History of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh is considered as the cultural cradle of India. Uttar Pradesh has a rich historical heritage and it would not be wrong to state that the history of Uttar Pradesh plays a key role in defining the lifestyle of the present day Uttar Pradesh. The history of Uttar Pradesh is very old and fascinating and had a great impact on the Indian culture and civilization.
Ancient History of Uttar Pradesh
Archeological finds have indicated the presence of Stone Age Homo sapiens hunter-gatherers in Uttar Pradesh between around 85 and 73 thousand years old. Other pre-historical finds have included Middle and Upper Paleolithic artifacts dated to 21–31 thousand years old and Mesolithic/Microlithic hunter-gatherer’s settlement, near Pratapgarh, from around 10550–9550 BC. Villages with domesticated cattle, sheep, and goats and evidence of agriculture began as early as 6000 BC, and gradually developed between c. 4000 and 1500 BC beginning with the Indus Valley Civilization and Harappa Culture to the Vedic period; extending into the Iron Age.
The Belan valley (UP), which lies at the foothills of the Vindhyas, is rich in stone tools and animal fossils including cattle and deer. These remains relate to both the Lower and Middle Stone ages. The relevant excavated sites of the Belan Valley which indicate transition from the food-gathering stage to the food producing stage are Chopani-Mando, Koldihawa and Mahagara.
The excavations at Koldihwa revealed a three-fold cultural sequence (Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Iron Age). Mahagara is a single culture (Neolithic) site. The combined evidence from the two sites indicates sedentary life, domestication of rice (oriza sativa) and of cattle and sheep/goat.
Six copper axes and some pieces of pottery discovered in Sakatpur of Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh could point to a separate culture that straddled the Ganga and Yamuna, coinciding with the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Hulas is one of the 70 odd sites belonging to Chalcolithic Culture Phase in Doab which are located mostly along the higher banks of tributaries of Yamuna, namely, Hindon River, Krishni, Kathanala and Maskara. Most of these settlements are small, the largest one measuring 200×200 m, and three of these sites are excavated (Hulas, Alamgirpur and Bargaon). Occupation of this late Harappan site goes back to 2000 BC and it seems it continued up to 1000 BC.
Alamgirpur is prominent archaeological site of the Indus Valley Civilization in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district. Also known as Parasaram-ka-khera, this settlement along the Yamuna River existed from 3300 BC to 1300 BC from the Harappan-Bara period. Among major discoveries made here during the excavation were several ceramic items like roof tiles, cups, vases, beads and carts, among others. Also a humped bull and broken copper blade were unearthed at this site.
Uttar pradesh was the geographical centre of later vedic period. This period was marked by further expansion of the Aryans to parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, northern Bihar and parts of eastern Rajasthan. The Sathapatha Brahmana throws light on this expansion to the eastern Gangetic plains.
It reports the founding of a realm called ‘Videha’ by a Prince, Videgha Madhava. The Purus and the Bharatas were amalgamated to form the Kurus, the kingdom of which corresponds to modern Thaneswar, Delhi and the upper Gangetic Doab.
The Panchalas were also a composite class whose territory roughly corresponds to the modernn day Bareilly, Badaun, Farukhabad and adjoining districts. The major socio-political centre of this period was the Kuru- Panchala janapada of the Ganga-Yamuna doab.
Further, regions to the east, such as Kosala (eastern Uttar Pradesh, its early capital was Ayodhya, later replaced by Srawasti. Kashi (Varanasi), Videha (north Bihar), Magadha (South Bihar), Anga (set up their settlements on the rivers Son and the Ganges) and Vangas (eastern Bengal).
Mahajanapadas were a set of sixteen kingdoms that existed in ancient India. It all began when the tribes (janas) of the late Vedic period decided to form their own territorial communities, which eventually gave rise to new and permanent areas of settlements called ‘states’ or ‘janapadas’. many of these mahajanpadas were located in uttar pradesh.
Kuru
At the time of the Budhha, Kuru was ruled by Korayvya, a titular chieftain. Its capital was Indraprastha (present-day Delhi), which was known for people with sound health and deep wisdom. The Kurus were related to people of other communities like the ‘Panchalas’ and the ‘Yadavas’ as they had matrimonial relations with them. Though Kuru kingdom was a well-known monarchical state in the ancient world, the 6th and 5th centuries BCE saw the formation of republican form of government in the land of Kuru. Kautiliya’s ‘Arthashastra,’ which was written in Sanskrit in the 4th century BCE, also states that the Kurus followed the king consul constitution.
Kosala
The kingdom of Kosala was located close to the kingdom of Magadha. With Ayodhya as its capital, Kosala was bound by river Ganges in the south, river Gandak in the east, and the Himalaya mountains in the north. According to Vedic texts, Kosala was the biggest and most powerful kingdom ever in history. At the time of the Buddha and Mahavira, Kosala kingdom was ruled by King Prasenajit. After a series of tactical moves for supremacy by Kosala and Magadha, the kingdom of Kosala was eventually merged with Magadha, when Kosala was being ruled by Vidudabha.
Malla
The Mallas of the Malla kingdom are often described as powerful people who dwelled in Northern South Asia. Many Buddhist texts refer to the kingdom as a republican dominion made up of nine territories. Like Kuru, Malla kingdom too had monarchical forms of government, but later moved towards the republican form of government. Ancient cities like Kusinara and Pava, which belonged to the Malla kingdom, are considered extremely important by Jains and Buddhists. While Lord Mahavira had his last meal at Kusinara, Gauthama Buddha had his last meal at Pava. Both Kusinara and Pava are believed to have hosted Buddha for a long period of time.
Panchala
The Panchala kingdom was located east of the Kuru kingdom, between river Ganges and the mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Panchala was divided into two parts, namely Dakshina-Panchala and Uttara-Panchala. While Adhichhatra (present-day Bareilly) served as the capital city of Uttara-Panchala, Kampilya (present-day Farrukhabad) was made the capital of Dakshina-Panchala. Originally a monarchical kingdom, Panchala is believed to have turned into a republican dominion during the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. Kautiliya’s ‘Arthashastra’ also states that Panchala followed the king consul constitution. The kingdom was later annexed by Mauryan Empire and then by the Gupta Empire.
Chedi
The kingdom of Chedi finds great prominence in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. According to the ancient text, Chedi was ruled by a king named Shishupala, who was an ally of the kings from Magadha and Kuru. A city named Suktimati has been described as the kingdom’s capital.
Vatsa
Vatsa or Vamsa, which was located near the present-day Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, thrived under a monarchical form of government. King Udayana of the 7th century BCE ruled Vatsa with Kausambi as its capital. Though Udayana initially opposed the teachings of the Buddha, he became a follower of Buddha later in his life and even made Buddhism as the state religion of Kausambi. Vatsa’s capital city attracted a number of wealthy merchants, who made Kausambi their home. Kausambi was also a prominent entreport of passengers and goods, coming in from the south and north-west.
Surasena
The kingdom of Surasena was located to the west of river Yamuna and to the east of Matsya kingdom. Surasena played an important role in propagating Buddhism as the king of Surasena, Avantiputra, was among the earliest known chief disciples of Buddha.
Kashi
Ancient Kashi was bound by river Varuna in the north and river Assi in the south. The Kingdom of Kashi, which had its capital at Varanasi, was the most powerful among ‘mahajanapadas’ before the time of the Buddha.
Mauryan empire had strong presence in uttar pradesh. Some of the important Ashoka edicts found in uttar pradesh are as follows:
Sohgaura copper plate inscription
The Sohgaura copper plate inscription is an Indian copper plate inscription written in Prakrit in the Brahmi script. It was discovered in Sohgaura, Gorakhpur.
The plate, consisting of a line of symbolic drawings and four lines of text, is the result of a molding.The inscription is sometimes presented as pre-Ashokan, even pre-Mauryan, but the writing of the plate, especially the configuration of akshara would rather suggest a date after Ashoka. Nowadays, this plate is generally considered to be from the Maurya period, and seems to be part of the larger set of inscriptions (the Edicts of Ashoka), written by Ashoka through India.
Kosambi pillar edict (Allahabad pillar)
This pillar is located in Kaushambi where it was erected by the great emperor of the Mauryan kingdom, Ashoka. It is in ruins but still holds much importance as it an artefact of the golden period of the Mauryan Empire and the great beliefs of peace harbored by Ashoka.
Sarnath’s ashoka pillar edict
The most celebrated of the Ashokan pillars is the one erected at Sarnath, the site of Buddha’s First Sermon where he shared the Four Noble Truths (the dharma or the law). Currently, the pillar remains where it was originally sunk into the ground, but the capital is now on display at the Sarnath Museum. It is this pillar that was adopted as the national emblem of India. It is depicted on the one rupee note and the two rupee coin.
The pillar reads from bottom to top. The lotus represents the murky water of the mundane world and the four animals remind the practitioner of the unending cycle of samsara as we remain, through our ignorance and fear, stuck in the material world. But the cakras (wheels) between them offer the promise of the Eightfold Path, that guide one to the unmoving center at the hub of the wheel. Note that in these particular cakras, the number of spokes in the wheel (eight for the Eightfold Path), had not yet been standardized.
Meerut-delhi pillar edict
The Delhi-Meerut pillar, was shifted from Meerut, in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi by Feruz Shah and erected at a location in the northern ridge of Delhi, close to his hunting palace, between the Chauburji-Masjid and Hindu Rao Hospital. It was an elaborately planned transportation, from its original location, using a 42-wheeled cart to bring it up to the Yamuna river bank and then further transporting it by the Yamuna river route using barges.
The last Mauryan king Brithadratha was killed by his commander-in-chief Pushyamitra Sunga in 185 BC. He did so on being disgusted with his ruler’s policy of the so-called non-violence that stood in the way of his leading a campaign against the alien invaders who had occupied a big chunk of North-Western India. He after that fought against the invaders and pushed them beyond the natural north-western boundary of the country and performed Asvamedha Yajna on the bank of River Indus ( Sindhu ). He also performed a grand Ashvamedha Yajna in Pataliputra ( Patna ), the capital city. We find a mention of these Yajnas in a rock-edict of Ayodhya. Thus he re-established the Vaidika-Dharma in India. We find an account of his son, Agnimitra’s life in Kalidas’s drama Malavikagnimitram.
Ultimately, Shunga rule seems to have extended to the area of Ayodhya. Shunga inscriptions are known as far as Ayodhya in northern central India; in particular, the Dhanadeva-Ayodhya inscription refers to a local king Dhanadeva, who claimed to be the sixth descendant of Pushyamitra Shunga. The inscription also records that Pushyamitra performed two Ashvamedhas (victory sacrifices) in Ayodhya.
The Yavanarajya inscription, also called the Maghera inscription, was discovered in a village near Mathura, India in 1988. The Sanskrit inscription, carved on a block of red sandstone, is dated to the 1st century BCE, and is currently located at the Mathura Museum in Mathura.The inscription notes the donation of a water well and tank to the community in 1st century BCE.
The Yavanarajya inscription is in Brahmi script and describes a dedication for a well and a tank in Mathura on “The last day of year 116 of Yavana dominion (Yavanarajya)”. Although the term “Yavanas” can sometimes mean “westerners” in general, the Yavanas mentioned in the inscription probably refer to the Indo-Greeks, as the Indo-Scythians or the Indo-Parthians are never associated with the word Yavana in the inscriptions of Mathura. The date mentioned on the stone was the Hindu festival day of Holi, according to the Hindu calendar.
Under the rule of the Kushans, northwest India and adjoining regions participated both in seagoing trade and in commerce along the Silk Road to China. Mathura school of art became famous during this phase of history. The Kushan art of Mathura is important in the history of Indian art as it embodies the symbolism and iconographic forms that were adopted later. The forms of the Brahmanical deities, for example, became crystallised at Mathura for the first time.
The ancestry and early history of the Gupta family are little known, and have naturally given rise to various speculations. But very likely they were initially a family of landowners who acquired political control in the region of Magadha and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh seems to have been a more important province for the Guptas than Bihar, because early Gupta coins and inscriptions have been mainly found in that region.
Uttar Pradesh seems to have been the place from where the Guptas operated and fanned out in different directions. Probably with their centre of power at Prayag they spread in the neighbouring regions. The Guptas were possibly the feudatories of the Kushanas in Uttar Pradesh, and seem to have succeeded them without any wide time-lag.
Gupta dynasty, rulers of the Magadha (now Bihar) state in northeastern India. They maintained an empire over northern and parts of central and western India from the early 4th to the late 6th century CE. The first ruler of the empire was Chandra Gupta I, who was succeeded by his son, the celebrated Samudra Gupta. Present day uttar pradesh was the heartland of gupta empire.
Harshvardhana
Harshavardhana ruled over the entire North India from 606 to 647 CE. It is said that Harshavardhana’s empire reminded many of the great Gupta Empire as his administration was similar to that of the administration of the Gupta Empire. There was no slavery in his empire and people were free to lead their life according to their wish. His empire also took good care of the poor by building rest houses that provided all the amenities required. In many texts, Harshavardhana has been described as a noble emperor who made sure all his subjects stayed happy. He did not impose heavy taxes on his people and the economy was somewhat self-sufficient. His capital Kannauj (in present day Uttar Pradesh) attracted many artists, poets, religious leaders and scholars who traveled from far and wide. He also maintained cordial relations with the Chinese. He even sent an Indian mission to China, establishing a diplomatic relationship between India and China. The famous Chinese monk and traveler Xuanzang spent eight years in his empire. He later recorded his experiences and even praised Harshavardhana for the way he went about ruling his empire.
During the 8th century AD, a struggle for control over the Kannauj took place among three major empires of India namely the Palas, the Pratiharas and the Rastrakutas. During the 8th century AD, a struggle for control over the Kannauj took place among three major empires of India namely the Palas, the Pratiharas and the Rastrakutas. The Palas ruled the eastern parts of India while the Pratiharas controlled the western India (Avanti-Jalaor region). The Rastrakutas ruled over the deccan region of India. The struggle for control over Kannuj among these three dynasties is known as the Tripartite struggle in Indian history.
Jaunpur sultanat
Jaunpur, the seat of the Sharqi kingdom, is a great recluse of medieval history. It is hardly 75 kms from Varanasi, yet too far from the tourist map. Dotted with early 15th century monuments, these lofty buildings display an architectural class of its own that has acquired a nomenclature for itself – the Jaunpur style. Mughal emperor Shah Jehan admired this place as the “Shiraz of India” and rightly enough Sher Shah was one of its proud alumnus. Akbar on his visit to Jaunpur enjoyed water sports on the river Gumpti while others like Babur, Humayun and Aurangzeb were quite impressed by its splendour and did their best to restore its glory.
Malik Sarwar had been promoted to the governorship of Jaunpur under the title of Malik- us-Shark (King of the east).Malik Sarwar ruled Jaupur as a governor for five years. His adopted son Qaranfal ruled as an independent king and his brief rule was followed by that of his younger brother Ibrahim Shah Sharqi, who is considered to be one of the greatest rulers of the 15th century Hindustan whose prosperous reign of forty years produced some of the finest buildings in Jaunpur. Ibrahim was succeeded by his equally illustrious son, Mahmud Shah, who further crowned the city with monuments. During his 17 year rule, is subjects experienced the joys of life with grandeur. Traces of decline were visible with the advent of Bhikhan Khan, son and successor to Mahmud. Bhikhan was a man of tyrannical nature and thus despised by his subjects. The last of the Sharqis was Hussain Shah, whose ambition to expand beyond means brought about his downfall and that of his kingdom
Sultan Sikandar Lodī, the Muslim, founded Agra in the year 1504. After the Sultan’s death, the city passed on to his son, Sultan Ibrāhīm Lodī. He ruled his Sultanate from Agra until he fell fighting to Mughal Badshah (emperor) Bābar in the First battle of Panipat fought in 1526.
The golden age of the city began with the Mughals. It was known then as Akbarabād and remained the capital of the Mughal Empire under the Badshahs (emperors) Akbar, Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān. Akbar made it the eponymous seat of one of his original twelve subahs (imperial top-level provinces), bordering (Old) Delhi, Awadh (Oudh), Allahabad, Malwa and Ajmer subahs. Shāh Jahān later shifted his capital to Shāhjahānabād in the year 1649.
Since Akbarabād was one of the most important cities in India under the Mughals, it witnessed a lot of building activity. Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of river Yamuna. The garden is called the Arām Bāgh or the Garden of Relaxation. His grandson Akbar the Great raised the towering ramparts of the Great Red Fort, besides making Agra a centre for learning, arts, commerce and religion. Akbar also built a new city on the outskirts of Akbarabād called Fatehpūr Sikrī. This city was built in the form of a Mughal military camp in stone.
His son Jahāngīr had a love of flora and fauna and laid many gardens inside the Red Fort or Lāl Qil’a. Shāh Jahān, known for his keen interest in architecture, gave Akbarabād its most prized monument, the Tāj Mahal. Built in loving memory of his wife Mumtāz Mahal, the mausoleum was completed in 1653. Shāh Jahān later shifted the capital to Delhi during his reign, but his son Aurangzeb moved the capital back to Akbarabād, usurping his father and imprisoning him in the Fort there. Akbarabād remained the capital of India during the rule of Aurangzeb until he shifted it to Aurangabad in the Deccan in 1653. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the influence of Marathas and was called Agra, before falling into the hands of the British Raj in 1803.
The Nawab of Awadh is a title that was given to the rulers of the Indian princely state of Awadh or Oudh, as it was referred to by the British. The Nawabs of Awadh were a clan of rulers that came from Persia in the early 18th century. Nawab Sa’adat, the first in the dynasty came from Persia in 1724 and established the state of Awadh at a time when the Mughal empire was shrinking. Taking advantage of the situation, he gained supremacy over Awadh and made Faizabad the capital.
At a time when the Mughal empire was disintegrating, a soldier in the Mughal army reaped rich rewards when he was made the governor of Awadh. Later this Nazim or Governor became the Nawab. The Nawabs of Awadh received a fair degree of autonomy from the Mughal rulers in Delhi, however, their alliance with the British East India Company ensured that they would not remain independent for long. The British had eyed the wealthy state of Awadh for long and after the defeat of the Shuja-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh in the Battle of Plassey, fortunes took a turn for the royal family of Awadh. Nevertheless, despite having to forfeit a lot of its territory to the British, the Nawab still managed to maintain a harmonious relationship with the British and became their chief ally.
The Awadhi royalty have undoubtedly left a lot of priceless heritage in the form of their style of cooking known as the Awadhi cuisine amongst the countless heritage sites. The cuisine of the Awadhis is derived from a mix of Middle East, North Indian and Central Asian flavors and was also heavily influence by the flavors of Kashmir, Hyderabad, Punjab and Mughal food. Apart from the mouth-watering cuisines, the Nawabs of Awadh were great patrons of music, poetry, dance and drama. From the popular ‘thumri’ to the revival of kathak, Lucknow had become a flourishing cultural center under the patronage of the Awadh rulers.
1857 revolt
The first Summary Settlement was made on the guidelines of Lord Dalhousie (the then Governor General) in 1856, soon after the annexation of Awadh. The main purpose of this Settlement was to consolidate the British power in Awadh. It was not in favor of the taluqdars. In this Settlement Lord Dalhousie gave priority to village zamindars over the taluqdars of Awadh. This was done to undermine the power and position of taluqdars.
It is the tone and the spirit behind the letter which is more important than the actual result of the Settlement. Dalhousie‟s letter clearly humiliates the taluqdars by calling them “farmers of the revenue” and by giving priority to zamindars over them. The Settlement was to be made with the zamindars, and if there was any left – over it could be settled with the taluqdars at “a future period” after studying their claims.
Though the British were against the taluqdars, direct confrontation with them at initial stage would not have been wise. So they decided to attack their financial resources. They snatched parts of their estates and settled them directly with the zamindars. In the first Settlement the taluqdars lost some 9,900 villages out of 23,500 villages which they held at the time of annexation. This was a very peculiar kind of arrangement. If all 23,500 villages had been directly settled with the zamindars, then this would have led the British to have direct confrontation with the taluqdars, for which they were not prepared at this stage. Without confronting the taluqdars their power was to be weakened. Though a large number of villages were left with the taluqdars, what they got was only a left – over, left over after the settlement with the zamindars. A class of landholders was created which will not bow down before the taluqdars. Perhaps the British thought that this newly created class of landholders would side with them against the taluqdars. They created this class to use it at a proper time in the future.
Dalhousie‟s scheme misfired. The first Summary Settlement lasted for only fifteen months, from the time of annexation to June 1857 when the Revolt started. Taluqdars, who had all the reasons to participate in the Revolt against the British, took active part, carrying the zamindars (new gentry, new landholders, village proprietors ) with them. The British had direct settlement with the zamindars, thinking that they would side with them against the taluqdars. But at the time of Revolt they sided with the taluqdars, which meant the same as rising for the Independence of the country against the foreign rule.
Peasants movements in uttar pradesh
After the 1857 revolt the Awadh Talukdars had got back their lands. This strengthened the hold of the taluqdars or big land lords over the agrarian society of the province. The majority of the cultivators were subjected to high rents, summary evictions (bedakhali), illegal levies, renewal fees or nazrana. The First World War had hiked the prices of food and other necessities. This worsened the condition of U.P. peasants
Mainly due to the efforts of the home rule activities Kisan Sabhas were organized in U.P. as well. Abhiudya, the paper from Prayag in an article on the history of Kisan Sabha in U.P.; 1945 asserted that first Kisan Sabha was formed in the year 1918 and Purshotam Das Tondon was the president. Its second annual meeting was held at Gangaghat on 30-31 January 1919; under the leadership of Ramnath Trippathi.
Madan Mohan Malviya supported their efforts; by June 1919 the U.P. Kisan Sabha had 450 branches. Other prominent leaders include Jhinguri Singh, Durga Pal Singh and Baba Ram Chandra. This movement splitswithin two year on the council boycott issue, when Dwivedi tried to rally kisan votes for liberal candidates and his colleague Gauri Shankar Mishra joining non-cooperative and establishing links with the grass roots peasants’ movement; which had emerged by them in the Rae-Bareli-Pratapgarh region.
In June 1920, Baba Ram Chandra urged Nehru to visit these villages. During these visits; Nehru developed close contacts with the villagers. In October 1920, the Awadh Kisan Sabha came into existence because of differences in nationalist ranks. The Awadh Kisan Sabha asked the kisans to refuse to till Bedakhali land, not to offer hari and beggar (forms of unpaid labour) to boycott those who did not accept these conditions and to solves their disputes through panchayats.
The peasants upsurge in South and South-East Awadh associated with Baba Ram Chandra culminated in widesperead agrarian riots in Rae-Bareli, Pratapgarh, Fyzabad and Sultanpur between January and March 1921. Houses and crops of talukdars were destroyed. Bazars and merchant property was destroyed and distructed. Shopkeepers were forced to sell their products very cheap. These riotings plunder and attacks on land lords were advocated by the extremist and local leaders. The most important among them was Baba Ram Chandra; who claimed some religions inspiration he often gave discources on Tulsi Ramayan, the Hindi epic which was very popular in U.P. and particularly in Oudh. In this way he build up his followings. So these local leaders preached a form of class war which led tenants in Raibarelli and Pratpgarh districts into agitation.
Towards the end of 1921, peasants discontent resurfaced in some northern districts of Uttar Pradesh.
The meetings of the Eka or the unity movement involved in symbolic religious rituals in which the assembled peasants vowed that they would pay only the recorded rent but in time. These peasants denied leaving when evicted from land. And refused to do forced labour when asked by land lords; at the same time they refused to give any help to criminals. The grass root leader of the Eka movement was Madari Pasi who was assisted by some low caste leaders and many small zamindars also.
Again at the time of great depression, 1930-32, when prices slumped, peasants could not pay rents to land lords, nor land lords revenue to the state. The Indian Naitional Congress launched a non-rent, no revenue campaign of middle and rich peasants, supported by the rural poor. It may be noticed that to make the national movement i.e. (at that was civil disobedience movement) a mass movement rural masses were organized and no rent campaign was launched. Even the zamindars were motivated for no-revenue campaign. At the same time it was the only step which could hamper the generating class struggle of the rural society.
Revolutionary movement in uttar pradesh
In February 1920, when all the prisoners of Mainpuri Conspiracy Case were released under government proclamation, Bismil returned to his native place Shahjahanpur and met the District Authorities. They allowed Bismil to live peacefully after taking an affidavit of undertaking from him declaring therein not to participate in any such revolutionary activity.
Soon, he joined Bharat Silk Manufacturing Co. as a manager for sometimes and after that started a business of silk sarees in the partnership of Banarsi Lal. Banarsi Lal and Bismil had been associated with the District Congress Committee of Shahjahanpur. Although Bismil earned good money in the business yet he was not satisfied because his earlier commitment to get out British rulers from India was not fulfilled.
In 1921 Bismil attended Ahmedabad Congress along with many volunteers from Shahjahanpur and occupied a place on the dias. A senior congressman Prem Krishna Khanna and revolutionary Ashfaqulla Khan were also with him. Bismil played an active role in the Congress with Maulana Hasrat Mohani and got the most debated proposal of Poorna Swaraj passed in the General Body meeting of Congress. Mr. M K Gandhi, who was not in the favour of this proposal, became quite helpless before the overwhelming demand of youths. It was another victory of Bismil against the Liberal Group of Congress. He returned to Shahjahanpur and mobilized the youths of United Province for non-cooperation with the Government. The people of U.P. were so much influenced by the furious speeches and verses of Bismil that they became hostile against British Raj.
In February 1922 some agitating farmers were killed in Chauri Chaura by the police. The police station of Chauri Chaura was attacked by the people and 22 policemen were burnt alive. Gandhi declared an immediate stop the non-cooperation movement without consulting any executive committee member of the Congress. Bismil and his group of youths strongly opposed Gandhi in the Gaya session of Indian National Congress (1922). When Gandhi refused to rescind his decision, its existing president Chittranjan Das resigned and the Indian National Congress was divided into two groups – one liberal and the other for rebellion. In January 1923, the rebellious group formed a new Swaraj Party under the joint leadership of Pt. Moti Lal Nehru and Chittranjan Das, and the youth group formed a revolutionary party under the leadership of Bismil.
With the consent of Lala Har Dayal, Bismil went to Allahabad where he drafted the constitution of the party in 1923 with the help of Sachindra Nath Sanyal and another revolutionary of Bengal, Dr. Jadugopal Mukherjee. The basic name and aims of the organisation were typed on a Yellow Paper and later on a subsequent Constitutional Committee Meeting was conducted on 3 October 1924 at Kanpur in U.P. under the Chairmanship of Sachindra Nath Sanyal.
This meeting decided the name of the party would be the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA). After a long discussion from others, Bismil was declared the District Organiser of Shahjahanpur and Chief of Arms Division. An additional responsibility of Provincial Organiser of United Province (Agra and Oudh) was also entrusted to him. Sachindra Nath Sanyal, was anonymously nominated as National Organiser and another senior member Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee, was given the responsibility of Coordinator, Anushilan Samiti. After attending the meeting in Kanpur, both Sanyal and Chatterjee left the U.P. and proceeded to Bengal for further extension of the organisation.
Noncooperation movement in uttar pradesh
The Non-cooperation-Khilafat Movement began in 1920. Many diverse regional groups joined this movement to meet their specific objectives. Many students, teachers and headmasters joined the movement. Lawyers also gave up their legal practice and joined in. People picketed the liquor shops and boycotted foreign goods and cloth. Some Indian traders also rejected foreign goods and foreign trade. The demand for the Indian cloth increased and the vanishing textile industry of India got a new lease of life.
In Awadh, Baba Ramchandra, led the peasant movement. This movement demanded revenue reduction, abolition of begar and social boycott of oppressive landlords. In October 1920, Oudh Kisan Sabha was set up headed by Jawaharlal Nehru, Baba Ramchandra. The Peasant movement developed a violent streak, as the peasants attacked houses of the landlords and looted markets. Leaders misused Mahatma Gandhi’s name and ideals. In the Gudem Hills of Andhra Pradesh, tribal peasants misinterpreted the meaning of Swaraj and had suffered a lot of oppression at the hands of the British. As a result they staged a rebellion under the leadership of a man called Alluri Sitaram Raju.