Important Revolts and Movements

The Paika Rebellion occurred in 1817 under Bakshi Jagabandhu. Remember it as an early resistance movement of Odisha.

The direct answer is B: Damin-i-Koh. The Santhal Hul, or Santhal rebellion, began in 1855 in the Damin-i-Koh region of present-day Jharkhand and nearby areas. Santhal communities resisted exploitation by moneylenders, zamindars, traders and colonial officials. The leaders Sidhu and Kanhu, along with Chand and Bhairav, mobilised the people against these pressures. Option B is correct because Damin-i-Koh was the main area associated with the uprising. Option A, Malabar, is in Kerala and is associated with different historical movements. Option C, Bundelkhand, is linked with other revolts, including the 1857 uprising, but not the main centre of the Santhal Hul. Option D, Kutch, is in Gujarat and is not the location of this rebellion. Exam cue: connect Santhal Hul, 1855, Sidhu-Kanhu and Damin-i-Koh as one memory group.

The Indigo Revolt was a peasant movement in Bengal against forced indigo cultivation. Link it with the peasant resistance of 1859-60.

The Deccan Riots occurred against moneylenders in areas like Pune and Ahmednagar. Link it with rural debt problems.

Begum Hazrat Mahal was an important leader of the Revolt of 1857 in the Awadh region. After the British annexed Awadh and removed its ruler, she helped organize resistance and played a leading role in Lucknow. She supported the claim of her young son, Birjis Qadr, and opposed British control of the area. Her leadership shows that women as well as men participated actively in the uprising, using political authority, organization, and military resistance against colonial rule.

Choice D is correct because Begum Hazrat Mahal is specifically associated with the resistance in Awadh and Lucknow during 1857. Ahilyabai Holkar belonged to a much earlier period and was not a leader of this revolt. Annie Besant and Sarojini Naidu were important figures in later phases of Indian public and national life, not leaders of the Awadh resistance in 1857. Remembering the pair “Begum Hazrat Mahal—Awadh/Lucknow” leads to the correct answer.

The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was linked with indigo peasants. It was Gandhi's first major satyagraha in India.

In the Ahmedabad Mill Strike, Gandhi used fasting. Link it with labour movement and satyagraha in exams.

The direct answer is D: the Non-Cooperation Movement was suspended after the Chauri Chaura incident. In February 1922, at Chauri Chaura in the United Provinces, a protest became violent and a police station was set on fire, causing the deaths of policemen. Mahatma Gandhi believed that a mass movement based on non-violence could not continue while participants were turning to violence, so the movement was withdrawn. Option D is correct. Option A, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, helped create anger against British rule and influenced later politics, but it was not the event after which Non-Cooperation was suspended. Option B, the Dandi March, began the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930, later. Option C, Simon Commission protests, occurred in 1928, after the withdrawal. Exam cue: Non-Cooperation, 1920–22; Chauri Chaura, 1922; withdrawal because of violence.

The Civil Disobedience Movement began in 1930 with the Dandi March and breaking the salt law. Remember salt as a mass issue.

The Dandi March started from Sabarmati Ashram and ended at Dandi. Link it with the Salt Satyagraha of 1930.

The Quit India Movement of 1942 demanded immediate independence. Do or Die was its famous slogan.

The Swadeshi Movement began against the Partition of Bengal in 1905. Boycott and use of indigenous goods were its main methods.

The Rowlatt Satyagraha of 1919 opposed the Rowlatt Act. Study it as a protest against restrictions on civil liberties.

The Khilafat Movement strengthened Hindu-Muslim unity alongside Non-Cooperation. Link it with the mass politics of 1920.

The Ghadar Movement was strong among Indian expatriates abroad. Its aim was revolutionary struggle against British rule.

Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak were key figures in the Home Rule Movement. It aimed to popularize the demand for self-government.

The Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928 was led by Vallabhbhai Patel. This movement earned him the title Sardar.

Alluri Sitarama Raju was the key leader of the Rampa Rebellion. It was connected with tribal resistance in the Andhra region.

The Moplah Rebellion occurred in 1921 in the Malabar region. Study it with peasant and social tensions in Kerala.

The Bhil uprisings were connected with tribal discontent in western and central India. Region identification is important in tribal movement questions.

The Sanyasi-Fakir Rebellion emerged in Bengal against Company rule and economic distress. Link it with eighteenth-century resistance.

Kunwar Singh was a major leader of 1857 from Jagdishpur in Bihar. Remember him with Bihar's resistance.

The immediate cause of 1857 is linked with greased cartridges of the Enfield rifle. Wider causes were also political and economic.

The Doctrine of Lapse was a policy used by the East India Company to annex certain princely states when their ruler died without a natural male heir. The Company often refused to recognise an adopted heir, even though adoption was accepted in Indian ruling traditions. This policy created strong resentment among rulers, soldiers, and people connected with the affected states. Jhansi became one of the clearest examples of this discontent.

After Maharaja Gangadhar Rao died, the Company refused to accept the adopted heir of Jhansi and annexed the state. Rani Lakshmibai strongly opposed this decision and later became one of the most important leaders of the 1857 uprising. Therefore, option D, Jhansi, is correct. Travancore, Mysore, and Hyderabad were not the state whose annexation under this policy became so closely linked with the events and discontent of 1857.

Lala Lajpat Rai was injured during the protest against the Simon Commission. His sacrifice inspired revolutionary activities.