the British.
The internet, like historians, has nothing to tell about the Raja. A Google search disappoints. But for some research papers, the name of Raja Narayan Singh of Aurangabad (Bihar) seems to have been dusted off the pages of history.
His forefathers were descendants of the undomitable Samrat Prithvi Raj Chauhan.
Though his birth year could not be verified, he is estimated to be born in 1746.
Raja Narayan Singh revolted against the British East India Co. in 1770. He kept up the banner of revolt till 1782. In 1764, the East India Co. army had defeated the combined armies of Shah Alam of Delhi, Nawab Mir Kasim of Bihar-Bengal and Nawab Sajaudallah of Awadh.
At that time Raja Narayan Singh was a powerful zamindar. Historian K K Dutt says his uncle Raja Vishnu Singh was also a patriot who helped Nawab Sirajudallah in the 1757 Battle of Plassey.
Advocate Nripendra Singh, the Raja’s eighth generation descendant, says, "Raja Narayan Singh’s name comes first in the list of India’s freedom fighters." He wants Raja Narayan Singh named the “First Enemy of the British.” Historian Professor Tarkeshwar Prasad Singh believes history has not done justice with this Legendary King.
It was very clear the Raja would never kowtow to the British. He could have stayed loyal to the British like other zamindars and enjoyed the spoils of station but he chose to refuse to pay the Malgujari tax. With the Malguzari tax the company had given zamindars a free hand to exploit farmers and the other common folk.
The Raja had in 1764 when his uncle Vishnu Singh was Raja ousted British sympathizer Nayab Mehndi Hussain from Durg Katchery in Aurangabad. Impressed, Raja Vishnu Singh abdicated and declared Narayan Singh Raja! But in 1765, Raja Narayan Singh parted with a Malgujari tax of Rs 1.75 lakh to the British.
Come 1770, though, he refused to pay the tax when the region was gripped by famine. He distributed his own wealth to help people tide over the drought.
Great Bengal Famine Of 1770
The famine is one of the many famines and famine-triggered epidemics that devastated the Indian subcontinent during the 18th and 19th century. It is usually attributed to a combination of weather and the policies of the East India Company. The start of the famine has been attributed to a failed monsoon in 1769 that caused widespread drought and two consecutive failed rice crops. The devastation from war, combined with exploitative tax revenue policies of the East India Company after 1765 crippled the economic resources of the rural population.
The famine occurred in Bengal, then ruled by the East India Company. Their territory included modern West Bengal, Bangladesh, and parts of Assam, Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand. It was earlier a province of the Mughal empire from the 16th century and was ruled by a nawab, or governor. In early 18th century, as the Mughal empire started collapsing, the nawab became effectively independent of the Mughal rule.
In the 17th century, the English East India Company was granted the town of Calcutta by the Mughal Prince Shah Shuja. During the following century, the company obtained sole trading rights for the province and became the dominant power in Bengal. In 1757, at the Battle of Plassey, the East India Company defeated the nawab Siraj Ud Daulah, annexing large portions of Bengal afterwards.
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| Battle of Buxar |
In 1764 their military control was reaffirmed at Buxar. The subsequent treaty gave them taxation rights, known as dewan; the Company thereby became the de facto ruler of Bengal.
In addition to its profits from trade, the company had been given rights of taxation in 1764. In Bengal, these profits came from both land tax and trade tariffs. Within the first few years of its ability to tax, the Company doubled the total land tax; most of this revenue flowed back to EIC investors. As the famine approached its height in April 1770, the Company faced declining profits. Acting upon the advice of Mahomed Reza Khan, the Naib, the Council added 10% to the land tax of the ensuing year.
The company had no plan for dealing with the grain shortage, and actions were only taken insofar as they affected the mercantile and trading classes. Land revenue decreased by 14% during the affected year, but recovered rapidly.
According to McLane, the first Governor-General of India, Warren Hastings, acknowledged that tax collecting had become "violent" after 1771
The 1781 revolt in Bihar was an uprising by certain Zamindars and chieftains against the British East India Company in the Indian state of Bihar. The majority of the rebel zamindars were from South Bihar and were likely pushed to revolt due to the recurring droughts which hampered their revenue collections.
Ever since the British acquired Bihar after the Battle of Buxar, many of the zamindars had been causing troubles for the administration by withholding revenue or participating in looting. After the Battle of Buxar, JWF James noted that the zamindars had become "restless".
Following Raja Chait Singh's rebellion in 1781 in Varanasi, many of the zamindars in Bihar used this as an opportunity to regain their autonomy. This was seen as an attempt to take advantage of the sudden challenge to British power.
The British therefore had to take expeditions to bring them back under control. Among the zamindars causing disturbances prior to the revolt were:-
The zamindar of Huseypur, Fateh Bahadur Sahi
had prior to 1781, been waging a guerrilla warfare campaign against the East India Company after being deposed from his estate. Taking advantage of Raja Chait Singh's revolt, he decided to increase the frequency of his raids and met the British forces in a pitched battle accompanied by 20,000 of his own men. However his forces were eventually routed and he was killed in battle.
The zamindar of Seris-Kutumba in Aurangabad, Raja Narain Singh
Had also had a tradition of rebelling. The British retaliated by destroying his Pawai Durg Palace in 1778. Raja Narayan Singh started living in a kaccha house. Thinking that he was down and out, the English sent tax collector Shahmal to the Raja. Wrong move. Shahmal was severely beaten up by the Raja himself and sent packing.
Shahbad's then collector Reginald Hand in his 1781 book 'Early English Administration' referred to the Raja as the “first enemy of British” on page 84 of the book in the chapter 'Powerful Jamidars'.
Raja Narayan Singh worsted the British “hand in hand” from 1770 to 1781; defeated them at Pachvan and stopped them from entering Varanasi on March 5, 1778. In 1781, he offered support to Raja Chait Singh of Ramnagar (Varanasi) against East India Co.
The Raja’s rebellion came out in the open in 1781 when company Major James Crawfurd marched in August that year from Chitra to meet with forces led by Major Moses at Buxar.
On arrival at Sherghaty, Major Crawfurd was directed by the Governor General to take position in the vicinity of Bidjigurh to intercept Chait Singh's troops.
Raja Narayan Singh was ordered to provide boats to Major Crawfurd to cross the Sone. But the Raja refused. Some records say there was a pitched battle on the banks of the Sone. Major Crawfurd was then forced to change route and travel to Rohtas, where Raja Narayan Singh had collected a large body of “matchlock men” to resist the invader. But Raja Narayan Singh again disrupted British plans by joining Bechu Singh and Chait Singh's Fouzdar at Marban with an army of 15,000 men.
Major Crawfurd then took the Kowreah pass. By then Raja Narayan Singh had travelled to Patna to give himself up.
He was arrested and tried, recording his many instances of "rebellion". A British official “Mr. Ross” on October 10, 1781 summed up the case against him thus: "Raja Narain Singh, who betrayed and showed every mark of disaffection to Major Crawfurd…fled repeatedly before him, with a party of some hundred men, and showed not the least inclination to join in the support of the Company's interest."
Sealing the Raja’s stature as the first enemy of the British, a “Mr. Charters” wrote to the Governor-General and Council on May 27, 1782, reporting the “arrest of Narain Singh”.
Submitting proofs against Raja Narayan Singh, Charters wrote, “I apprehend they contain evidence of rebellion sufficient to disqualify him from again exercising the office of zamindar.”
With that charge proved, Raja Narayan Singh was sentenced and sent to Dhaka as a state prisoner on March 5, 1786. He returned to Pawai Durg on being released but died within days of his return.
and joined Fateh Sahi's revolt. He had been remiss in providing his revenue payments. He had gathered a force of 15,000 soldiers and joined with allies of Chait Singh including Bachu Singh. His rebellion was swiftly put down by John Crawfurd and he was jailed. He was restored to his "forfeited" zamindari in 1790 after his release. He had assisted other zamindars with resources and was in secret correspondence with others in an attempt to stir up anti-British sentiment before his arrest.
Raja Akbar Ali of the Mayi clan
controlled the Narhat and Samoy estates in modern-day Gaya district also took part in the rebellion. He had previously been arrested in Patna for owing large unpaid revenue to the British. His estate had been badly affected by the Great Bengal famine of 1770. Akbar Ali likely viewed revolt as the best method of escaping the payment of his arrears. He was able to raise a body of 4000 matchlock men and they murdered a servant of the company by the name of Hotchiss.
Aftermath
This was followed by a period of plundering in the region however he was forced to retreat by the EIC's Captain Powell. He also laid waste to neighbouring zamindaris but eventually, he was forced to flee to Delhi and his zamindari was confiscated. The British were able to put down the revolt without too much trouble given the disorganised approach of the rebels. In the aftermath, the British were able to reassert their control of the region and install loyal zamindars in place of the ones that had been deposed. These new zamindars could be relied upon to provide revenue when required.
1783 forts were demolished in Awadh alone; 700 canons, 200000 firearms, 700000 swords and spears captured and Hindus pretend that Rajputs did nothing in 1857. Countless generations were lost so we could be classified as Huna and Saka by these degenerates.
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