Birsa Munda was born on November 15, 1875. He is one of those freedom fighters who fought for the rights of the tribals and also lost his life at a very young age.
Birsa Munda birth anniversary is celebrated as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ (Photo credit: X/@ChaudhryShankar)
New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to tribal icon Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary. The Centre named his birthday ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ to honour his legacy during the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ in 2021. This day aims to highlight the role of tribal people in preserving India’s heritage, supporting its development, and helping them become part of mainstream society.
Birsa Munda was born on November 15, 1875, in the village of Ulihatu in the Ranchi district of the Bengal Presidency (now the Khunti district of Jharkhand).
Read on to learn more about the tribal icon, Birsa Munda.
Honouring the legacy of the fearless tribal leader & freedom fighter, Dharti Aaba Bhagwan Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary, celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas across India.
His unwavering commitment to the rights & unity of India’s tribal communities remains a beacon of… pic.twitter.com/LqruumxA9r
— DD News (@DDNewslive) November 15, 2024
Birsa Munda: Know all about the tribal icon
Birsa Munda was born in the tribal areas of Bihar and Jharkhand, where he grew up travelling between villages with his parents. He played a key role in helping the tribal community survive.
An Indian tribal freedom fighter, religious leader, and folk hero, Birsa Munda, belonged to the Munda tribe in the Chotanagpur plateau region. He received his education in Salga.
Later, Birsa Munda converted to Christianity to attend the German Mission School. However, he left the school when he learned that the British aimed to convert tribals to Christianity through education. After dropping out, Birsa Munda started a new faith called ‘Birsait.’ Soon, many members of the Munda community joined his faith, which became a challenge for British conversion efforts.
Birsa Munda led the Munda rebellion, also called the Ulgulan revolt.
In August 1897, Birsa and 400 of his soldiers attacked the Khunti police station using arrowheads. In 1898, the Mundas fought the British forces near the Tanga River. The British Army was initially defeated, but later, many tribal leaders in that area were arrested.
Birsa was arrested on March 3, 1900, while he was sleeping with his tribal guerrilla army in the Jamkoipai forest of Chakradharpur. He died in Ranchi Jail on June 9, 1900, at just 25 years old. After his death, his movement ended, but he successfully united the tribal community against the British. Because of his efforts, the colonial authorities had to introduce laws to protect the land rights of the tribals.
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