History

The Kurxar and their kindred tribes like Maltos, Mal Paharias, Kishans, Kurdmis etc linguistically belong to the Dravidian stock and are also known as the Adivasis i.e. “original inhabitants” according to Sanskrit language word meaning. As such their history is as old as India itself.

Linguistically the Kurxar are further linked to the Brahui tribe of Baluchistan, an area now shared by Pakistan and Afganistan between them. However both ethnically and linguistically the Kurxar seem to be closer to the Dravidian or Tamil race and hence occupying the Deccan plateau in the remote past and earlier forming part of the population, which prior to the Aryans had authored the Indus valley civilization.

The known history of the Kurxar goes back to Rohtas. The name ‘Rohtas’ itself comes from “Rohit” the son of the legendary king of truth, Harishchandra. Rohit became Rohtas because every Kurux masculine proper noun ends in ‘as’e.g. Belas, Jonkhas, Somras, Mangras, Budhuas etc.The district Gazetteer of Sahabad district and the Bihar Census Report of 1911 record that according to “Oraon tradition that they held the fort of Rohtasgarh till ousted by the Hindus.” The cause of this defeat and disgrace is attributed to menfolk getting drunk at their annual festival of Khaddi and womenfolk led by Singidai, the greatest war heroine of the Kurux history, putting up a tough resistance and defeating the enemy three times, till betrayed by a Yadav woman who was supplying milk to the palace of the Kurux king.

After being dislodged from Rohtas, the Kurxar came to Chotanagpur along the river North Koel and met the Mundas who allowed them apparently because of their good nature to occupy the western part of Chotanagpur. At a mad moment of their history both agreed to be ruled by a diku king Phani Mukut Rai in 64 AD and part with their very distinct democratic form of tribal self-rule.

The early Hindu rulers were not bad till they came under the Mughals and one of them Durjan Sal by name was captured and imprisoned during the reign of Jahangir in 1616 AD. It was  in prison that he learnt the art of wicked rule and put the last nail on the coffin of the Adivasi democratic self rule like the Santhal Majhi-Paarganeit, the Munda/Ho  Manki-Munda, the Kharia Dholko  and the Kurux Parha-Panchait.  

There is no record in history that the Adivasis fought among themselves but it is the truth of history that they always put up a united fight against any outside aggression. Almost immediately after the British entry into the Adivasi territory (12 August 1765) there was the Paharia revolt of 1772 -1780. The Kurxar have shown a rare display of heroism and absolute loyalty to their greatest war hero Veer Bhudhu Bhagat when they fought against the British and laid down lives to defend their homeland in 1832. Again the Indian National Congress could do well to remember the contribution towards India’s Independence by another Kurux hero Jatra Bhagat together with followers in 1900-1916. In fact India’s freedom movement was started by the Adivasis but hijacked by the non-Adivasis under the leadership of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Today while the non-Adivasis enjoy the benefit of India’s independence the Adivasis are subjected to worse form of exploitation by the same non-Adivasis. Paramveer Albert Ekka in another rare display of bravery during the 1971 India Pakistan war reminds India of Kurux contribution to national defense. There are so many Kurux sons who have joined the Indian army and laid down their lives as well. In their contribution towards the field of development too Kurxar never lag behind. Enough to recall the hundreds of thousands of Kurxar working for the tea industry but today so many of them are thrown out of job and tens of thousands still languish in the camps put up to shelter the victims of 1996 ethnic violence in Kokrajhar, Assam.