•   It was a peasant movement and uprising of indigo farmers that arose in Bengal in 1859 against the indigo planters, which continued for over a year.

•   Causes of the revolt:

o  In 1800s, Indigo was in high demand worldwide.

o  Trade in indigo was lucrative due to the demand for blue dye in Europe.

o  European planters enjoyed a monopoly over indigo and they forced Indian farmers to grow it through coercive methods and signing fraudulent deals with them.

o  They were forced to sell indigo at non-profitable rates so as to maximize the European planter’s profits.

•   The rebellion:

o  The farmers revolted in Bengal by refusing to grow indigo and attacked the policemen and British officials.

o  The revolt spread to in the different districts of Bengal in the 1860s and indigo factories and planters faced violent attacks in many places.

o  The revolt was suppressed brutally and many farmers were slaughtered.

o  At last, in response to the movement, the Government announced formation of Indigo commission in 1860 which offered reforms of the system.

o  A notification was also issued which stated that farmers could not be forced to grow indigo.

•   Nil Darpan (The Mirror of Indigo) play was written by Dinabandhu Mitra in 1859 to showcase the farmer’s situation.

•   The Sannyasi rebellion or monk rebellion was a revolt by the sannyasis and sadhus in Murshidabad and Baikunthapur forests of Jalpaiguri in Bengal under the leadership of Pandit Bhabani Charan Pathak.

•   After the Battle of Buxar, East India Company had received the diwani or right to collect tax, many of the tax demands increased and the local landlords and headmen were unable to pay such high tax.

•   In addition to this taxation problem, crop failures and famine killed ten million people (or an estimated one-third of the population) of Bengal.

•   Sannyasis stood against these atrocities and this rebellion became India's first anti-British independence struggle.

•   The revolt was violently suppressed and Warren Hastings ordered the execution of 150 unarmed sanyasis in 1771.

•   The novels Anandamath (1882) and Devi Chaudhurani (1884), written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee depicts the story.

•   The song Vande Mataram was written in 1876 by Chattarjee is included in the book Anandamath.

•   It was a rebellion in present day Jharkhand and West Bengal region against both the English East India Company (EEIC) and zamindari system by the Santhal tribals.

•   It began in 1855 against oppesive colonial revenue policies which were enforced by Zamindars.

•   Also, many Santals became victims of corrupt money lending practices.

•   They were lent money at exorbitant rates and when they were unable to repay the loan, their lands were forcibly taken and they were forced into bonded labour.

•   Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu were two brothers who sparked the Santal rebellion and led the movement.

•   They accumulated about ten thousand Santhals to run a parallel government during the rebellion.

•   The rebellion turned violent and Santhals took to arm.

•   In many villages, the Zamindars, money lenders, and their operatives were executed.

•   The revolt was eventually suppressed after Sidhu and Kanhu were killed in action.

•   It was a resistance movement by the peasants (Ryots) against the landlords (zamindars) in Bengal in the Yusufshahi pargana in Pabna (now in Bangladesh).

•   Landlords forcefully collected rents and land taxes, often enhanced for the poor peasants and also prevented the tenants from acquiring occupancy Right.

•   Also the peasants were often evicted from the land due to non payment of taxes.

•   The movement was supported by intellectuals such as R.C Dutt, Surendranath Banerjee, and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee etc.

•   At last, police action and the ongoing famine (that broke out in 1873–74), subsided the rebellion by 1876.