150th Birth Anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda Ji (Denomination of `150) Proof -Folder Packing- FGCO001808

Birsa Munda ji, the pioneer and leader of the Munda rebellion, was born on 15 November 1875 in Ulihatu village of Ranchi district. At present, the tribals of Ranchi and Singhbhumi worship Birsa ji as “Birsa Bhagwan”. In the 19th century, Birsa ji proved to be a major link in the history of the Indian freedom struggle. Birsa’s father was Sugna Munda and mother was Karmi Hatu. Their life was dependent on agriculture.

When Birsa ji grew up, Chhotanagpur was under British rule. Birsa ji had been witnessing the torture and exploitation of the foreigners since childhood and the helplessness of the tax system imposed by them. The life of a tribal depends on forests and nature. The British made laws and banned the tribals from getting forest-dependent facilities like creating reserved forests, wood and grazing animals. Agriculture was banned in 1867. All these reasons gave rise to the Munda rebellion.

In 1894, Birsa ji  led a rebellion against the British for tax remission. After which he was arrested and sent to prison for two years. But Birsa ji and his disciples were determined to help the people suffering from famine. People of this area called him ‘Dharti Baba’. Due to his influence, the Mundas of the entire area got organized.

In 1898, the Mundas clashed with the British on the banks of the Tanga River, in which the British army was defeated initially but as a result many tribal leaders of the area were arrested.

In January 1900, a conflict took place on the Dombadi hill in which women and children were killed. Birsa ji was addressing his public meeting at that place. Later, Birsa ji himself along with his disciples were arrested on 3 February 1900.

Birsa ji fought against the British not only for political freedom but also for the social and economic rights of the tribals. He did all this in his short life, Birsa ji sacrificed his life on 9 June 1900 in Ranchi jail at the young age of 25 years. Even today, Birsa Munda ji is worshipped like a god in the tribal areas of Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.