The Moplah (Mappila) rebellion of 1921, an uprising of Muslim peasants against landlords and the British, took place in:

The Moplah (Mappila) rebellion of 1921 took place in the southern taluks of the Malabar district (then part of the Madras Presidency), in present-day Kerala.

Who were the Moplahs?

The Moplahs (Mappilas) were Muslim peasants, traders and labourers of Malabar, many of whom were descendants of Arab traders and local converts.

Many of them were tenants and agricultural labourers working on land owned by Hindu landlords (jenmis).

Causes of the rebellion:

• The Moplahs suffered from insecurity of tenure, high rents, frequent evictions and other oppressive practices of the landlords, which were supported by British law.
• There had been several earlier Moplah outbreaks during the 19th century.
• In 1920-21, the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements spread to Malabar, and Khilafat committees were set up in many villages.
• The British banned meetings and arrested leaders, which increased tension.

The rebellion:

• In August 1921, police tried to arrest Khilafat leaders at Tirurangadi, and attacked a mosque, which led to violent clashes.
• The rebels attacked police stations, government offices, and the houses of landlords and moneylenders.
• Leaders such as Variyamkunnath Kunhahammed Haji and Ali Musliyar declared independent "Khilafat kingdoms" in some areas.
• In some places, the rebellion took a communal turn, with attacks on Hindus and forced conversions, which alienated the Congress and Hindu public opinion.

Suppression:

• The British declared martial law and sent troops; the rebellion was crushed by the end of 1921.
• Thousands of rebels were killed, and many were imprisoned or deported.
• The "Wagon Tragedy" (November 1921): about 67 Moplah prisoners died of suffocation while being transported in a closed railway goods wagon from Tirur to Podanur.

Significance:

It showed the deep agrarian discontent of the peasants, and the dangers of combining religious and political issues.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Travancore, Konkan and Coorg were not the scene of this rebellion.