Pandey Ganpat Rai

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Pandey Ganpat Rai
Born17 January 1809
Lohardaga district, Bihar (now in Jharkhand)
Died21 April 1858
Ramgarh
Occupation(s) Diwan and Commander
Known forFreedom struggle in Indian Rebellion of 1857
Parents
  • Ram Kishun Rai (father)
  • Sumitra Devi (mother)

Pandey Ganpat Rai (Born as Pandey Ganpat Rai Srivastava; 1809-1858) was a revolutionary and rebel leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and a chieftain in Lohardaga district of Bihar (now a part of Jharkhand). [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

He was born on January 17, 1809, in Bhaunro, Lohardaga district, Bihar (now a part of Jharkhand). [1] [2] He was born in a Kayastha Zamindar family. His family was of Srivastava subcaste. [3] His father was Ramkishun Rai Srivastava and Mother Sumitra Devi. His uncle Sadashiv Rai Srivastava was Dewan of Nagvanshi Maharaja Jagannath Shah Deo. After the death of his uncle Maharaja appointed him as Dewan after seeing his capability. [4] [5]

Pre-rebellion

Pandey Ganpat Rai was zamindar of Bhunra and served as the diwan to the Maharaja of Chota Nagpur who belonged to the Nagvanshi dynasty. He was initially sceptical of the British presence in the region and believed them to be interfering in his work. Ganpat Rai eventually became opposed to British colonial rule and tried to convince Maharaja Jagannath Shahdeo to united with him against the British but not succeed. [6] His refusal to work with British officials led to him being dismissed from his role and in response he started to organise like-minded people to help him gain revenge. [6]

He formed an alliance with fellow chieftains including Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo and Nadir Ali Khan before being subsequently hanged by the British authorities. [7]

1857 rebellion

As the rebellion spread throughout the various regions of North India, both Ganpat Rai and Vishwanath Shahdeo decided to assume leadership with Ganpat Rai being named as the commander-in-chief. [8] They assembled a force of around 1,100 men. [9] They managed to recruit mutinying sepoys from Ramgarh and proceeded to throw the region into a state of anarchy causing many British officials to flee the area. Their end goal was to proceed through Palamu district and reach Arrah where they would join their forces with Kunwar Singh who was the leader of the rebel forces in North Bihar. [8] Much of their initial success was due to the terrain of the region which was mainly forested and hilly allowing the rebels to escape easily. One of these conflicts later became known as the Battle of Chatra, in which British troops, assisted by Sikh sepoys, besieged rebels in the village of Chatra with each side suffering heavy losses before the British eventually stormed and captured the village. [10]

During this period, he declared that the British Raj had supposedly come to an end. [11] In the meantime, the British forces led by Colonel Edward Tuite Dalton were assisted by loyal zamindars including those of Ramgarh Raj. [6]

However, as they attempted to march towards Kunwar Singh's position, they were intercepted by a battalion led by Major English on the 2nd of October. In the ensuing battle both rebel leaders were defeated and retreated. [1] Eventually after numerous skirmishes and battles with both local zamindars and the British, the authorities had managed to create a robust intelligence network and they were captured in March 1858 and then hanged on the 21st of April that same year. [1]

Legacy

The governments of Jharkhand and Bihar have made many efforts to preserve the memory of Pandey Ganpat Rai. [12] In 2012, the Jharkhand government organised the redevelopment of Pandey Ganpat Rai's village in Lohardaga district including the creation of new roads, a cultural centre and improved electric supplies. [13]

In 2017, members of the Indian National Congress also paid tribute to the rebel leader and referred to him by the title of Shaheed which means martyr. [14]

There is also a memorial badminton championship named after Ganpat Rai called the Pandey Ganpat Ray Memorial Badminton Championship which was inaugurated in 2018. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jharkhand</span> State in eastern India

Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It is the 15th largest state by area, and the 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places; Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath, Dewri and Rajrappa are major religious sites. Jharkhand is primarily rural, with about 24% of its population living in cities as of 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranchi</span> Capital of East Indian state Jharkhand

Ranchi is the capital city and second largest city of the Indian state of Jharkhand and also the administrative headquarter of Ranchi district. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area of what is present-day Chhattisgarh. The Jharkhand state was formed on 15 November 2000 by carving out the Bihar divisions of Chota Nagpur and Santhal Parganas. Ranchi is being developed as a Smart City because it was selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranchi district</span> District in Jharkhand, India

Ranchi district is the most populous district of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, is the district headquarters. It was established as a district in 1899.

Ramgarh Raj was the major Zamindari estate in the era of the British Raj in the former Indian province of Bihar. Territories which comprised the Ramgarh Raj presently constitute districts of Ramgarh, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Giridih, Koderma, and Bokaro with 3672 villages. The entire area is rich in minerals like coal and mica and falls under the Indian State of Jharkhand. The First King was Maharaja Baghdeo Singh and the last ruling king was Maharaja Kamakhya Narain Singh of this estate, until the estate was merged to the Republic of India. The revenue of the estate was about 3600000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatra district</span> District of Jharkhand in India

Chatra district is district one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India. The district was formed after separation from Hazaribagh district in 1991. Chatra is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district covers an area of 3718 km2.

The region have been inhabited since the Stone Age. Copper tools from the Chalcolithic period have been discovered. This area entered the Iron Age during the mid-2nd millennium BCE.

Ranchi district is one among the twenty-four districts of the state of Jharkhand in Eastern India. This region was under the control of the Magadha Empire, then it was a part of the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka and later a part of the Gupta Empire. After the fall of the Gupta Empire a legendary king named Phanimukut established the Nagvanshi dynasty and controlled the Chota Nagpur plateau region for several centuries thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagvanshi dynasty</span> Former Indian dynasty

The Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur, also known as the Khokhra chieftaincy, was an Indian dynasty which ruled the parts of Chota Nagpur plateau region during the medieval and modern periods. Phani Mukut Rai, considered the first king of the dynasty, claimed to be the son of Pundrika Naga, a mythical Naga. Lal Chintamani Sharan Nath Shahdeo (1931–2014) was last ruling king of the dynasty, until the estate was merged to the Republic of India.

The Nagpuria people, also Nagpuri or Sadan, are an Indo-Aryan speaking ethnolinguistic group who are the native speakers of the Nagpuri language and natives of the western Chota Nagpur Plateau region of Indian states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

Sadan are the native Indo-Aryan-speaking ethnolinguistic groups of Chota Nagpur Plateau consist of Indian state of Jharkhand and neighbouring states who speak Nagpuri, Khortha and Kurmali language as their native language.

The Kol uprising, Kol rebellion, also known in British records as the Kol mutiny was a revolt of the tribal Kol people of Chhota Nagpur that took place between 1831 and 1832. It was due to economic exploitation brought on by the systems of land tenure and administration that had been introduced by the East India Company. Tribal people of Chotanagpur including Mundas, Oraons, Hos and Bhumijs were called Kols. They initially plundered and killed Sikh and Muslims thikedars (contractors) who collected taxes by different means. Later they also started to plunder and kill Hindus of nearby villages and burn their houses. The insurgency was suppressed by killing of the leaders, their followers and arrest of many leaders by Thomas Wilkinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vishwanath Shahdeo</span> King of Barkagarh and Freedom fighter

Vishwanath Shahdeo was the king of the Barkagarh estate and a rebel in the Indian rebellion of 1857. In 1855, he declared himself independent and defeated British forces in Hatia. He led rebels of Ramgarh Battalion in 1857. But defeated by Company forces with the help of king of Pithoria Jagatpal Singh. He was eventually caught and was hung from a tree along with his accomplices in 1858.

The Battle of Chatra was a conflict that took place during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 between the East India Company and the mutinying sepoys who were allied certain local zamindars. The rebels had amassed a force of 3000 men and had taken the town of Chatra which is located in the Chhota Nagpur region.

Nilamber and Pitamber, freedom fighters from Jharkhand in eastern India, were brothers who led a revolt against the East India Company in 1857. They were born in a Chemo-Senya village to a family of a Bhogta clan of the Kharwar tribe in Latehar district. Their father, Chemu Singh, was Jagirdar. They decided to declare themselves independent of company rule, inspired by the Doronda Revolt in Ranchi led by Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo and Pandey Ganpat Rai. Chero Jagirdar Devi Baksh Rai joined them.

Udai Pratap Nath Shahdeo, was the Nagvanshi Maharaja of Chotanagpur Zamindari estate. He donated large tracts of land to build infrastructure of Ranchi city. He built the Ratu Palace in Ranchi in 1901. He was conferred the Kaiser-i-Hind Medal for public services. He reigned for 81 years, and 74 days, the longest-reigning Indian monarch, the longest-reigning Princely State ruler and third longest verifiable reign of any monarch in history.

The Barkagarh estate was a zamindari estate situated in modern-day Jharkhand, India, in erstwhile Lohardaga district. It was established by Ani Nath Shahdeo, the son of Nagvanshi king Ram Shah in 17th century. The capital of the estate was Satranji now located in south Ranchi.

Jagatpal Singh was the king of Pithoria in the 19th century. He was an ally of the British East India Company. His father Jaimangal Singh and he made Pithoria a business and cultural centre. He helped the British in the suppression of the Rebellion of 1857 in Ranchi.

Govind Nath Shah was a Nagvanshi king in the 19th century. His capital was at Palkot. He succeeded Deo Nath Shah and ruled from 1806 to 1822 CE.

Jagannath Shah Deo was a Nagvanshi king in the 19th century. He succeeded Govind Nath Shah and ruled from 1822 to 1869 CE. During his reign, Kol uprising and Sepoy mutiny of 1857 happened. He was ally of British East India company. During his reign, Beniram Mehta had written the book Nagvanshavali, the genology of Nagvanshi kings in Nagpuri language which was published in 1876.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Asha Mishra; Chittaranjan Kumar Paty (2010). Tribal Movements in Jharkhand, 1857-2007. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 85–. ISBN   978-81-8069-686-2.
  2. 1 2 Anuj Kumar Sinha (2001). Unsung Heroes of Jharkhand Movement. Prabhat Prakashan. p. 16. ISBN   978-93-5266-000-1.
  3. ↑ Harivansh Rai Bachchan. kya bhulun kya yaad karu. pp. 11–12.
  4. ↑ "1857 की क्रांति के नायक पांडेय गणपत राय". www.prabhatkhabar.com.
  5. ↑ "Ganpat Rai's birth anniversary celebrated". www.dailypioneer.com.
  6. 1 2 3 Pratap Narayan Jha (1983). "Ganpat Rai of Bhunra". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 44: 370–371. JSTOR   44139860.
  7. ↑ Mathur Das Ustad (1997). "The Role of Bishwanath Sahi of Lohardaga district, During the Revolt of 1857 in Bihar". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 58: 493–500. JSTOR   44143953.
  8. 1 2 K. Datta (1957). Unrest Against British Rule In Bihar(1831-1859). Superintendent Secretariat Press. pp.  62–65.
  9. ↑ Biswamoy Pati (25 February 2010). The Great Rebellion of 1857 in India: Exploring Transgressions, Contests and Diversities. Routledge. pp. 20–. ISBN   978-1-135-22514-8.
  10. ↑ J. C. Jha (1982). "The Battle of Chatra". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 43: 602–609. JSTOR   44141295.
  11. ↑ Pramod Knayar (9 May 2007). The Great Uprising: India, 1857. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 93–. ISBN   978-93-5214-153-1.
  12. ↑ Bhagat, Sameer (30 November 2018). "1857: Rebellion In Chotanagpur And Palamau Regions Of Jharkhand". Focus Magazine. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  13. ↑ "Martyr village upgrade". The Telegraph India. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  14. ↑ Admin (21 April 2017). "Congress leaders pay homage to Amar Saheed Pandey Ganpat Rai". Jharkhand State News. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  15. ↑ Prasad, Vinod (16 February 2018). "Three-day State level badminton championship begins at lohardaga". The Pioneer. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
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