Pagal Panthis
Encyclopedia
The Pagal Panthis were a socio-religious order that emerged in the late 18th century CE
in the Mymensingh
region of Bengal
(now located in Bangladesh
). Adherents of a syncretic mixture of Hinduism
, Sufism
and Animism
, the order sought to uphold religious principles and the rights of landless peasants in Bengal; under the leadership of Tipu Shah
, the movement soon evolved into a popular, armed struggle against British Raj
and the zamindar
(landlord) system.
and Sherpur area of the province of Bengal. In contrast to the rest of Bengal, the region was inhabited mainly by tribal peoples such as the Garo
s, Hajangs, Dalus, Hudis and Rajvangshies, who were mainly adherents of Animism and tribal faiths. The region enjoyed considerable religious harmony and served as a base for religious reform movements such as the Pagal Panthis, an order founded by Karim Shah
and other disciples of the Muslim
fakir
Majnu Shah
, the leader of the Madariya
Sufi order. After the death of Karim Shah in 1813, the order was led by his son Tipu Shah. Chandi Bibi, the wife of Karim Shah and Tipu Shah's mother also held an influential position in the community, known as Pir-Mata (Saint-Mother).
, Hindu philosophy and local customs, traditions and beliefs. The religious order gained popularity amongst the native peoples and brought together a diverse collection of tribes, Muslims, Hindus and Animists. The order preached monotheism
, human equality, non-violence and encouraged the people to overcome social and religious differences and avoid conflicts and dogma. Karim Shah and his followers addressed each other as "Bhaisaheb" (brother) to promote equality and brotherhood. Karim Shah himself was popularly believed to possess spiritual powers enabling him to foretell events, cure diseases and heal people.
The movement was shunned and criticizsd by Bengali Muslim society and its leaders, who condemned religious syncretism and referred to the order as Pagal Panthis - literally the followers of a "mad faith." However, the order gained widespread popularity amongst peasant masses. Under Tipu Shah, the order extended the philosophy to demand equal socio-economic rights for the peasants of the region. Tipu Shah proclaimed that no unilateral ownership of land could be allowed, as God had created humans as equals, thus granting every human an equal right to the lands. Those who forced peasants to pay taxes and oppressed them lost the moral right to rule over others. Ruling in the name of Allah
, Tipu Shah enforced religious laws and encouraged tax resistance
.
, which had gained control over Bengal and later much of India
. Under Tipu Shah
, the order focused on organising peasants in rebellions against oppressive taxes and laws imposed by the zamindars (landlords) and the British.
The region had been devastated by war between British forces and Burma. To meet the costs of war, severe taxation was imposed on the region's peasants by the Company and the landlords. Forcible collections and usurption of property increased peasant discontent and disorder. The Pagal Panthis sought to protect and defend peasants from the militias of the landlords and the Company's armed forces. Basing his forces in a mud-fort near Sherpur, Tipu Shah proclaimed his rule in the name of Allah and assumed the religious and political leadership of the community. The people of the region stopped paying taxes to the British and followed Tipu Shah's rulings. Although Tipu Shah and his aides were arrested in 1833 and tried, the government subsequently met many of the peasant demands, including lowering the rent rate and other taxes. Compromises and agreements between the landlords, the Company and the peasants helped restore peace and order in the northern Mymensingh region.
After Tipu Shah's death in 1852, the order came under the leadership of Janku and Dobraj Pathor, who organised another peasant resistance movement against the landlords and British authorities. An armed group of Pagal Panthis under the leadership of the Pathors stormed into Sherpur town, looted government offices and overpowered the officials, landlords and police, forcing them to flee to Mymensingh. Declaring themselves rulers of the town and surrounding areas, the rebels held control for almost two years. Negotiations and compromises between the rebels and the British helped forge peace and further concessions to the cause of the peasants.
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
in the Mymensingh
Mymensingh
Mymensingh , pronounced moy-mon-shing-haw, is a city of Bangladesh situated on the river Brahmaputra. It is the headquarters of the administrative unit Mymensingh District. Mymensingh is the anglicized pronunciation of the original name Momenshahi, referring to a ruler called Momen Shah. The cadet...
region of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
(now located in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
). Adherents of a syncretic mixture of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
and Animism
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
, the order sought to uphold religious principles and the rights of landless peasants in Bengal; under the leadership of Tipu Shah
Tipu Shah
Tipu Shah was the political and religious leader of the Pagal Panthis order, leading them and the peasants of the Mymensingh region in revolts against the British East India Company....
, the movement soon evolved into a popular, armed struggle against British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and the zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
(landlord) system.
History
The Pagal Panthis was a religious movement that emerged in the northern MymensinghMymensingh
Mymensingh , pronounced moy-mon-shing-haw, is a city of Bangladesh situated on the river Brahmaputra. It is the headquarters of the administrative unit Mymensingh District. Mymensingh is the anglicized pronunciation of the original name Momenshahi, referring to a ruler called Momen Shah. The cadet...
and Sherpur area of the province of Bengal. In contrast to the rest of Bengal, the region was inhabited mainly by tribal peoples such as the Garo
Garo
-Garo People and languages :* Garo , a tribe in India and Bangladesh.* Bodo-Garo languages, a small family of Tibeto-Burman languages spoken in eastern India,** Garo language, the language spoken by the Garo tribe...
s, Hajangs, Dalus, Hudis and Rajvangshies, who were mainly adherents of Animism and tribal faiths. The region enjoyed considerable religious harmony and served as a base for religious reform movements such as the Pagal Panthis, an order founded by Karim Shah
Karim Shah
Karim Shah was the founder of the Pagal Panthis order and the father of Tipu Shah....
and other disciples of the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
fakir
Fakir
The fakir or faqir ; ) Derived from faqr is a Muslim Sufi ascetic in Middle East and South Asia. The Faqirs were wandering Dervishes teaching Islam and living on alms....
Majnu Shah
Majnu Shah
Majnu Shah or Faqir Majnu Shah Burhan was a faqir from the present-day Uttar Pradesh, who actively participated in the Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion, which, according to a number of scholars, was an early war for India's independence and joined in many battles against the British East India Company...
, the leader of the Madariya
Madariya
The Madariyya are members of a Sufi order popular in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the Mewat region, Bihar and Bengal, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Known for its syncretic aspects, lack of emphasis on external religious practice and focus on internal dhikr, it was initiated by...
Sufi order. After the death of Karim Shah in 1813, the order was led by his son Tipu Shah. Chandi Bibi, the wife of Karim Shah and Tipu Shah's mother also held an influential position in the community, known as Pir-Mata (Saint-Mother).
Philosophy
The philosophy and teachings of Karim Shah were a syncretism of SufismSufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
, Hindu philosophy and local customs, traditions and beliefs. The religious order gained popularity amongst the native peoples and brought together a diverse collection of tribes, Muslims, Hindus and Animists. The order preached monotheism
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
, human equality, non-violence and encouraged the people to overcome social and religious differences and avoid conflicts and dogma. Karim Shah and his followers addressed each other as "Bhaisaheb" (brother) to promote equality and brotherhood. Karim Shah himself was popularly believed to possess spiritual powers enabling him to foretell events, cure diseases and heal people.
The movement was shunned and criticizsd by Bengali Muslim society and its leaders, who condemned religious syncretism and referred to the order as Pagal Panthis - literally the followers of a "mad faith." However, the order gained widespread popularity amongst peasant masses. Under Tipu Shah, the order extended the philosophy to demand equal socio-economic rights for the peasants of the region. Tipu Shah proclaimed that no unilateral ownership of land could be allowed, as God had created humans as equals, thus granting every human an equal right to the lands. Those who forced peasants to pay taxes and oppressed them lost the moral right to rule over others. Ruling in the name of Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
, Tipu Shah enforced religious laws and encouraged tax resistance
Tax resistance
Tax resistance is the refusal to pay tax because of opposition to the government that is imposing the tax or to government policy.Tax resistance is a form of civil disobedience and direct action...
.
Peasant rebellions
The patron-saint of the Pagal Panthis, Majnu Shah, had been famous for encouraging revolts against the British East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, which had gained control over Bengal and later much of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Under Tipu Shah
Tipu Shah
Tipu Shah was the political and religious leader of the Pagal Panthis order, leading them and the peasants of the Mymensingh region in revolts against the British East India Company....
, the order focused on organising peasants in rebellions against oppressive taxes and laws imposed by the zamindars (landlords) and the British.
The region had been devastated by war between British forces and Burma. To meet the costs of war, severe taxation was imposed on the region's peasants by the Company and the landlords. Forcible collections and usurption of property increased peasant discontent and disorder. The Pagal Panthis sought to protect and defend peasants from the militias of the landlords and the Company's armed forces. Basing his forces in a mud-fort near Sherpur, Tipu Shah proclaimed his rule in the name of Allah and assumed the religious and political leadership of the community. The people of the region stopped paying taxes to the British and followed Tipu Shah's rulings. Although Tipu Shah and his aides were arrested in 1833 and tried, the government subsequently met many of the peasant demands, including lowering the rent rate and other taxes. Compromises and agreements between the landlords, the Company and the peasants helped restore peace and order in the northern Mymensingh region.
After Tipu Shah's death in 1852, the order came under the leadership of Janku and Dobraj Pathor, who organised another peasant resistance movement against the landlords and British authorities. An armed group of Pagal Panthis under the leadership of the Pathors stormed into Sherpur town, looted government offices and overpowered the officials, landlords and police, forcing them to flee to Mymensingh. Declaring themselves rulers of the town and surrounding areas, the rebels held control for almost two years. Negotiations and compromises between the rebels and the British helped forge peace and further concessions to the cause of the peasants.