[4][5] The Kalaikuri-Sultanpur copperplate inscription of 440 CE brings to light the presence of Kaivartaśarman, a Brahmin Kuṭumbin (peasant landholder), in the local assembly (adhikaraṇa) in Varendra of Gupta period.
[6][7] According to 13th century text Brihaddharma Purana, children of Shudra fathers and Kshatriya mothers are dāsa, an Uttam Sankar (literally, good mixed) and their occupation is agriculture.
[8] According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, whose chapter describing mixed castes was likely inserted after 16th century,[9] Kaivarta was one born of a Kshatriya father and a Vaishya mother.
[10] Some ancient or mediaeval texts like Yājñavalkya Smṛti and Gautama Dharmasutra give identical parentage, that is, one born to a Kshatriya father and a Vaishya mother for Mahishya, who was supposed to be engaged in the profession of astronomy or agriculture.
[16] In eleventh century, in a rebellious hostility, Divya, originally a feudal chief (Samanta), killed Mahipala II, seized Varendra and established a regime there.
Sankritist and antiquarian Rajendralal Mitra appeared to believe that Mahisyas were a caste of small farmers and could not afford forces of modernity such as school education.
[25] The Mahishya movement during the late nineteenth century was the work of successful men who had seized the new avenues of power opened by commerce, education and professions.
The Chasi-kaibartta, who numbered more than half of the population in eastern and southern parts of Midnapore, reclaimed the culturable wastelands and thus secured for themselves during the days of Mughal faujdars a dominant position in the agrarian economy, filling up all the strata - zamindars, jotedars or rich farmers, small peasants down to share-croppers and agricultural labourers.
In the districts like Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia and the 24 Parganas or in the eastern areas like Faridpur, they enjoyed an important position in agriculture, some of them being substantial landholders, grain-dealers and peasant-proprietors.
Disgruntled former employees of Indigo factories, village headmen (Mandals), and also members of some other peasant communities participated largely in this rebellion against European planters.
[40] Deshapran Birendranath Sasmal[41] led the Mahishyas against Union board taxes in 1919 which later merged with non-cooperation movement in Midnapore.
[42] During Civil disobedience movement(1930–34) the mahishyas paved the way for future course of actions leading to virtual breakdown of British Administration in the areas of Tamluk and Contai.
[52] Although Chittaranjan Das had originally proposed to reward the services of Sasmal by offering him the job, he soon backed out when he found out that the choice would offend the Kayastha clique of the city.
Sasmal left the BPCC in utter humiliation and anger, and went into his legal practice and his control of local politics in Contai and Midnapore.