Nilamber and Pitamber, freedom fighters from

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...

in eastern India, were brothers who led a

revolt Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

against the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in 1857. They were born in a Chemo-Senya village to a family of a

Bhogta The Bhogta (also known as Ganjhu, Pradhan) is an agricultural community, primarily inhabiting in the state of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. They speak Sadri language as mother tongue except Bhogta of West Bengal, who are adopted Bengali as ...

clan of the

Kharwar Kharwar is a community found in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal. Etymology The ''Khar'' grass is totem of the Kharwar. They don't cut or injure it while growing. Kharwar tribe of pres ...

tribe in

Latehar district Latehar district is one of the 24 districts of Jharkhand state in eastern India, and Latehar town is the administrative headquarters of this district. This district is part of Palamu division. Latehar district is situated on longitude 84° 31 ...

. Their father, Chemu Singh, was Jagirdar. They decided to declare themselves independent of company rule, inspired by the Doronda Revolt in

Ranchi Ranchi (, ) is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area ...

led by Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo and

Pandey Ganpat Rai Pandey Ganpat Rai (1809-1858) was a revolutionary and rebel leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and a chieftain in Lohardaga district of Bihar (now a part of Jharkhand). Early life He was born on January 17, 1809 in Bhounro village of Lohar ...

Chero The Chero is a caste found in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh in India. History and origin The community claims to have originally been tribal people. The Chero are essentially one of many tribal communities, such as the Bhar ...

Jagirdar Devi Baksh Rai joined them. On 21 October, 1857, 500 people, led by Nilamber and Pitamber, attacked Raghubar Dayal, who had sided with the British, at Chainpur. Then they caused heavy destruction at Lesliganj. Lt. Graham was not able to suppress the revolt with only 50 people on his side, and rebels besieged Lt. Graham in the house of Raghubar Dayal. In December 1857, two companies under Major Cotter arrived and were able to capture Devi Baksh Rai. To suppress further revolts, Commissioner Dalton arrived in

Palamu Palamu district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India. It was formed in 1892. The administrative headquarter of the district is Medininagar (formerly DaltonGanj), situated on the Koel River. History The Palamu district ha ...

from Ranchi with Madras Infantry,

Ramgarh Ramgarh may refer to: Bangladesh * Ramgarh Upazila, a sub-district of Khagrachari District India * Ramgarh, Bihar, a village near Munger, Bihar * Ramgarh, Kaimur, a town in Kaimur district, Bihar * Ramgarh, Uttarakhand, a hill station in Nainital ...

cavalry and soldiers of the

Pithoria Pithoria is a village in the Kanke CD block in the Ranchi Sadar subdivision of the Ranchi district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. History According to legend, Phani Mukut Rai, the first Nagvanshi king established sun idol near Pithoria. In ...

Pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

it on 21 January, 1858. He and Graham attacked Palamu Fort, which was occupied by rebels. Nilamber and Pitamber were forced to flee due to the strength of British forces.

Edward Tuite Dalton Edward Tuite Dalton CSI (1815 - 1880) was a British soldier and anthropologist. He was posted in Assam, then became commissioner of Chota Nagpur Division. He was posted in Chotanagpur for two decades. Later he became major general of Bengal Lancer ...

got Babu

Kunwar Singh Kunwar Singh (born: 13 November 1777 – died: 26 April 1858), also known as Babu Kunwar Singh, was a leader and military commander during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He led a selected band of armed soldiers against the troops under the comm ...

's letter to Nilambar and Naklait Majhi, who had asked for immediate help. Dalton planned to suppress the rebellion prior to the help of Kunwar Singh. Nilamber and Pitamber continued to fight against the British, by hiding in forests. Eventually they were arrested and hanged on 28 March, 1859 by British forces in Lesliganj.

Commemoration

* Nilamber-Pitamber University

References

{{reflist Indian independence activists People from Jharkhand Revolutionaries of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 1857 in India 1858 in India India articles needing expert attention

Commemoration

See also

References