The Rajmahal Hills, along the route towards Bhagalpur, once posed a serious challenge to British rule. Familiar with the dense forests and difficult terrain, Paharia warriors would launch sudden attacks on British soldiers and then disappear into the forests. The Company’s treasury and its officials were among their targets. One of the prominent leaders of this resistance was Jabra Paharia, who later came to be known as Tilka Manjhi. His armed struggle against British rule began several decades before the Revolt of 1857.
Information about Tilka Manjhi’s life comes partly from oral traditions and partly from historical accounts. According to popular accounts, he was born on 11 February 1750 in Tilakpur village, near Sultanganj in Bihar. His father’s name is said to have been Sundara Murmu. He was also known as Jabra Paharia. However, historians differ over his exact date of birth and tribal identity. The official website of the Jharkhand Raj Bhavan identifies him as a Paharia warrior and records his lifespan as 1750 to 1785.
The lives of the tribal communities inhabiting the Rajmahal Hills were closely connected with forests, land and agriculture. As the influence of the British East India Company expanded, its interference in this region also increased. The local people faced growing difficulties over land rights, revenue collection and control of forest resources. The Company’s officials sought to strengthen their revenue and administrative system, while the hill communities wanted to protect their traditional rights and way of life. This conflict gave rise to resistance against the British.
Tilka Manjhi worked to organise this discontent. Bringing together people living in the forests, he began taking action against British outposts and Company officials. Under his leadership, Paharia warriors adopted guerrilla warfare. Their knowledge of the hills, forest routes and local terrain gave them a significant advantage. The British army possessed guns and other modern weapons, but using them in difficult mountainous terrain was not always easy. Armed with bows and arrows, the warriors would launch sudden attacks and retreat to safe locations.
Historical accounts refer to resistance against the Company in this region from around 1767. Tilka Manjhi attacked the Company’s treasury and establishments associated with the British. Popular accounts also say that instead of keeping the captured wealth for himself, he distributed it among the needy. This helped him gain support among local people. For him, the struggle was not about personal gain, but about protecting the land and rights of his people.
The British administration adopted several measures to suppress the resistance. It tried to expand the Company’s influence in the Rajmahal region and bring the hill communities under its control. Augustus Cleveland was appointed Collector of Bhagalpur and administrative officer of the Rajmahal region. He adopted administrative and military measures to control the Paharia community. Efforts to monitor the activities of Paharia warriors and suppress their resistance intensified.
Tilka Manjhi refused to surrender before the British. A statement attributed to him says, “This land is Mother Earth, our mother. We will not pay revenue to anyone for it.” These words reflect the central issue behind the struggle. The question of who had the right over the land and who controlled its produce had become a matter of survival for the hill communities.
Between 1781 and 1784, the struggle against the British army under Tilka Manjhi’s leadership is believed to have intensified. His companions were active across the Rajmahal Hills, Bhagalpur, Sultanganj and the surrounding forests. British forces were also challenged around Munger and the Ganga valley. Attacking in small groups and then retreating into the forests became an important part of their warfare. Despite their limited weapons, they continued to trouble the Company’s administration.
The episode involving Tilka Manjhi and Cleveland is the most widely discussed part of his life. According to popular accounts, on 13 January 1784, Tilka Manjhi wounded Cleveland with an arrow, after which Cleveland died. The incident deeply disturbed the British administration.
Following Cleveland’s death, the British intensified their search for Tilka Manjhi. Military operations were launched in the hilly areas to capture him, and pressure on his companions also increased. According to one popular account, one night, while Tilka Manjhi and his companions were celebrating a traditional festival with singing and dancing, a local chief named Jaudah joined hands with the British and attacked them. Several companions were killed and some were captured in the sudden assault. Tilka managed to escape and moved towards the hilly region of Sultanganj.
As military operations continued, it became increasingly difficult for his companions to arrange food and other essential supplies. The British had surrounded the region, extending their search from Bhagalpur to Sultanganj and the Rajmahal Hills. Despite these difficulties, Tilka Manjhi continued his struggle. He persisted with the same methods that had troubled the British earlier: guerrilla attacks and the use of secure hideouts in the forests.
Eventually, the British army captured him. According to popular accounts, he was subjected to extremely inhuman treatment after his arrest. He was tied with ropes to four horses and dragged to Bhagalpur. After severe torture, he was hanged from a banyan tree in 1785. Some accounts differ regarding the year of his arrest and execution, but the Jharkhand Raj Bhavan website records 1785 as the year of his martyrdom.
The resistance against the British in the Rajmahal Hills did not end with Tilka Manjhi’s death. In later years, the Paharia and Santhal communities continued to launch movements against British rule, moneylender exploitation and the loss of land rights. The Santhal Hul of 1855–56, led by Sidhu and Kanhu, was a separate historical event from Tilka Manjhi’s struggle. Despite the time gap, both movements were connected by the question of British authority and the rights of local communities.
Today, a statue of Tilka Manjhi stands near the court premises in Bhagalpur. Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University is also named after him. In Jharkhand and Bihar, he is remembered among the early tribal warriors who fought against British rule. Remembering Tilka Manjhi during Tribal Pride Week also means bringing to light a chapter of India’s freedom struggle that began long before 1857.
