Prajamandal Movement in Odisha
PRAJAMANDAL MOVEMENT
•Princely States' Bri sh Protec on: Since 1803, princely states
were under Bri sh protec on.
•Princes' Brutal Rule: Princes subjected subjects to brutality
during Bri sh rule.
•Bri sh Support for Princes: Bri sh consistently backed
authority within princely/na ve states.
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• The Praja Mandal Movement in the Garjat states, basically a peasant
movement
• There were 26 Garjats or, feudatory states of Orissa
• 1936 -> Uni ca on of Odisha
• No change in life-> Andheri Mulak
• one incident of Hartal was reported from Keonjhargarh
• The Hartal, organized under the leadership of two ex-students of Satyabadi
High School, was observed on 17th May’1921
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•Peasant Uprisings and Suppression: Exploita on led to revolts, crushed by
rulers with harshness.
•Integra on a er Independence: Odisha's princely states integrated a er
1947, supported by Sardar Patel and Harekrushna Mahatab.
•Prajamandal Movement: Amid Bri sh rule, oppressive rulers led to
Prajamandal movement expressing people's resentment and anger.
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Causes
•Economic Exploita on: Rulers extracted extensively, causing misery.
Economic collapse led to revolt against oppressive feudatory chiefs.
•Dubious Taxes: Kings used taxes like Bethi, Begari, Magana, Rasad, Bhe ,
Karasamagri, exploi ng people. Resistance fueled Prajamandal movement.
•King's Oppression Con nues: Frequent tax hikes added to people's
burden, pushing them to revolt against oppressive chiefs.
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• First All Orissa States People Conference was organized at Cu ack in 1931->
no reac on a er that
• Further 1937-> with the e orts of Sarangadhar Das, known as "Garjat
Gandhi" in the Garjats-> movement was revived.
• The second session of the All Orissa States People's Conference' as held at
Cu ack on 23rd June 1937-> a ainment of responsible government
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• It also exposed the exploita ve character of the Garjat administra on and
urged upon the rulers to remove the grievances of the people.
• The conference provided the impetus to the people of the Garjats and thus
in almost all the states the people formed Prajamandals.
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First movement
• The rst popular agita on against the Garjat administra on was witnessed in
the state of Nilgiri, a small state in the border of Balasore.
• 'The people under the leadership of Kailash Chandra Mohanty and Banamali
Das pressed the ruler to yield to their demands.
• Demands: recognisa on of their civil liber es and removal of unjust laws
• Reconcilia on was done by HK Mahatab
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• Talcher and Dhenkanal were the two other Garjat states, where the
movements started.
• Talcher showed a passive resistance and they le their homes and moved
to the neighbouring areas of Angul.
• Dhenkanal: Bhuban and Nilakanthapur at the night of 10-11 October
1938. There, the police party a acked the innocent villagers and killed six
persons including a 14 years old boy, Baji Rout.
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• In the Garjat states of Athagarh, Baramba, Narsinghpur, Nayagarh and
Tigiria the people raised their voice under the aegis of their
prajamandal units.
• On 5th June 1939, the people gheraoed the royal palace and pressed
for the release of their arrested leaders.
• Major Bazelge e was killed
• Raghunath Mohanty and Dibakar Parida were hanged and others
su ered exile and life imprisonment
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• On 29th October1938, All "Orissa Garjat Day" was observed at many places,
• The Orissa States Enquiry Commi ee, which was cons tuted under the
chairmanship of H.K. Mahtab in 1937, to enquire in to the condi on of the
people in the Garjat states, came out with its report in 1939.
• The nding of the States Enquiry Commi ee and the recommenda ons
suggested therein was brought to the no ce of the Viceroy Lord Linlithgow.
• But no ac on was taken in this regard.
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• To coordinate the movement of the prajamandals, the Orissa and
Chha sgarh Regional Council was formed.
• In Nilgiri, a parallel Govt. known as the Azad Nilgiri Government was
formed and it started func oning from Balasore.
• A beginning of the merger of the Garjats with Orissa, was made with
the takeover of the administra on of Nilgiri state (14th November
1947) by the Govt. of Orissa.
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• The Bri sh withdrawal from India, the lapse of paramountcy made it
di cult for the Garjat states to maintain their separate iden ty.
•A er much persuasion and coercion from the Union Home Minister
Sardar Patel, the rulers of Garjat states except the ruler of
Mayurbhanj signed the instrument of Merger on 15 December 1947.
• Ul mately all the Garjat States except the twin states of Sareikala and
Kharaswan were merged with Orissa which gave birth and shape to
Greater Orissa.
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Jatadharisir4u
