Maniram Dutta Baruah, popularly known as Maniram Dewan (17 April 1806 – 26 February 1858), was an
Assamese
Assamese may refer to:
* Assamese people, a socio-ethnolinguistic identity of north-eastern India
* People of Assam, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-religious people of Assam
* Assamese language, one of the easternmost Indo-Aryan language ...
nobleman in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. He was one of the first people to establish
tea gardens
Tea Gardens is a locality in the Mid-Coast Council local government area, located near the southern extremity of the Mid North Coast and the northern extremity of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia.
At the Tea Gardens had a popul ...
in
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
. A loyal ally of the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
in his early years, he was hanged by the British for conspiring against them during the
1857 uprising
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...
. He was popular among the people of
Upper Assam
Upper Assam is an administrative division of the state of Assam comprising the undivided Lakhimpur and Sivasagar (previously, Sibsagar) districts, of the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra valley. The other divisions are: Lower Assam, North Assam a ...
as "Kalita Raja" (king of the
Kalita caste).
Early life
Maniram was born into a family that had migrated from
Kannauj
Kannauj (Hindustani pronunciation: ənːɔːd͡ʒ is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is a corrupted form of the cla ...
to Assam in the early 16th century. His paternal ancestors held high offices in the
Ahom court. The Ahom rule had weakened considerably following the
Moamoria rebellion
The Moamoria rebellion (1769–1805) was the 18th century uprising in Ahom kingdom of present-day Assam that began as power struggle between the Moamorias (''Mataks''), the adherents of the Moamara Sattra, and the Ahom kings. This uprising ...
(1769–1806). During the
Burmese invasions of Assam (1817–1826), Maniram's family sought asylum in Bengal, which was under the control of the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
. The family returned to Assam under the British protection, during the early days of the
First Anglo-Burmese War
The First Anglo-Burmese War ( my, ပထမ အင်္ဂလိပ်-မြန်မာ စစ်; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese ...
(1824-1826).
The East India Company defeated the Burmese and gained the control of Assam through the
Treaty of Yandabo
The Treaty of Yandabo ( my, ရန္တပိုစာချုပ် ) was the peace treaty that ended the First Anglo-Burmese War. The treaty was signed on 24February 1826, nearly two years after the war formally broke out on 5March 1824, by ...
(1826).
British associate
Early in his career, Maniram became a loyal associate of the British East India Company administration under
David Scott
David Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932) is an American retired test pilot and NASA astronaut who was the seventh person to walk on the Moon. Selected as part of the third group of astronauts in 1963, Scott flew to space three times and co ...
, the Agent of the
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
in North East India.
In 1828, the 22-year-old Maniram was appointed as a
tehsildar
In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...
and a
sheristadar of
Rangpur under Scott's deputy Captain
John Bryan Neufville.
Later, Maniram was made a ''borbhandar'' (Prime Minister) by
Purandar Singha, the titular ruler of Assam during 1833–1838. He continued to be an associate of Purandar's son
Kamaleswar Singha
Suklingphaa (ruled 1795–1811), or Kamaleswar Singha, was a king of the Ahom kingdom. He came to power when he was a toddler, and died in his teens during a small pox epidemic. The ''de facto'' ruler during his reign was Purnanada Burhago ...
and grandson
Kandarpeswar Singha. Maniram became a loyal confidante of
Purandar Singha, and resigned from the posts of
sheristadar and
tehsildar
In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...
, when the King was deposed by the British.
Tea cultivation
It was Maniram who informed the British about the
Assam tea
Assam tea is a black tea named after the region of its production, Assam, India. It is manufactured specifically from the plant ''Camellia sinensis'' var. ''assamica'' (Masters). The Assam tea plant is indigenous to Assam—initial efforts to pla ...
grown by the
Singpho people, which was hitherto unknown to the rest of the world. In the early 1820s, he directed the cultivators Major Robert Bruce and his brother Charles Alexander Bruce to the local Singpho chief Bessa Gaum.
Charles Bruce collected the tea plants from the Singphos and took them to the Company administration. However, Dr.
Nathaniel Wallich
Nathaniel Wolff Wallich FRS FRSE (28 January 1786 – 28 April 1854) was a surgeon and botanist of Danish origin who worked in India, initially in the Danish settlement near Calcutta and later for the Danish East India Company and the Briti ...
, the superintendent of the
Calcutta Botanical Garden declared that these samples were not of the same species as the tea plants of China.
In 1833, after its monopoly on the Chinese tea trade ended, the East India Company decided to establish major tea plantations in India.
Lord William Bentinck
Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 September 177417 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British soldier and statesman who served as the Governor of Fort William (Bengal) from 1828 to 1834 and the First G ...
established the Tea Committee on 1 February 1834 towards achieving this goal. The committee sent out circulars asking about the suitable places for tea cultivation, to which Captain F. Jenkins responded, suggesting Assam. The tea plant samples collected by his assistant Lieutenant Charlton were acknowledged by Dr. Wallich as genuine tea. When the Tea Committee visited Assam to study the feasibility of tea cultivation, Maniram met Dr. Wallich as a representative of Purandar Singha, and highlighted the region's prospects for tea cultivation.
In 1839, Maniram became the
Dewan
''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...
of the Assam Tea Company at
Nazira, drawing a salary of 200 rupees per month. In the mid-1840s, he quit his job due to differences of opinion with the company officers.
By this time, Maniram had acquired tea cultivation expertise. He established his own Cinnamara tea garden at Cinnamara in
Jorhat
Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India.
Etymology
Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...
, thus becoming the first Indian Tea Planter to grow tea commercially in Assam. Jorhat later became home to the tea research laboratory
Tocklai Experimental Station. He established another plantation at Selung (or Singlo) in
Sibsagar
Sivasagar (Pron: or ) ("the sea of Shiva"), is a city in and headquarters of the Sivasagar district, Assam. Sivasagar is situated about 360 kilometers (224 mi) northeast of Guwahati. It is well known for its Ahom palaces and monuments. S ...
.
Apart from the tea industry, Maniram also ventured into iron
smelting
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ...
, gold procuring and salt production. He was also involved in the manufacturing of goods like
matchlock
A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Befo ...
s,
hoes and cutlery. His other business activities included handloom, boat making, brick making, bellmetal, dyeing, ivory work, ceramic, coal supply, elephant trade, construction of buildings for military headquarters and agricultural products. Some of the markets established by him include the Garohat in Kamrup, Nagahat near Sivasagar, Borhat in Dibrugarh, Sissihat in
Dhemaji
Dhemaji (Pron: deɪˈmɑ:ʤi or di:ˈmɑ:ʤi) is a City in Assam and it is the headquarters of Dhemaji district, Assam, India.
Etymology
The district's name ''Dhemaji'' is derived from the Deori word ''Dema-ji'' which means ''great water'' indi ...
and Darangia Haat in
Darrang
Darrang () is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Mangaldoi. The district occupies an area of 1585 km2.
History
No definitive records about Darrang are available for the pre-med ...
.
Anti-British plot

By the 1850s, Maniram had become hostile to the British. He had faced numerous administrative obstacles in establishing private tea plantations, due to opposition from the competing European tea planters. In 1851, captain Charles Holroyd, the chief officer of Sibsagar seized all the facilities provided to him due to a tea garden dispute. Maniram, whose family consisted of 185 people, had to face economic hardship.
In 1852, Maniram presented a petition to A.G. Moffat Mills, the judge of the Sadar Court, Calcutta.
He wrote that the people of Assam had been "reduced to the most abject and hopeless state of misery from the loss of their fame, honour, rank,
caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural ...
, employment etc." He pointed out that the British policies were aimed at recovering the expenses incurred in conquering the Assam province from the Burmese, resulting in exploitation of the local economy. He protested against the waste of money on frivolous court cases, the unjust taxation system, the unfair pension system and the introduction of
opium
Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy '' Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which ...
cultivation. He also criticized the discontinuation of the
puja
Puja or Pooja may refer to:
Religion
*Puja (Hinduism), a ritual to host, honor or of devotional worship, or one to celebrate an event
* Puja (Buddhism), expressions of honour, worship and devotional attention
* Puja, a wooden stick, sometimes lea ...
(Hindu worship) at the
Kamakhya Temple
The Kamakhya Temple at Nilachal hills in Guwahati, Assam is one of the oldest and most revered centres of Tantric practices. The temple is the center of the ''Kulachara Tantra Marga'' and the site of the Ambubachi Mela, an annual festival ...
, which according to him resulted in calamities. Maniram further wrote that the "objectionable treatment" of the Hill Tribes (such as the
Nagas) was resulting in constant warfare leading to mutual loss of life and money. He complained against the desecration of the Ahom royal tombs and looting of wealth from these relics. He also disapproved of the appointment of the
Marwaris
The Marwari or Marwadi (Hindi: मारवाड़ी, Urdu: مارواڑی) are an Indian ethnic group that originate from the Rajasthan region of India. Their language, also called Marwari, comes under the umbrella of Rajasthani languages, ...
and the
Bengalis
Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of S ...
as ''Mouzadar''s (a civil service post), when a number of Assamese people remained unemployed.
As a solution to all these issues, Maniram proposed that the former native administration of the Ahom kings be reintroduced.
The judge Mills dismissed the petition as a "curious document" from "a subject".
He also remarked that Maniram was "a clever but an untrustworthy and intriguing person".
To gather support for the reintroduction of the Ahom rule, Maniram arrived in
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comm ...
, the then capital of British India, in April 1857, and networked with several influential people. On behalf of the Ahom royal
Kandarpeswar Singha, he petitioned the British administrators for restoration of the Ahom rule on 6 May 1857.
When the Indian
sepoy
''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire.
In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its oth ...
s
started an uprising against the British on 10 May, Maniram saw it as an opportunity to restore the Ahom rule. With help from messengers disguised as
fakir
Fakir ( ar, فقیر, translit=faḳīr or ''faqīr'') is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do not necessarily renounce ...
s, he sent coded letters to
Piyali Baruah, who had been acting as the chief advisor of Kandarpeswar in his absence. In these letters, he urged
Kandarpeswar Singha to launch a rebellion against the British, with help from the sepoys at
Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh (pron: ˌdɪbru:ˈgɑ:) is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam ...
and
Golaghat
Golaghat ( ''Gʊlaɡʱat'' ) one of the largest subdivisions of the Indian state of Assam, later elevated to the position of a full–fledged district headquarter on 5 October 1987, is a city and a municipality and the seat of administrat ...
. Kandarpeswar and his loyal men hatched an anti-British plot and gathered arms. The plot was supported by several influential local leaders including
Urbidhar Barua,
Mayaram Barbora,
Chitrasen Barbora,
Kamala Charingia Barua
Kamala refers to:
People
* Kamala (name), given name and surname, includes list of people and characters with the name
** Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States
* Kamala (wrestler) (1950–2020), American profess ...
,
Mahidhar Sarma Muktear,
Luki Senchowa Barua
Luki may refer to:
* Lüki (''Iteu''), community of Abram in Romania
* Pierre Louki, a French actor and singer/songwriter.
* Velikiye Luki, a city in the southern part of Pskov Oblast, Russia.
* FC Luki-SKIF Velikiye Luki, a Russian football te ...
,
Ugrasen Marangikhowa Gohain
Ugrasena ( sa, उग्रसेन) is a character mentioned in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. He is the King of Mathura, a kingdom that was established by the powerful fearless Abhira tribes from the Yaduvamsha clan. His son was Kamsa, and ...
,
Deoram Dihingia Barua,
Dutiram Barua,
Bahadur Gaonburha
Bahadur may refer to:
* Bahadur, a form of Baghatur, an honorific title
* Bahadur Fort, in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India
* Bahadur (comics), an Indian comic book superhero
* ''Bahadur'' (film), a 1953 Indian film
* Bahadur (character) ...
,
Sheikh Formud Ali
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...
and
Madhuram Koch
''Madhuram'' is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy -drama film written and directed by Ahammed Khabeer. The film stars Joju George, Shruti Ramachandran, Arjun Ashokan, Nikhila Vimal and Indrans in important roles. The film wa ...
.
The conspirators were joined by the
Subedar
Subedar is a rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian Army; a senior non-commissioned officer in the Pakistan Army, and formerly a Viceroy's commissioned officer in the British Indian Army.
History
''Subedar'' or ''subadar'' was th ...
s
Sheikh Bhikun
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...
and
Nur Mahammad
Nur may refer to:
In Islam
* Names of God in Islam, An-Nur, one of the names of God in Islam, meaning "The Light".
* Nūr (Islam), a concept, literally meaning "light"
* An-Nur (The Light), the 24th chapter of the Qur'an
* ''Risale-i Nur Collec ...
, after Kandarpeswar promised to double the salary of the sepoys if they succeeded in defeating the British.
On 29 August 1857, the rebels met at
Sheikh Bhikun
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...
's residence at Nogora. They planned a march to Jorhat, where Kandarpeswar would be installed as the King on the day of the
Durga Puja
Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrat ...
; later Sivasagar and Dibrugarh would be captured. However, the plot was uncovered before it could be executed. Kandarpeswar, Maniram, and other leaders were arrested.
Maniram was arrested in Calcutta, detained in Alipur for a few weeks, and then brought to Jorhat. His letters to Kandarpeswar had been intercepted by the Special Commissioner Captain
Charles Holroyd
Sir Charles Holroyd (9 April 1861 – 17 November 1917) was an English artist and curator. He was Keeper of the Tate from 1897 to 1906, and Director of the National Gallery from 1906 to 1916.
Biography
Early years
Charles Holroyd was born ...
, who judged the trial. Based on the statement of Haranath Parbatia Baruah, the ''daroga'' (inspector) of Sivasagar, Maniram was identified as the kingpin of the plot. He and
Piyali Barua were publicly hanged on 26 February 1858 at the
Jorhat Central Jail
Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India.
Etymology
Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...
.
Maniram's death was widely mourned in Assam, and several tea gaden workers struck work to express their support for the rebellion.
The executions led to resentment among the public, resulting in an open rebellion which was suppressed forcefully.
Legacy
After his death, Maniram's tea estates were sold to George Williamson in an auction.
Several folk songs, known as the "Maniram Dewanar Geet", were composed in his memory.
The Maniram Dewan Trade Centre of Guwahati and the Maniram Dewan Boys' Hostel of the
Dibrugarh University
Dibrugarh University is a collegiate public state university in the Indian state of Assam. It is located at Dibrugarh, Assam, India. It was set up in 1965 under the provisions of the Dibrugarh University Act, 1965 enacted by the Assam Legislat ...
is named after him. In 2012, the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman
Montek Singh Ahluwalia
Montek Singh Ahluwalia (born 24 November 1943) is an Indian economist and civil servant who was the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India, a position which carried the rank of a Cabinet Minister. He tendered his resignation for ...
announced that he planned to declare tea as the national drink of India to coincide with the 212th birth anniversary of Maniram Dewan.
Tea will be declared a national drink, says Montek
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dewan, Maniram
1806 births
1858 deaths
Indian people of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian independence activists from Assam
People from Sivasagar district
People executed by British India by hanging