Chapter Overview

Chhattisgarh’s freedom struggle did not begin with the Congress. It began in a famine year at Sonakhan (सोनाखान), where Veer Narayan Singh (वीर नारायण सिंह) opened a hoarder’s grain stores and was hanged for it at Raipur in 1857. It ran through a century of tribal revolts in Bastar that ended in the Bhumkal (भूमकाल) of 1910. From 1920 it took the Gandhian form: the Kandel canal satyagraha, Gandhi’s two visits, and the jungle satyagrahas in which villagers broke forest laws. This chapter covers all three strands. It is a steady source of Prelims one-liners and a natural Mains GS-I question on “Chhattisgarh’s role in the national movement”.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to:

Narrate the 1857 story in Chhattisgarh: Veer Narayan Singh (Sonakhan) and Hanuman Singh’s Raipur sepoy outbreak (1858)
Match each Bastar tribal revolt (Halba 1774 to Bhumkal 1910) with its leader, year and cause
Explain the causes, course and outcome of Bhumkal (1910) under Gunda Dhur
Describe the Kandel satyagraha (1920), Gandhi’s visits (1920, 1933) and Chhattisgarh’s part in Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India
Explain jungle satyagraha (जंगल सत्याग्रह) and list its main sites (Sihawa-Nagri 1922; Gatta-Silli, Rudri-Navagaon, Tamora 1930)
Identify the region’s freedom fighters and write a balanced Mains answer on their contribution

Prerequisites

The Revolt of 1857: the all-India revolt that this chapter localises
The Gandhian Era and Independence (1919–1947): the national movements behind each local phase
British Rule, Princely States and Zamindaris: the administrative setting (Central Provinces, Bastar state, zamindaris)

Learning Path

Follow these topics in order:

graph TD
    A["1. Veer Narayan Singh and 1857"] --> B["2. Tribal revolts and Bhumkal 1910"]
    B --> C["3. Kandel, Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India"]
    C --> D["4. Jungle Satyagraha (1922, 1930)"]
    D --> E["5. Leaders of the freedom movement"]
    E --> F["Quick Revision"]

Topics in This Chapter

#	Topic	What it covers	Read time
1	Veer Narayan Singh and 1857 in Chhattisgarh	Annexation of Nagpur (1854), Sonakhan and the 1856 famine, execution on 10 Dec 1857, Hanuman Singh’s Raipur outbreak (1858)	10 min
2	Tribal Revolts of Chhattisgarh (including Bhumkal 1910)	Halba, Bhopalpatnam, Paralkot, Tarapur, Meria, Lingagiri, Koi, Muria revolts; Bhumkal under Gunda Dhur	14 min
3	Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience in Chhattisgarh	Kandel (1920), Gandhi’s visits (1920, 1933), Rajnandgaon mill strike, Civil Disobedience, Quit India	12 min
4	Jungle Satyagraha in Chhattisgarh	Sihawa-Nagri (1922); Gatta-Silli, Mohbana-Pokhra, Rudri-Navagaon, Lahbhara, Tamora (1930)	10 min
5	Leaders of the Freedom Movement	Sundarlal Sharma, Pyarelal Singh, Ravishankar Shukla, Chhotelal Shrivastava, Sapre and others	10 min
—	Quick Revision	Every date, name and pair of this chapter on one page	5 min

Where It Is Asked

Exam Focus

Prelims P-I (Chhattisgarh part): leader-event and revolt-year matching (Gend Singh–Paralkot, Gunda Dhur–Bhumkal, Shyamlal Som–Sihawa), dates of Veer Narayan Singh’s execution and Gandhi’s visits, statement questions on Bhumkal and Kandel. Expect chronology questions on the Bastar revolts and the 1930 jungle satyagrahas.
Mains P-III GS-I: “Assess Chhattisgarh’s role in the freedom struggle”, “Causes and significance of Bhumkal”, “What was jungle satyagraha?”, “Contribution of Pt. Sundarlal Sharma”. Use the analysis sections of each topic.
Interview: a candidate from the state may be asked about Veer Narayan Singh, Gunda Dhur or Gandhi’s link with Chhattisgarh.

Quick Reference

Fact	Detail
Annexation of Nagpur	1854, Doctrine of Lapse; Chhattisgarh under direct British rule
Veer Narayan Singh	Zamindar of Sonakhan; arrested 24 Oct 1856; hanged at Raipur 10 Dec 1857
Raipur sepoy outbreak	Hanuman Singh, 18 Jan 1858; 17 sepoys hanged 22 Jan 1858
First Bastar revolt in the list	Halba revolt, 1774–79, Ajmer Singh
Paralkot revolt	Gend Singh, executed 20 Jan 1825
Bhumkal	1910, Gunda Dhur (Nethanar), Lal Kalendra Singh; Raja Rudra Pratap Deo
Kandel canal satyagraha	1920, Dhamtari; Sundarlal Sharma, Chhotelal Shrivastava, Narayan Rao Meghawale
Gandhi’s visits	20 Dec 1920 (Raipur) and 22–28 Nov 1933 (Harijan tour)
First jungle satyagraha	Sihawa-Nagri, Jan 1922, Shyamlal Som
Tamora jungle satyagraha	1930, Mahasamund; Yatiyatan Lal, Dayavati Kanwar
“Chhattisgarh’s Gandhi”	Pt. Sundarlal Sharma

Start Learning

Ready to begin? Start with the first topic:

→ Veer Narayan Singh and 1857 in Chhattisgarh