The name of Birsa Munda, the legendary tribal leader of the 19th century, is synonymous with Ranchi and the Chaibasa region. Over two hundred years after his death, visitors to Ranchi and surrounding areas, will find several monuments and plaques in hon­our of this great leader strewn across the region.

The Munda Rebellion is one of the prominent 19th century tribal rebel­lions in the subcontinent. Birsa Munda led this movement in the region south of Ranchi in 1899-1900. The ulgulan, meaning 'Great Tumult', sought to establish Munda Raj and independence. The Mundas traditionally enjoyed a preferential rent rate as the khuntkat­tidar or the original clearer of the forest. But in course of the 19th century they had seen this khuntkatti land system being eroded by the jagirdars and thikadars coming as merchants and moneylenders.

BirsaMunda (1874-1900), the son of a share­cropper who had received some education from the missionaries came under Vaishnava influence and in 1893-94 participated in a movement to prevent village wastelands from being taken over by the Forest Department. In 1895 Birsa, claiming to have seen a vision of god, proclaimed himself a prophet with mirac­ulous healing powers. Thousands flocked to hear the 'new word' of Birsa with its prophecy of an imminent deluge. The new prophet became a critic of the traditional tribal customs, religious beliefs and practices. He called upon the Mundas to fight against superstition, give up animal sacrifice, stop taking intoxicants, to wear the sacred thread and retain the tribal tradition of worship in the sarna or the sacred grove.

His movement sought the assertion of the rights of the Mundas as the real proprietors of the soil. This ideal agrarian order, according to Birsa, would be possible in a world free from the influence of European officials and missionar­ies, thus necessitating the establishment of the MundaRaj.

The British, who feared a conspiracy, jailed Birsa for two years in 1895, but he returned from jail, much more of a firebrand. A series of noctur­nal meetings were held in the forest during 1898­99, where Birsa allegedly urged the killing of thikadars', jagirdars, rajas, hakirns and Christians.

The rebels attacked police stations and offi­cials, churches and missionaries, and though there was an undercurrent of hostility against the dikus, there was no overt attack on them except in a couple of controversial cases. On Christmas Eve, 1899, the Mundas shot arrows and tried to burn down churches over an area covering six police stations in the districts of Ranchi and Singhbhum. Next, in January 1900, the police stations were targeted and there were rumours that Birsa's followers would attack Ranchi on 8th January, leading to panic there. On 9th January, however, the rebels were defeat­ed. Birsa was captured and died in jail. Nearly 350 Mundas were put on trial and of them three were hanged and 44 transported for life.

The government attempted to redress the grievances of the Mundas through the survey and settlement operations of 1902-10. The Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908 provided some recognition to their khuntkatti rights and banned beth begari. Chhotanagpur tribals won a degree of legal protection for their land rights Today the Ranchi airport has been named after Birsa Munda as a mark of respect.