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THE SANTAL REBELLION

On 30 th June 1855 two of the most revered Santal rebel leaders Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu mobilized 10000 Santals and declared a rebellion against the mighty British Colonists. The day is still celebrated among the Santal community with great respect and spirit for the thousands of the Santal martyrs who sacrificed their lives along with their two celebrated leaders to get Freedom from the oppressive rule of the Jamindars and the British operatives. Though the revolution was brutally suppressed, it marked a great change in the colonial rule and policy.


SANTALI CULTURE

The Santali culture rich in many aspects are attracting many scholars and anthropologists for further research.The Santal philosophy and way of life is well reflected in their traditions, rituals, social structure and religion. The Santali literature just like any other community has mythology, poetry and songs, their aesthetic worldview is depicted in the paintings and artworks in the walls of their houses .The mythology states the creation theory and the stories of the Great Santal ancestors Pilchu Haram and Pilchu Bhudi.The first attempt to study the Santali culture was done by the Christian missionaries the most famous of them was Reverend Bodding. It is really a matter of great pride for the Santals that they did not gave up their language, and that the Santali language was not obliterated and continues to remain although India suffered so many foreign invasions and intrusions.


RELIGION AND SOCIETY

Santal community is devoid of any caste system and there is no distinction made on the basis of birth. They believe in supernatural beings and ancestral spirits. The Santali rituals mainly comprise of sacrificial offerings and invocations to the bongas (spirits).The Santals have a very traditional system of governance called Manjhi –Paragana system which may be compared to the Local Self Governance in today’s civilization. This body is responsible or authorized for taking decisions to ameliorate the village socio economic condition.