Page 1
l
RamakrushnaSamantasinghar He was the successor of great poet, Abhimanyu
Samanta Singhar. In August, 1857, with the support of Khandayats, he revolted
against the Sunset Law introduced by Lord Cornwallis.
Tribal Uprising in Odisha
The tribal uprising in Odisha was the result of the British Policy of Intervention in
their religion and social reforms introduced by the British. The missionary activities
carried in different tribal area largely contributed to the tribal uprising.
Some important tribaluprising in Odisha were asfollows:
Ghumsar Uprising
l
The tribals of Ghumsar led by Dora Bissoi was against the British authority. They
started the Ghumsar Uprising in 1835. Major causes behind the uprising were the
suppression of Meriah (human sacrifice) in the Khond dominated area, land
revenue collected from people through Coercive method and the dissolution of the
Bhanja ruling family.
l
Dora Bissoi was a ‘Maliah Bisoi’ or ‘Head Agent’ of the Khonds of Ghumasar area.
But he was arrested by the Britishers from Angul. The uprising after the arrest of
Dora Bissoi was led by Chakra Bissoi.
Bhuyan Uprising
l
Ratna Naik of Keonjhar organised the tribals to fight against the British
Government. He raised them to fight against Dhanurjay, the new king who had
taken away their rights and privileges. Therefore in April 1868 Ratna Naik along
with Bhuyan Sardars broke out the Bhuyan Movement.
l
Ratna Naik wanted to place Brundaban Bhanja as king but he was captured and
awarded capital punishment with six others.
Na’anka Famine of 1866-67
In 1866, Odisha was hit by the most devastating famine in its colonial history. The
people of the state were dependent on winter rice crops for food but the rainfall in
that year was scanty and ceased prematurely due to which, food stocks decreased to a
large extent. However, the government underestimated this situation and no
measures were taken to provide food. The reality of the situation was eventually
understood at the end of May 1865 but by then the monsoon began. Due to
monsoon, transport by sea was extremely difficult and even when grain reached the
coast, it could not be transported to affected parts of the country.
At least a million people died in Odisha due to starvation. The Secretary of state for
India appointed a Commission in December 1866 under the Chairmanship of
George Campbell to look into the matter but by then much devestation had already
occurred.
34 Know Your State ODISHA
Page 2
l
RamakrushnaSamantasinghar He was the successor of great poet, Abhimanyu
Samanta Singhar. In August, 1857, with the support of Khandayats, he revolted
against the Sunset Law introduced by Lord Cornwallis.
Tribal Uprising in Odisha
The tribal uprising in Odisha was the result of the British Policy of Intervention in
their religion and social reforms introduced by the British. The missionary activities
carried in different tribal area largely contributed to the tribal uprising.
Some important tribaluprising in Odisha were asfollows:
Ghumsar Uprising
l
The tribals of Ghumsar led by Dora Bissoi was against the British authority. They
started the Ghumsar Uprising in 1835. Major causes behind the uprising were the
suppression of Meriah (human sacrifice) in the Khond dominated area, land
revenue collected from people through Coercive method and the dissolution of the
Bhanja ruling family.
l
Dora Bissoi was a ‘Maliah Bisoi’ or ‘Head Agent’ of the Khonds of Ghumasar area.
But he was arrested by the Britishers from Angul. The uprising after the arrest of
Dora Bissoi was led by Chakra Bissoi.
Bhuyan Uprising
l
Ratna Naik of Keonjhar organised the tribals to fight against the British
Government. He raised them to fight against Dhanurjay, the new king who had
taken away their rights and privileges. Therefore in April 1868 Ratna Naik along
with Bhuyan Sardars broke out the Bhuyan Movement.
l
Ratna Naik wanted to place Brundaban Bhanja as king but he was captured and
awarded capital punishment with six others.
Na’anka Famine of 1866-67
In 1866, Odisha was hit by the most devastating famine in its colonial history. The
people of the state were dependent on winter rice crops for food but the rainfall in
that year was scanty and ceased prematurely due to which, food stocks decreased to a
large extent. However, the government underestimated this situation and no
measures were taken to provide food. The reality of the situation was eventually
understood at the end of May 1865 but by then the monsoon began. Due to
monsoon, transport by sea was extremely difficult and even when grain reached the
coast, it could not be transported to affected parts of the country.
At least a million people died in Odisha due to starvation. The Secretary of state for
India appointed a Commission in December 1866 under the Chairmanship of
George Campbell to look into the matter but by then much devestation had already
occurred.
34 Know Your State ODISHA
Post Na’anka Era
l
The post Na’anka era after Odisha famine was a little better. The Britishers were
obliged to pay attention to the backward condition in Odisha. In 1867 they raised
the status of Cuttack Zila School to High School. It became a college in 1876. The
opening of educational institutions in Cuttack brought a new consciousness among
the educated people in Odisha. Madhusudan Das became the first graduate of
Odisha.
l
Post Na’anka Era also marked the growth of Modern Oriya Literature. Fakir
Mohan Senapati (1843-1918) and Radhanath Ray (1848-1908) contributed to
Odia literature through their numerous works. Oriya literature was developed
through the writings of Madhusudan Das, Biswanath Kar, Ramasankar Roy,
Gangadhar Meher and Nanda Kishore Bal.
l
The post Na’anka era also saw the development of railways in coastal Odisha from
Bhubaneswar to Khurda in 1896 and from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar in 1897.
Utkal Sabha
The development of education led to the awakening of Oria people. As a result the
first political organisation formed by educated Oria people was Utkal Sabha. In
1882, the Utkal Sabha was established at Cuttack. The first meeting of ‘Utkal
Sabha’ was held in the premises of the Cuttack Printing Press on 16th August,
1882. Many leading people attended the meeting. They decided to establish a
permanent organisation in order to help the institutions of local self-government
particularly in the district of Cuttack.
Chaudhuri Kasinath Das and Gauri Sankar Ray were chosen as the first President
and Secretary of the organisation. Madhusudan Das was also associated with the
Utkal Sabha. Gauri Sankar Ray, the editor of Utkal Dipika, acted as secretary of
the organisation. In 1886, the Utkal Sabha and the National Society sent their
delegates to attend the session of the Indian National Congress. Thereafter, every
year representatives from Cuttack attended the Congress Sessions.
Socio-Religious Movement in Odisha
The political movements also aroused many other movements to change the rigid
social structure and religious set up.These are asfollows:
Satya Mahima Dharma
l
Satya Mahima Dharma (the dharma of the divine glory) is a religious tradition in
Hinduism from Odisha. Mahima Gosain was the founder of Mahima Dharma. In
1862, he became a Siddha and started preaching a new dharma. Mahima Dharma
preached philanthropy.
l
Disciples of Mahima Gosain, Govinda Baba and Bhima Bhoi, spread the message
of Satya Mahima Dharma towards the Central and Western parts of Odisha. The
basic principle of the dharma was to worship one deity, Alekn Para Brahma.
35 Modern History of Odisha
Page 3
l
RamakrushnaSamantasinghar He was the successor of great poet, Abhimanyu
Samanta Singhar. In August, 1857, with the support of Khandayats, he revolted
against the Sunset Law introduced by Lord Cornwallis.
Tribal Uprising in Odisha
The tribal uprising in Odisha was the result of the British Policy of Intervention in
their religion and social reforms introduced by the British. The missionary activities
carried in different tribal area largely contributed to the tribal uprising.
Some important tribaluprising in Odisha were asfollows:
Ghumsar Uprising
l
The tribals of Ghumsar led by Dora Bissoi was against the British authority. They
started the Ghumsar Uprising in 1835. Major causes behind the uprising were the
suppression of Meriah (human sacrifice) in the Khond dominated area, land
revenue collected from people through Coercive method and the dissolution of the
Bhanja ruling family.
l
Dora Bissoi was a ‘Maliah Bisoi’ or ‘Head Agent’ of the Khonds of Ghumasar area.
But he was arrested by the Britishers from Angul. The uprising after the arrest of
Dora Bissoi was led by Chakra Bissoi.
Bhuyan Uprising
l
Ratna Naik of Keonjhar organised the tribals to fight against the British
Government. He raised them to fight against Dhanurjay, the new king who had
taken away their rights and privileges. Therefore in April 1868 Ratna Naik along
with Bhuyan Sardars broke out the Bhuyan Movement.
l
Ratna Naik wanted to place Brundaban Bhanja as king but he was captured and
awarded capital punishment with six others.
Na’anka Famine of 1866-67
In 1866, Odisha was hit by the most devastating famine in its colonial history. The
people of the state were dependent on winter rice crops for food but the rainfall in
that year was scanty and ceased prematurely due to which, food stocks decreased to a
large extent. However, the government underestimated this situation and no
measures were taken to provide food. The reality of the situation was eventually
understood at the end of May 1865 but by then the monsoon began. Due to
monsoon, transport by sea was extremely difficult and even when grain reached the
coast, it could not be transported to affected parts of the country.
At least a million people died in Odisha due to starvation. The Secretary of state for
India appointed a Commission in December 1866 under the Chairmanship of
George Campbell to look into the matter but by then much devestation had already
occurred.
34 Know Your State ODISHA
Post Na’anka Era
l
The post Na’anka era after Odisha famine was a little better. The Britishers were
obliged to pay attention to the backward condition in Odisha. In 1867 they raised
the status of Cuttack Zila School to High School. It became a college in 1876. The
opening of educational institutions in Cuttack brought a new consciousness among
the educated people in Odisha. Madhusudan Das became the first graduate of
Odisha.
l
Post Na’anka Era also marked the growth of Modern Oriya Literature. Fakir
Mohan Senapati (1843-1918) and Radhanath Ray (1848-1908) contributed to
Odia literature through their numerous works. Oriya literature was developed
through the writings of Madhusudan Das, Biswanath Kar, Ramasankar Roy,
Gangadhar Meher and Nanda Kishore Bal.
l
The post Na’anka era also saw the development of railways in coastal Odisha from
Bhubaneswar to Khurda in 1896 and from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar in 1897.
Utkal Sabha
The development of education led to the awakening of Oria people. As a result the
first political organisation formed by educated Oria people was Utkal Sabha. In
1882, the Utkal Sabha was established at Cuttack. The first meeting of ‘Utkal
Sabha’ was held in the premises of the Cuttack Printing Press on 16th August,
1882. Many leading people attended the meeting. They decided to establish a
permanent organisation in order to help the institutions of local self-government
particularly in the district of Cuttack.
Chaudhuri Kasinath Das and Gauri Sankar Ray were chosen as the first President
and Secretary of the organisation. Madhusudan Das was also associated with the
Utkal Sabha. Gauri Sankar Ray, the editor of Utkal Dipika, acted as secretary of
the organisation. In 1886, the Utkal Sabha and the National Society sent their
delegates to attend the session of the Indian National Congress. Thereafter, every
year representatives from Cuttack attended the Congress Sessions.
Socio-Religious Movement in Odisha
The political movements also aroused many other movements to change the rigid
social structure and religious set up.These are asfollows:
Satya Mahima Dharma
l
Satya Mahima Dharma (the dharma of the divine glory) is a religious tradition in
Hinduism from Odisha. Mahima Gosain was the founder of Mahima Dharma. In
1862, he became a Siddha and started preaching a new dharma. Mahima Dharma
preached philanthropy.
l
Disciples of Mahima Gosain, Govinda Baba and Bhima Bhoi, spread the message
of Satya Mahima Dharma towards the Central and Western parts of Odisha. The
basic principle of the dharma was to worship one deity, Alekn Para Brahma.
35 Modern History of Odisha
Christian Missionaries
l
The activities of the Christian Missionaries brought socio-cultural changes in
Odisha. In 1809, William Carey, the Baptist Missionary of Serampore brought the
Odia version of the New Testament which was prepared by an Odia scholar,
named Purushottam Pandit. In 1820s, a number of missionaries such as William
Bampton, James Pegg, Charles Lacey and Amos Sutton came to Odisha and
carried on their activities.
l
The missionaries were the pioneers of westernisation and modernisation. In 1837,
they established the first printing press of Odisha at Cuttack. The missionaries
contributed to the socio-religious reformation in several ways. They established
orphanages in which they gave shelter to the destitute children and rescued
Meriahs. The missionaries also took steps for the education and upliftment of
women.
The Brahmo Movement
l
This movement of Bengal was organised to abolish child marriage and
introduction of widow remarriage. The Brahmo Samaj has been formed in Bengal
in 1828 by Raja Rammohan Roy for spreading monotheism (belief of only one
God). In 1869, Haranath Bhattacharya, a professor of philosophy in the Cuttack
College, and a follower of Keshab Chandra Sen formed Utkal Brahmo Samaj at
Cuttack.
l
The Brahmo Samajis built a Brahmo Mandir at Cuttack and brought out a
number of periodicals. Balasore and Cuttack were the two important centres of
Brahmo movement in Odisha. The leading Odia personalities who were
influenced by Brahmo faith included Fakir Mohan Senapati, Madhusudan Rao,
Pyari Mohan Acharya, Chaturbhuj Pattanayak, Biswanath Kar and Nanda Kishore
Bal. Thus, the Brahmo movement played a great role in the socio-cultural changes
in Odisha.
Conclusion
From the various social and religious movements, there emerged mass political
movements that united the Oriya speaking people. Thus Cuttack became an
important area for the growth of nationalism. The modern history of Odisha led to
the emergence of a new province that was separate from Bengal and hence Odisha
came into being.
Timeline
Period Events
1625 AD Portuguese settlements at Piple (Balasore district)
1633 AD First British settlement at Hariharpur
1765 AD Robert Clive acquired Diwani rights of Odisha
1803 AD English occupied Barabati Fort near Cuttack
36 Know Your State ODISHA
Page 4
l
RamakrushnaSamantasinghar He was the successor of great poet, Abhimanyu
Samanta Singhar. In August, 1857, with the support of Khandayats, he revolted
against the Sunset Law introduced by Lord Cornwallis.
Tribal Uprising in Odisha
The tribal uprising in Odisha was the result of the British Policy of Intervention in
their religion and social reforms introduced by the British. The missionary activities
carried in different tribal area largely contributed to the tribal uprising.
Some important tribaluprising in Odisha were asfollows:
Ghumsar Uprising
l
The tribals of Ghumsar led by Dora Bissoi was against the British authority. They
started the Ghumsar Uprising in 1835. Major causes behind the uprising were the
suppression of Meriah (human sacrifice) in the Khond dominated area, land
revenue collected from people through Coercive method and the dissolution of the
Bhanja ruling family.
l
Dora Bissoi was a ‘Maliah Bisoi’ or ‘Head Agent’ of the Khonds of Ghumasar area.
But he was arrested by the Britishers from Angul. The uprising after the arrest of
Dora Bissoi was led by Chakra Bissoi.
Bhuyan Uprising
l
Ratna Naik of Keonjhar organised the tribals to fight against the British
Government. He raised them to fight against Dhanurjay, the new king who had
taken away their rights and privileges. Therefore in April 1868 Ratna Naik along
with Bhuyan Sardars broke out the Bhuyan Movement.
l
Ratna Naik wanted to place Brundaban Bhanja as king but he was captured and
awarded capital punishment with six others.
Na’anka Famine of 1866-67
In 1866, Odisha was hit by the most devastating famine in its colonial history. The
people of the state were dependent on winter rice crops for food but the rainfall in
that year was scanty and ceased prematurely due to which, food stocks decreased to a
large extent. However, the government underestimated this situation and no
measures were taken to provide food. The reality of the situation was eventually
understood at the end of May 1865 but by then the monsoon began. Due to
monsoon, transport by sea was extremely difficult and even when grain reached the
coast, it could not be transported to affected parts of the country.
At least a million people died in Odisha due to starvation. The Secretary of state for
India appointed a Commission in December 1866 under the Chairmanship of
George Campbell to look into the matter but by then much devestation had already
occurred.
34 Know Your State ODISHA
Post Na’anka Era
l
The post Na’anka era after Odisha famine was a little better. The Britishers were
obliged to pay attention to the backward condition in Odisha. In 1867 they raised
the status of Cuttack Zila School to High School. It became a college in 1876. The
opening of educational institutions in Cuttack brought a new consciousness among
the educated people in Odisha. Madhusudan Das became the first graduate of
Odisha.
l
Post Na’anka Era also marked the growth of Modern Oriya Literature. Fakir
Mohan Senapati (1843-1918) and Radhanath Ray (1848-1908) contributed to
Odia literature through their numerous works. Oriya literature was developed
through the writings of Madhusudan Das, Biswanath Kar, Ramasankar Roy,
Gangadhar Meher and Nanda Kishore Bal.
l
The post Na’anka era also saw the development of railways in coastal Odisha from
Bhubaneswar to Khurda in 1896 and from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar in 1897.
Utkal Sabha
The development of education led to the awakening of Oria people. As a result the
first political organisation formed by educated Oria people was Utkal Sabha. In
1882, the Utkal Sabha was established at Cuttack. The first meeting of ‘Utkal
Sabha’ was held in the premises of the Cuttack Printing Press on 16th August,
1882. Many leading people attended the meeting. They decided to establish a
permanent organisation in order to help the institutions of local self-government
particularly in the district of Cuttack.
Chaudhuri Kasinath Das and Gauri Sankar Ray were chosen as the first President
and Secretary of the organisation. Madhusudan Das was also associated with the
Utkal Sabha. Gauri Sankar Ray, the editor of Utkal Dipika, acted as secretary of
the organisation. In 1886, the Utkal Sabha and the National Society sent their
delegates to attend the session of the Indian National Congress. Thereafter, every
year representatives from Cuttack attended the Congress Sessions.
Socio-Religious Movement in Odisha
The political movements also aroused many other movements to change the rigid
social structure and religious set up.These are asfollows:
Satya Mahima Dharma
l
Satya Mahima Dharma (the dharma of the divine glory) is a religious tradition in
Hinduism from Odisha. Mahima Gosain was the founder of Mahima Dharma. In
1862, he became a Siddha and started preaching a new dharma. Mahima Dharma
preached philanthropy.
l
Disciples of Mahima Gosain, Govinda Baba and Bhima Bhoi, spread the message
of Satya Mahima Dharma towards the Central and Western parts of Odisha. The
basic principle of the dharma was to worship one deity, Alekn Para Brahma.
35 Modern History of Odisha
Christian Missionaries
l
The activities of the Christian Missionaries brought socio-cultural changes in
Odisha. In 1809, William Carey, the Baptist Missionary of Serampore brought the
Odia version of the New Testament which was prepared by an Odia scholar,
named Purushottam Pandit. In 1820s, a number of missionaries such as William
Bampton, James Pegg, Charles Lacey and Amos Sutton came to Odisha and
carried on their activities.
l
The missionaries were the pioneers of westernisation and modernisation. In 1837,
they established the first printing press of Odisha at Cuttack. The missionaries
contributed to the socio-religious reformation in several ways. They established
orphanages in which they gave shelter to the destitute children and rescued
Meriahs. The missionaries also took steps for the education and upliftment of
women.
The Brahmo Movement
l
This movement of Bengal was organised to abolish child marriage and
introduction of widow remarriage. The Brahmo Samaj has been formed in Bengal
in 1828 by Raja Rammohan Roy for spreading monotheism (belief of only one
God). In 1869, Haranath Bhattacharya, a professor of philosophy in the Cuttack
College, and a follower of Keshab Chandra Sen formed Utkal Brahmo Samaj at
Cuttack.
l
The Brahmo Samajis built a Brahmo Mandir at Cuttack and brought out a
number of periodicals. Balasore and Cuttack were the two important centres of
Brahmo movement in Odisha. The leading Odia personalities who were
influenced by Brahmo faith included Fakir Mohan Senapati, Madhusudan Rao,
Pyari Mohan Acharya, Chaturbhuj Pattanayak, Biswanath Kar and Nanda Kishore
Bal. Thus, the Brahmo movement played a great role in the socio-cultural changes
in Odisha.
Conclusion
From the various social and religious movements, there emerged mass political
movements that united the Oriya speaking people. Thus Cuttack became an
important area for the growth of nationalism. The modern history of Odisha led to
the emergence of a new province that was separate from Bengal and hence Odisha
came into being.
Timeline
Period Events
1625 AD Portuguese settlements at Piple (Balasore district)
1633 AD First British settlement at Hariharpur
1765 AD Robert Clive acquired Diwani rights of Odisha
1803 AD English occupied Barabati Fort near Cuttack
36 Know Your State ODISHA
Period Events
1804 AD Khorda Rebellion by Jayee Krushna Rajguru
1804 AD Major Broughton acquired Sambalpur
1817 AD Paika Rebellion by Bakshi Jagabandhu
1825 AD Surrender by Bakshi Jagabandhu
1833 AD Revolt in Sambalpur by Surendra Sai
1835 AD Ghumsar Rebellion started
1857 AD Surendra Sai, Chandan Hajuri, Ramakrishna Samantasinghar joined Sepoy Mutiny
1865-66 AD Na’anka Famine
1867 AD Opening of College in Cuttack
1868 AD Bhuyan Uprising
1869 AD Formation of Utkal Brahmo Samaj
1882 AD Formation of Utkal Sabha
1896 AD Railway in coastal Odisha started
37 Modern History of Odisha
5 Colonel Harcourt lead the operation for
capturing
(a) Cuttack and Baleswar
(b) Baleswar and Puri
(c) Sambalpur and Cuttack
(d) Cuttack and Puri
(a) 1849 (b) 1850 (c) 1847 (d) 1852
10 Which among the following was not an
administrative unit of Britishers in
Odisha?
(a) Cuttack (b) Ganjam
(c) Malkangiri (d) Sambalpur
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