NMA chairman submits report to Culture Minister on declaring Mangarh hillock in Rajasthan as a monument of National Importance as tribute to 1500 Bhil tribal freedom fighters

Source: The post is based on the article “NMA chairman submits report to Culture Minister on declaring  Mangarh hillock in Rajasthan as a monument of National Importance as tribute to 1500 Bhil tribal freedom fighters” published in PIB on 6th July 2022.

What is the News?

​​National Monuments Authority(NMA) Chairman has submitted a report to the Minister of Culture on declaring Mangarh hillock in Rajasthan as a monument of National Importance.

What is Mangarh Hillock?

Mangarh Hillock is located in Banswara District, Rajasthan. It is situated in the Aravali mountains on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border.

It is a site of a tribal uprising where a massacre of over 1500 Bhil tribal freedom fighters took place in 1913. Hence, this place is also known as the Adivasi Jallianwala.

What had happened at Mangarh Hillock?

Govind Guru, influenced by social reformers like Dayanand Saraswati launched the ‘Bhagat movement among the Bhil Tribals asking them to adhere to vegetarianism, and abstain from all types of intoxicants. 

The movement slowly took on a political hue and turned into a movement against the oppressive policies of the British. 

The Bhils began opposing taxes imposed by the British and forced labour imposed by the princely states of Banswara, Santrampur, Dungarpur and Kushalgarh.Worried by the tribal revolt, the Britishers and princely states decided to crush the uprising. 

From October 1913, Govind guru asked his followers to gather at Mangarh hill from where they would conduct their operations. 

The British asked them to vacate Mangarh hill by November 15, but they refused. On November 17, 1913, the tribals were gathering for a meeting when the British forces opened fire from cannons and guns on the crowd. 

Over 1500 people were killed and Govind guru was captured and exiled from the area. He was imprisoned in Hyderabad jail and released in 1919 on grounds of good behaviour. But as he was exiled from his homeland, he settled in Gujarat where he died in 1931.