Mangarh Massacre: A tale of tribal valour less told

The forgotten sacrifice of the Bhil tribe in one of the most sordid chapters of Indian history got its "long-due" recognition with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing national monument status to Rajasthan's Mangarh Dham on Tuesday. On November 17, 1913, soldiers of the British Indian Army fired indiscriminately on Bhil protesters who were demanding the abolition of bonded labour. Approximately 1,500 Bhil tribals and forest dwellers died in the incident which came to be known as the Mangarh massacre.

"The national monument status was long due and marks the stage in a people's assertion to decide their future, which is what the Bhils were doing," Rajasthan-based historian and author of 'A History of Rajasthan' Rima Hooja told PTI.

"Their (the Bhil tribe's) movement was challenging the colonial government as well as the wrongs of the princely states in which they were residing," explained Hooja.


The movement was initiated by Guru Govindgiri who raised a front against local rulers who were forcing the Bhils into unpaid labour, to pay heavy taxes and high rates of land revenue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked Rajasthan and the governments of neighbouring states for a roadmap to develop Mangarh Dham, a memorial to a tribal uprising against the British, an event that he said has not been given its place in history.

"Over 1,500 tribals were killed in firing by the British on November 17, 1913, but unfortunately, in the history written post-Independence, this was not given its due place. Now, the country is correcting the mistake committed decades ago," he said, addressing a gathering, comprising tribals, among others, at the memorial.

According to the book 'A History of Rajasthan', Govindgiri's representatives submitted a charter of demands and a list of grievances against the Rajput States after which the British called upon the Bhils to leave Mangarh Hill before November 15, 1913.

When that didn't happen, the princely kingdoms of nearby Dungarpur, Banswara and Sunth pressured the colonial government who then sent in the Mewar Bhil Corps to attack the Mangarh Hill.

"According to Bhil oral accounts and later records, more than 1,500 men, women and children were killed and many wounded in the indiscriminate firing," read the book.

In 1952, an annual fair was instituted in Mangarh in memory of Guru Govindgiri and his disciples.