1. INTRODUCTION:

The people here were influenced by the conventions of the Indian National Congress from 1857 to 1900. People from the Meghawale, Ganodawale and Sapre families continued to participate in it. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak had a wide influence in Chhattisgarh from 1900 to 1920. The partition of Bengal movement of 1905 filled the youth here with enthusiasm. Pandit Sandar Lal Sharma of Chamsur Rajim was particularly active. The Swadeshi and Boycott of 1906 also had an impact here. In this article, research is being done on known, little known, unknown and forgotten freedom fighters. Truly, they are in the dark. Forget about respect, they are wandering from door to door to earn a living.

From 1857 to 1900, the people's movement in Chhattisgarh was connected with the political situation of the country. The writers of this region played an important role in awakening the people. Babu Ram created intellectual awakening through history and literature (1858), Kavyopadhyay Hiralal of Dhamtari wrote Chhattisgarhi grammar (in 1880), Pt. Shankar Dutt Mishra expressed his passionate thoughts in Ratanpur region through discourses and lectures and Pt. Madhavrao Sapre and Chincholkar created intellectual awakening by publishing Chhattisgarh Mitra from forest areas like Pendra Road.

2. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:

1. To do an analytical study of the movement of Chhattisgarh state.

2. To study the contribution of Chhattisgarh State in the revolution of 1857.

3. HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY:

1. The movement had of positive impact on the state of Chhattisgarh.

2. Chhattisgarh state had a positive contribution to India in the revolution of 1857.

4. THE MOVEMENTS IN CHHATTISGARH:

1. Early Tribal Movements: A large part of Chhattisgarh is tribal majority. Tribes revolted against the arrival of the British and their exploitative policies. Examples: The Halba Rebellion of 1842, the rebellion of Veer Narayan Singh in 1857. Analysis: These movements were against the British land policy, tax collection, and socio-religious interventions. They were about self-respect, freedom, and the right to livelihood. Leadership was often provided by local heroes who had strong public support.

2. Social Movement: The role of movements during the period of Satyagraha and the freedom struggle: Under the influence of Gandhi, there were participations in the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Salt Satyagraha, and the Quit India Movement in several parts of Chhattisgarh. Karma Veer Narayan Singh, Pandit Sundarlal Sharma, and other freedom fighters were the prominent faces of this. Analysis: These movements infused political consciousness among the people. The general public developed an understanding of their rights.

3. Farmer and Labor Movements: Chhattisgarh has been an agriculture-based state and the condition of farmers has always been struggle-prone. Major Movements: Landlord Reform Movement Debt Relief Movement Demands for Forest Rights Analysis: These movements were related to land and water-forest-land rights. In these, tribal communities, small farmers, and forest-dwelling communities were particularly involved. The failure of government schemes, broker culture, and neglect by local administration were the reasons for these movements.

4. State Formation Movement: The demand for the establishment of Chhattisgarh as a separate state has been ongoing for several decades. Key Events: Demand for a separate state at the Nagpur Congress session in 1920 Movement intensified in the 1990sUltimately, on November 1, 2000, Chhattisgarh was granted the status of a separate state. Analysis: This movement was against regional neglect, language, culture, and administrative disregard. Regional leaders like Dr. Khubchand Baghel, late Mini Mata, Motilal Vora, etc., played a role in it.

5. Contemporary Movements: Left-wing Extremism in the Bastar Region: On one hand, it is an armed movement, but its roots lie in the exploitation of tribals, neglect of development, and violence by security forces. Anti-mining Movement: Movements by local communities against industrialization and mining projects. Women’s Self-Help Group Movement: Movements and efforts by rural women for economic self-reliance. Analysis: These movements are for local identity, environment, livelihood, and respect. There has been an ongoing state of conflict between the government and private companies.

6. Kalchuri Rule-The Kalchuris belonged to the Haihaya tribe and the epics and Puranas claim to be descendants of the famous Kartavira Arjuna. The word Kalchuri is derived from the Turkish word Kalchur. After the rule of Kalchuri king Sihan (1255-1375), the Ratanpur dynasty split into two branches. The elder branch continued to rule in Ratanpur while the younger branch established a separate state in 1335 with Raipur as its capital. There are two inscriptions of the Kalchuris of Raipur which are now preserved in the museums of Nagpur and Raipur respectively. A copper plate sanad of the last Kalchuri king of Raipur, Amarsingh Dev, was found at Arang, situated at a distance of 22 miles from Raipur on the Sambalpur road, issued from Raipur, bearing Vikram Samvat 1792 (1765 A.D.).

7. Maratha Era-In 1741, Bhosals of Nagpur attacked Chhattisgarh under the leadership of General Bhaskar Pant with 30 thousand soldiers. At that time, Ratanpur was ruled by Raghunath Singh and Raipur was ruled by Amardev Singh. Amardev Singh did not take any action during the attack of Marathas. Amar Singh continued to rule till 1750 AD, when he defeated the Marathas without any bloodshed. The reign of Marathas continued and in 1861 AD, Parsoji became the successor. Due to the weaknesses of Parsoji and his inability to run the government, he surrendered to the Marathas with the help of his cousin Appa Saheb.

8. 1857 freedom struggle-Shri Ramsay was a proud man who raised his sword against the British during 1818-19 but Mason suppressed the rebellion. After his father's death, Narayan Singh became the landlord in 1830. Being a benevolent, just and hardworking ruler, he used to meet the people of the region and help them. In 1854, the state merged with the British rule. It was the year 1957 when Narayan Singh, who was known as Veer Narayan Singh, was serving his sentence in Raipur jail. The feeling of rebellion against the British rule was raging in the whole country. In May 1897, Mangal Pandey revolted. Veer Narayan Singh was hanged to death on 10 December 1858 at the Chowk situated in the middle of Raipur. Raipur was the largest part of Madhya Pradesh till 1906.

In 1906, the area of this district was 17424 square miles. In 1906, when Durg district was formed, an area of 3444 square miles of Raipur district was merged with Durg and an area of 706 square miles was taken out from Bilaspur district and included in Raipur district. Due to this, Mahanadi and Shivnath rivers became the boundary line of Raipur district. The boundary of Raipur city is connected to Bilaspur, Raigarh and Bastar districts of Madhya Pradesh and Kalahandi, Sambalpur and Kolhapur districts of Odisha. Historians believe that this city is more than 500 years old, the oldest place in this city is known as Purani Basti. The ancient Dudhadhari temple and Bhavani temple are very famous in Raipur city. City Kotwali was established for police administration beyond the old settlement. The commercial areas near it, Sadar Bazar and Gol Bazar, which are now also called Bhalviya Road, were expanded. Gudhiyari village was expanded near the railway station, which is today the main center of wholesale trade of grocery, oil, etc. Ganj Bazar was established near the railway station, which later came to be known as Krishi Upaj Mandi. With the establishment of Ganj Bazar, Ramsagar Para, Ganj Para, Badhaipara and Tatyapara developed. With the development of transportation, when the city got connected to Bilaspur by road transport, the Fafaadih area developed. Thus, before 1947, agricultural produce market, rail and road transport facilities and Nagar Palika were established in this city. Raipur city was connected not only with Nagpur but also with Mumbai, Kolkata and Vijaynagar by rail service. Mainly the business of gold, silver, cloth, grocery etc. became highly developed in the city and many industries like rice mill, pulse mill, oil mill etc. were established.

5. CONCLUSION:

At the conclusion of the roots of the movements in Chhattisgarh state have been embedded in locality, identity, rights, and respect. The history of activism here shows how a region has established an independent identity while struggling for its rights. The study of these movements is also essential for evaluating contemporary social justice and development policies. Early Tribal Movements: A large part of Chhattisgarh is tribal majority. Tribes revolted against the arrival of the British and their exploitative policies. Social Movement: The role of movements during the period of Satyagraha and the freedom struggle. Farmer and Labor Movements: Chhattisgarh has been an agriculture-based state and the condition of farmers has always been struggle-prone. Major Movements. State Formation Movement: The demand for the establishment of Chhattisgarh as a separate state has been ongoing for several decades. Contemporary Movements: Left-wing Extremism in the Bastar Region: On one hand, it is an armed movement, but its roots lie in the exploitation of tribals, neglect of development, and violence by security forces.1857 freedom struggle-Shri Ramsay was a proud man who raised his sword against the British during 1818-19 but Mason suppressed the rebellion

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Received on 11.04.2025 Revised on 26.04.2025

Accepted on 10.05.2025 Published on 02.06.2025

Available online from June 05, 2025

Res. J. of Humanities and Social Sciences. 2025;16(2):109-111.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5828.2025.00018

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