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Question 98 of 108 · Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule
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SSC

The Damin-i-Koh area in the Rajmahal hills, where the Santhals were settled by the British, was demarcated as the land of the Santhals in:

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Answer: Option C — 1832

Detailed Solution

In 1832, the British demarcated a large area in the Rajmahal hills as "Damin-i-Koh" and declared it to be the land of the Santhals.

Meaning of the name:

"Damin-i-Koh" is a Persian term meaning "the skirts (foothills) of the hills".

Why the British settled the Santhals here:

  • The Santhals were skilled cultivators who could clear forests and plough the land.
  • The British wanted to expand settled agriculture, which would bring in land revenue.
  • The Paharias, the original hill people of the Rajmahal hills, practised shifting cultivation and were hunters and gatherers; they resisted the British.
  • The British invited the Santhals to settle in the region from the late 18th century, and gave them land to clear and cultivate.
  • The Santhals settled in the area in large numbers; the number of Santhal villages grew rapidly.

Problems faced by the Santhals:

  • The British imposed heavy taxes on the land they had cleared.
  • Moneylenders ("dikus") lent them money at very high interest, and took their land when they could not repay.
  • Zamindars claimed control over their land.
  • The police and courts favoured the moneylenders and zamindars.

The Santhal rebellion:

  • These grievances led to the Santhal rebellion (Hul) of 1855-56, led by Sidhu and Kanhu.
  • The rebellion was crushed, but the British created a separate district for the Santhals after it.

NCERT on Damin-i-Koh:

NCERT notes that by 1832 a large area of land was demarcated as Damin-i-Koh and declared to be the land of the Santhals.

NCERT notes that the Santhals were to live within it, practise plough agriculture and become settled peasants, and that the land grant stipulated that at least one-tenth of the area was to be cleared and cultivated within the first ten years.

NCERT notes that the Paharias were pushed deeper into the hills, and that the Santhals and the Paharias became rivals.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗1793 was the year of the Permanent Settlement; 1855 was the year the Santhal rebellion began; 1908 is not correct.

Quick tip

Remember: Damin-i-Koh (Rajmahal hills) = declared the land of the Santhals in 1832 (NCERT); Paharias pushed deeper into the hills; Santhal Hul in 1855-56.

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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