The EIC's Forgotten Rebel: The Sanyasi Uprising of Bengal

Before the Great Rebellion of 1857, another revolt shook Company rule in Bengal: the Sanyasi Uprising. In the 1760s and 1770s, bands of Hindu ascetics—sannyasis—took up arms against the East India Company's revenue collectors, sparking a guerrilla war that terrified British officials. Lucas and Luna explore who these rebels were: a motley mix of pilgrims, dispossessed peasants, and wandering monks led by figures like Bhawani Pathak and Devi Chaudhurani. They discuss how the Company's ruthless tax farming after the Diwani of 1765 created a perfect storm of famine and exploitation, turning spiritual seekers into armed insurgents. The episode digs into the blurred line between religion and rebellion, the brutal counterinsurgency tactics of Warren Hastings, and how Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay later immortalised the sannyasis in his novel 'Anandamath'. A forgotten story of resistance that challenges the narrative of passive Indian submission to colonial rule. #SanyasiUprising #Bengal #EastIndiaCompany #WarrenHastings #BhawaniPathak #DeviChaudhurani #Anandamath #GuerrillaWarfare #CompanyRule #Diwani #1760s #1770s #IndianHistory #ColonialHistory #Rebellion #FexingoHistory #History #EIC Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo