Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tributes to revered tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.
On the occasion, Modi also greeted the residents of Jharkhand, which was formed on Munda's birth anniversary in 2000. Noting that the state enjoys a historical identity and has a distinct culture, the prime minister wished that the land of Lord Birsa Munda advances in development journey.
Modi said Munda always struggled to protect the rights of tribes and to give impetus to the fight for independence.
His contribution to the country will always be memorable, he said in a tweet.
The government has announced that Munda's birth anniversary will be celebrated as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.'
Who was Birsa Munda?
Birsa Munda, who belonged to the Munda tribe, was born on November 15 in 1875. During the British rule in the late 19th century, he spearheaded an Indian tribal religious Millenarian movement across the tribal belt of modern-day Bihar and Jharkhand.
Birsa had joined the German Mission School and converted to Christianity on the recommendation of his teacher Jaipal Nag. He was renamed as Birsa David, which later became Birsa Daud. However, he later left.
He subsequently started the faith of ‘Birsait’ as a revolt against the efforts of missionaries.
Birsa's stay at Chaibasa - which was near the centre of the Sardars agitation - from 1886 to 1890 constituted a formative period of his life.
He then became a part of the anti-missionary and anti-government program. He declared himself a prophet who had come to recover the lost kingdom of his people and was riveted in the tribal movement against the British.
On March 3, 1900, Birsa was arrested by the British police in Chakradharpur and sent to Ranchi jail where he died on June 9, 1900 at the young age of 25.
