The Bastar rebellion (Bhumkal) of the tribals in the Bastar region (present-day Chhattisgarh) against British forest policies broke out in:

The Bastar rebellion, called the "Bhumkal" (earthquake or uprising), broke out in 1910 in the Bastar region, in present-day Chhattisgarh.

About Bastar:

• Bastar is a forested region in southern Chhattisgarh, inhabited by many tribal communities, such as the Gonds, Marias, Murias, Dhurwas, Bhatras and Halbas.
• In the colonial period, it was a princely state ruled by the Kakatiya dynasty, under British supervision.

Causes of the rebellion:

• NCERT notes that in 1905, the colonial government proposed to reserve two-thirds of the forest, and stop shifting cultivation, hunting and collection of forest produce.
• Some villages were allowed to stay on in the reserved forests on the condition that they worked free for the forest department in cutting and transporting trees, and protecting the forest from fires.
• The people of Bastar were very worried; they suffered from increased land rents and frequent demands for free labour and goods by colonial officials.
• There were also terrible famines in 1899-1900 and 1907-1908.

The rebellion:

• NCERT notes that people began to gather and discuss these issues in their village councils, at bazaars and at festivals.
• The initiative was taken by the Dhurwas of the Kanger forest, where reservation first took place.
• Although there was no single leader, many people speak of Gunda Dhur, from village Nethanar, as an important figure in the movement.
• In 1910, mango boughs, a lump of earth, chillies and arrows were circulated between villages, as invitations to rebel against the British.
• The rebels looted bazaars, burnt the houses of officials and traders, attacked schools and police stations, and redistributed grain.

Suppression:

The British sent troops to suppress the rebellion; it took them three months to regain control.

Results:

NCERT notes that the rebels were partly successful; work on reservation was suspended temporarily, and the area to be reserved was reduced to roughly half of that planned before 1910.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1857 was the year of the Revolt.
• ✗1879 and 1922 were the years of other tribal risings elsewhere.