Munda religion, bringing with him beliefs and images from both majdr faiths. He taught the Mundas first that he was divinity - appointed messenger come to deliver them from foreign rule, and later that he was an incarnation of God himself. His mission was to save the faithful from destruction in imminent flood, fire and brimstone, by leading them to the top of a mountain. Beneath them, "all the British, Hindus and Muslims would perish, after which a Munda Kingdom would be ushered in." Some of the movements subsequently got integrated with the natiqnal movement. Particularly during the non-cooperation movement the 'forest Satyagrahas' played an important role. Gradually, they also got imbued with anti-imperialist ideology. Sumit Sarkar notes in the case of Sitarama Raju's movement that certain striking new features were visible. Sitarama Raju was not a local village muttadar unlike previous leaders but "a man without family or interest, an outsider coming from a group which claimed Kshatriya status and often some proficiency in Telugu and Sanskrit scholarship". Anti-imperialist ideology was still rudimentary. Raju's anti-imperialist feeling were reflected, for instance in his statement that he was unable to shoot Europeans as they were always surrounded by Indians whom he did not want to kill. This ideology was accompanied by primitive messianic elements. He had been wandering among the tribals since 1915 as a Sanyasi claiming astrological and qnedicinal powers and coming under Non-Cooperation influence in 1921. "Raju hints he is bullet-proof" reported the Malkangiri Deputy Tehsildar, while a rebel proclamation in April 1924 claimed that "God Sri Jagannadhaswami would incarnate very shortly as kalkiavatar and appear before us." Essentially all these tribal movements were the outcome of deep resentment and discontent against the policies of British imperialists that affected them adversely, as you have seen in the beginning of this unit.

References

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