Tilka Majhi (11 February 1750 – 13 January 1785) was a notable tribal leader and revolutionary from present-day Bihar and Jharkhand, recognized as one of the earliest figures to rebel against British colonial oppression in India.
[1][2] Leading a rebellion from 1771 until his capture and execution in 1785, he mobilized Adivasi communities against the exploitative practices of the East India Company and their allied zamindars and princely rulers.
[3] This revolt, often considered the first people's uprising against British rule in India, set a precedent for subsequent tribal rebellions, such as the Santhal Hool of 1855–1856 and other localized resistance movements.
[5] Tilka Manjhi was born as Jabra Pahadia, into a Santhal[a] family on 11 February 1750 in a small village called Tilakpur located in present-day Sultanganj, Bihar.
His name,Tilka, meaning "person with angry red eyes" in Pahadia language was given due to his fierce nature.
Baba Tilka Majhi attacked Augustus Cleveland, the British commissioner lieutenant, and Rajmahal with a gulel (similar to a slingshot).