In Orissa, the Khond Uprising occurred in 1837 and 1856. Chakra Bisoi was the leader of the Khond people. The Khonds of Orissa were instrumental in planning the insurrection against the British government in 1857. Tribals from Ghumsar, China ki Medi, Kalahandi, and Patna were among those who rebelled. Chakra Bisnoi, a young Raja, was the movement’s leader.
Khond Uprisings – Background
- Between 1837 and 1856, the Khonds of the mountainous areas spanning from Odisha to the Andhra Pradesh districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam revolted against Company control.
- Chakra Bisoi, a youthful raja, led the Khonds, who were supported by the Ghumsar, Kalahandi, and other tribes, in their opposition to the abolition of human sacrifice, increased taxes, and the arrival of zamindars into their territories.
- The insurrection came to an end with Chakra Bisoi’s disappearance.
Khond Uprisings
- Many factors contributed to the insurrection, including the British government’s decision to discontinue the Mariah System, the imposition of additional taxes by the British government, and the influx of Zamindars and Moneylenders into tribal regions, which caused the tribals immense agony.
- The prohibition of the practice of ‘Mariah’ was the central issue of the Khond rebellion.
- It was a form of human sacrifice that the British government outlawed. However, this was not the sole reason for the rebellion in Khond.
- The imposition of new levies and the entrance of Zamindars and moneylenders into traditional tribal lands were further factors.
- As a result, the Khonds were disenfranchised and subjugated, and hatred toward the British authority started to fester.
- The Khonds fought the British with bows and arrows, hatchets, and axes, but their courage was unable to counter British technical advances, and their uprising was put down by force.
- The Khonds battled with Tangi, a type of war axe, bows, arrows, and swords against the British government’s Mariah Agency.
- The Savaras and other militia clans commanded by Radhakrishna Dandasena joined it later. In 1855, Chakra Bisoi vanished.
- The hope that foreign domination would stop and that they may win autonomy sparked a subsequent Khond insurrection in the Orissa area in 1914.
Khond People
- The Khonds (also spelled Kondha, Kandha, and other variations) is an Indian tribal group.
- For census purposes, they are divided into hill-dwelling Khonds and plain-dwelling Khonds.
- All Khonds identify by the clan and typically own large tracts of fertile land, but continue to practice hunting, gathering, and slash-and-burn agriculture in the forests as a symbol of their connection to and ownership of the forest.
- The Kui and Kuvi languages are spoken by Khonds, and they are written in Odia script.
- The Khonds are skilled land dwellers with a stronger capacity to adapt to the woodland environment.
- They are, nevertheless, driven into the contemporary way of life in many respects as a result of development initiatives in education, medical facilities, irrigation, plantation, and other areas.
- Their physical characteristics are marked by symmetry and strength.
- The color of their skin varies from light bamboo to a deep copper hue, with the heel aligned with the rear of the thigh.
Conclusion
The Khond is an Indian aboriginal group that lives mostly in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam regions. This tribe spanned the central regions of India, from Bengal to Tamil Nadu. They are Orissa’s major tribal clans. In Orissa, the Khond Uprising occurred in 1846 and 1855. Chakra Bisoi was the leader of the Khond people. The Khonds of Orissa was instrumental in planning the insurrection against the British government in 1857.
