Modern History of Bihar

Arrival of Europeans

• Portuguese: First Europeans in Bihar; traded spices and textiles. Established factory at Hooghly (1579-80) and Bandel Church (1599).
• British (English): Factory at Patna, Alamganj (1620, revived 1651; now Govt. Printing Press, Gulzar Bagh).
• Dutch: Cotton, saltpetre, food grains; factory at Patna (1632; now Patna Collectorate).
• Danes: Factory at Nepali Kothi, Patna (1774).

Battle of Buxar (1764)

• Fought between British (Hector Munro) and Mughals, Nawab of Awadh, and Bengal Nawab.
• British won, signed treaties with Mughals (12 Aug 1765) and Awadh (16 Aug 1765).
• Established Deputy-Governor, Revenue Council of Patna (1770), later Revenue Chief of Bihar (1781).

Famines and Infrastructure

• Bihar & Bengal famine: 1770 and 1783.
• Golghar granary built in 1786 by Captain John Garstin.

Permanent Settlement / Zamindari System

• Introduced by Lord Cornwallis; John Shore as architect.
• Zamindars became landowners; kept 1/11th revenue, rest to British.

Revolt of 1857 in Bihar

• Began in Deoghar (12 June 1857); spread to Patna, Danapur.
• Babu Kunwar Singh, leader of revolutionaries; led armed forces of 4000 at 80 years old.

British Raj in Bihar

• Patna became a strategic center for learning and trade under the British.
• Administrative changes:
  • Part of Bengal Presidency until 1912; Bihar & Orissa Province formed with Patna as capital (22 March 1912).
  • GOI Act 1935 divided Bihar and Orissa into separate provinces (1936).
• Educational institutions established by British:
  • Patna College, Patna Science College, Bihar College of Engineering, Prince of Wales Medical College, Patna Veterinary College.
    
    

Wahabi Movement (1828–1868)

• Active in Bihar against British atrocities.
• Inspired by Abdul Wahab (Saudi Arabia) and Shah Waliullah (Delhi).
• Leader: Haji Shariyatullah; Patna as center.

Revolutionary Movement

• Anushilan Samiti branch in Patna (1913), led by Sachindranath Sanyal & Bankimchandra Mitra.
• Hindu Boys Association formed to teach Vivekananda’s ideas.
• Benaras Conspiracy Case (1915): Sanyal and Mitra involved.
• Youth organizations:
  • Patna Yuvak Sangh (1927), Bihar Yuvak Sangh (1928, Motihari), Patliputta Yuvak Sangh (1929, Patna).
• Monthly magazine YUVAK
• Female revolutionaries: Kusum Kumari Devi, Gauri Das.
• Limitations: Religious focus, limited mass participation, govt. suppression.

Home Rule League (Bihar)

• Established in Bankipore, Patna (16 Dec 1916).
• President: Mazhar-ul-Haque; Vice-Presidents: Sarfaraz Hussain Khan, Purnendu Narain Sinha.
• Secretaries: Chandravanshi Sahay, Baijnath Narain Singh.
• Other leaders: Hasan Imam, Sachchidanand Sinha.

Champaran Satyagraha (1917)

• Gandhi’s first Satyagraha; led against Tinkathiya system forcing indigo cultivation.
• Leaders: Rajkumar Shukla, Raam Lal Shah, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Brajkishore Prasad, J.B. Kriplani, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, others.
• British formed Champaran Committee; 25% compensation to peasants.

Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22)

• Started by M.K. Gandhi; backdrop – Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Khilafat, Rowlatt Act.
• Leaders in Bihar: J.P. Narayan, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dharnidhar Prasad, Shah Mohammad Zubair, Mazhar-ul-Haq.
• Bihar Vidhyapeeth inaugurated by Gandhi (Feb 1922).
• Newspaper Motherland (Sep 1921) promoted Hindu-Muslim unity and Gandhian ideology.
• Opposition to Prince of Wales visit.

Swarajist Movement (1923)

• Founded by C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru.
• Pro-changers supported legislative council entry; No-changers supported Gandhian path.
• Bihar branch “Swaraj Dal” established by Shri Krishna Singh; president – Shri Narayan Prasad; secretary – Abdul Bari.
• Won 8 assembly and 10 council seats (Nov 1923).

Simon Commission Boycott (1928)

• All-party meeting led by Anuragh Narayan Sinha in Patna.
• Simon Commission arrived in Patna on 12 Dec 1928.

Boycott Movement

• Focus on boycotting foreign goods, promoting Indian goods.
• Campaigns to popularize Khadi in villages using Magic Lantern; signature campaigns conducted.

Purn Swaraj (Complete Independence Resolution) – 1930

• Date: 20 January 1930.
• Bihar Congress Working Committee endorsed complete independence of India through the unfurling of the national flag.

Civil Disobedience Movement in Bihar (1930)

• Salt Satyagraha: Drafted by Dr. Rajendra Prasad; started 6 April 1930.
• Jawaharlal Nehru toured Bihar (31 March – 3 April 1930) to support the movement.
• Patna: Inauguration at Nakhas Pind near Mangal Talab on 16 April 1930.
• Bihpur (Bhagalpur): Manufacture of salt and picketing of liquor/drug shops.
• Munger: Shri Krishna Singh & Nand Kumar Sinha led Congress activities.
• Chapra jail inmates refused foreign clothes; women actively participated.
• Movement declared illegal on 30 June 1930.
• Swadeshi League formed in Patna; leaders included Sachidanand Sinha, Hasan Imam, Sir Ali Imam.
• Key districts: Champaran, Bhojpur, Purnia, Saran, Muzaffarpur.
• Leaders in Salt Movement by Location:
  • Champaran – Bipin Bihari Verma
  • Bareja – Girish Tiwari
  • Goria Kothi – Chandrika Singh
  • Hajipur – Bharat Mishra
  • Patna – Ambika Kant Singh
  • Munger – Shri Krishna Singh
  • Lakhisarai – Nand Kumar Singh
  • Darbhanga – Satyanarayan Singh
    
    

Kisan Sabha and Peasant Movements

• Kisan Sabha organized in 1922 by Mohammad Zubair & Shri Krishna Singh (Munger).
• 1929: Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha formed by Swami Sahajanand Saraswati to mobilize peasants against Zamindars’ atrocities.
• Zamindars formed “United Political Party” in retaliation.
• 1936: All India Kisan Sabha formed in Lucknow; Sahajanand Saraswati – President, N.G. Ranga – Secretary.
• Hindi weekly HUNKAR (1940) became the mouthpiece of agrarian movement (Yamuna Karjee & Rahul Sankrityayan).
• Major Peasant Movements/Leaders:
  • Madhubani – Swami Vidyanand
  • Hilsa (1920) – Jagnath Pathak (President-Shah Gafoor)
  • Munger (1922–23) – Mohammad Zubair & Shri Krishna Singh
  • Bihar Provincial Kisan Sabha (1929) – Swami Sahajanand Saraswati
  • All India Kisan Sabha (1936) – Sahajanand Saraswati & N.G. Ranga

Bihar Socialist Party and Congress Socialist Party

• Bihar Socialist Party – 1931: Ganga Sharan Sinha, Rambriksha Benipuri, Ramanand Mishra.
• Bihar Congress Socialist Party – 1934 (Patna, Anjuman Islamia Hall)
  • President: Acharya Narendra Dev
  • General Secretary: J.P. Narayan

First Congress Government in Bihar

• Government of India Act 1935 allowed provincial autonomy and dual administration at the center.
• 1937 elections: Congress won majority in Assembly & Council (98/107) but initially refused to form government.
• Mohammad Yunus, leader of independent candidates, became first PM of Bihar.
• Shri Krishna Singh’s elected government resigned in 1938 to demand release of political prisoners; resumed office after 3 months (July 1937 – Feb 1938).

Quit India Movement (1942)

• Bihar Congress Committee under Rajendra Prasad drafted plan on 31 July 1942.
• Widespread protests including unfurling of the national flag; British used force under W.C. Archer.

Labour Movement

• Strikes & Organisations:
  • Rohtas (Dalmiyanagar), Gaya Cotton Mill, Tatanagar Foundry, Japan Cement Works (1937–38)
  • Bihar Trade Union Congress – Giridih, 10 June 1944
  • Labour Conference by CPI – Patna, 17–20 June 1947

Tribal Revolts in Bihar

• Motivated by British annexation, revenue policies, forest rights, or occupation by outsiders.
• Major Movements:
  • Santhal Pargana: Created to pacify Santhal uprising; Kanhu arrested 1856.
  • Munda Revolt (Ulgulan, 1899–1900): Led by Birsa Munda; socio-religious & agrarian-political revolt; captured 3 March 1900.
  • Tana Bhagat Movement (1914): Religious movement adopting Hindu practices.

List of Major Tribal Revolts: