Beginning of the British Administration in Assam — Question Answer
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সাৰাংশ: ১৮২৬ চনৰ ইয়াণ্ডাবু সন্ধিৰ জৰিয়তে মান (বৰ্মী) শক্তিয়ে অসমক ইংৰাজ ইষ্ট ইণ্ডিয়া কোম্পানীৰ হাতত এৰি দিয়ে আৰু ইয়াৰ লগে লগে প্ৰায় ছশ বছৰীয়া আহোম ৰাজত্বৰ অন্ত পৰে। ইংৰাজে ডেভিড স্কট, টি চি ৰবাৰ্টছন আৰু ফ্ৰান্সিছ জেনকিন্সৰ দৰে বিষয়াৰ জৰিয়তে অসমত প্ৰশাসন, ৰাজহ আৰু ন্যায়ব্যৱস্থা পুনৰ্গঠন কৰে আৰু ৰাজ্যখনক বিভিন্ন জিলাত ভাগ কৰে। নিৰ্ধাৰিত কৰ পৰিশোধ নকৰাৰ অভিযোগত পুৰন্দৰ সিংহ, মটক আৰু কছাৰী ৰাজ্য অধিগ্ৰহণ কৰা হয়। ইংৰাজৰ এই নতুন শাসন আৰু নীতিৰ বিৰুদ্ধে গোমধৰ কোঁৱৰ, তিৰোত সিং আদিয়ে প্ৰথম বিদ্ৰোহৰ সূচনা কৰিছিল।
Summary: Through the Treaty of Yandaboo of 1826 the Burmese handed Assam over to the English East India Company, bringing the nearly six-hundred-year Ahom rule to an end. The British reorganised administration, revenue and justice in Assam through officials such as David Scott, T. C. Robertson and Francis Jenkins, and divided the region into districts. On the plea of non-payment of tribute they annexed the kingdoms of Purandar Singha, the Matak and the Kacharis. This new rule and its policies provoked early resistance from patriots such as Gomdhar Konwar and Tirot Singh.
Textbook Questions and Answers
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
1. When was the Treaty of Yandaboo signed? (a) in 1824 (b) in 1826 (c) in 1836 (d) in 1856
Answer: (b) in 1826.
2. What was the immediate result of the Burmese invasion? (a) Assam did not go under Burmese rule (b) End of about 600 years of Ahom rule (c) British rule began (d) Assam lost its identity
Answer: (b) End of about 600 years of Ahom rule.
3. Who was the founder of the Ahom kingdom? (a) Kamaleswar Singha (b) Rudra Singha (c) Sukapha (d) Shiva Singha
Answer: (c) Sukapha.
4. From which century did the Ahoms rule over Assam? (a) 12th century (b) 13th century (c) 14th century (d) 15th century
Answer: (b) 13th century.
5. Who was the first Assamese to revolt against the British? (a) Piyoli Phukan (b) Dhananjoy (c) Jiuram Dulia Barua (d) Gomdhar Konwar
Answer: (d) Gomdhar Konwar.
6. To which kingdom did Govinda Chandra belong? (a) Muttock (b) Khasi (c) Ahom (d) Cachar
Answer: (d) Cachar.
7. In which principle did the British believe? (a) War (b) Treaty (c) Rule (d) Divide and Rule
Answer: (d) Divide and Rule.
8. Where did David Scott work as a judge? (a) Golaghat (b) Shillong (c) Sylhet (d) Guwahati
Answer: (c) Sylhet.
9. To whom did the British give Rupees fifty as pension and then occupy Cachar? (a) Rajendra Singh (b) Tirot Singh (c) Govinda Chandra (d) Purandar Singha
Answer: (c) Govinda Chandra.
10. When was slavery banned under British rule? (a) in 1824 (b) in 1843 (c) in 1901 (d) in 1905
Answer: (b) in 1843.
Find Out the Correct Answer
11. The Jaintia king ______ was deported to Sylhet by the British. (Govinda Chandra / Rajendra Singh / Tirot Singh)
Answer: Rajendra Singh.
12. The last Ahom king was ______. (Chandrakanta Singha / Purandar Singha / Jogeswar Singha)
Answer: Purandar Singha.
13. Tirot Singh was a patriot of ______. (Manipuri / Jaintia / Khasi)
Answer: Khasi.
Short Answer
14. Who was David Scott?
Answer: David Scott was the Agent to the Governor-General appointed by the English East India Company for the North-East Frontier. After 1826 he played the leading role in setting up British administration in Assam and was known as an able and far-sighted administrator.
15. Who was appointed commissioner after David Scott?
Answer: After David Scott’s death in 1831, T. C. Robertson was appointed to his post as commissioner in April 1832.
16. Of which kingdom was Tirot Singh the Siyem?
Answer: Tirot Singh was the Siyem (chief) of the Nongkhlaw state in the Khasi Hills.
17. What was the title of the Matak (Muttock) king?
Answer: The ruler of the Matak kingdom bore the title of Barsenapati.
18. On what ground did Jenkins annex the kingdoms of Purandar Singha, the Matak and the Kacharis?
Answer: Jenkins annexed these kingdoms to the British empire on the ground of non-payment of the fixed revenue or tribute to the British.
19. Into which districts did Jenkins divide Lower Assam?
Answer: Jenkins divided Lower Assam into three districts — Goalpara, Darrang and Kamrup.
20. To which kingdom did Govinda Chandra belong?
Answer: Govinda Chandra was the king of the Cachar kingdom.
Long Answer
21. How was the revenue policy of David Scott? Discuss.
Answer: After the Treaty of Yandaboo, David Scott introduced separate revenue arrangements for Lower Assam and Upper Assam. In Lower Assam he retained the old pargana system, keeping each pargana under the supervision of a Choudhury. For the collection of revenue, officials such as the Sheristadar, Tahbildar, Patowari and Thakuria were entrusted with duties. He arranged for some dues to be paid in cash and tried to fix the rates of taxation. In Upper Assam he at first retained the old Ahom arrangement, entrusting Purandar Singha with the administration as a tributary king. Scott’s policy laid the foundation of the British revenue system in Assam.
22. What steps were adopted regarding the judiciary during David Scott’s time?
Answer: David Scott took several steps to give a regular shape to the judicial system in Assam. For administrative convenience he separated civil and criminal justice and gave officials the power to try cases. Respecting local customs and traditions, the old laws were retained in many matters. For settling small disputes he arranged for panchayats or local councils. For serious offences, provision was made for appeal to higher officials. In this way Scott introduced an organised system of justice in Assam.
23. How was the revenue administration of Robertson?
Answer: After the death of David Scott, T. C. Robertson took charge of the administration of Assam in 1832 and made several changes in the revenue system. He tried to classify land and fix the rates of taxation, and laid stress on collecting revenue in cash. In place of the old khel and paik system, an attempt was made to introduce individual land-revenue settlement. He also took measures to extend cultivation and bring waste land under the plough. His administration made the British revenue system in Assam more regular.
24. What steps did Major Jenkins adopt regarding the welfare of Assam?
Answer: Major Francis Jenkins served for a long time as the commissioner of Assam and took many steps for the development of the region. He laid emphasis on the extension of tea cultivation and the exploration of coal and other mineral resources. For better communication he arranged roads and waterways and paid attention to the growth of trade and commerce. He also encouraged the spread of education and the establishment of English schools. His writings on Assam in the journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal made the resources of the region widely known. Thus during Jenkins’s time Assam saw both economic and administrative development.
25. How did Jenkins divide Assam into different districts?
Answer: For administrative convenience Jenkins divided Assam into several districts. He divided Lower Assam into the three districts of Goalpara, Kamrup and Darrang. Upper Assam was divided into the districts of Nowgong, Sibsagar and Lakhimpur. The administration of each district was placed in the hands of an officer and a headquarters was fixed for each district. In 1836 the headquarters of Darrang was shifted to Mangaldoi, and in 1839 the Garo Hills was formed into a separate district. This division laid the foundation of the modern district system of Assam.
26. Who was Tirot Singh? Why did he rise against the British?
Answer: Tirot Singh was the Siyem (chief) of the Nongkhlaw state in the Khasi Hills and a great patriot. When the British wanted to build a road through the Khasi Hills to connect the Brahmaputra valley with Sylhet, the freedom of the Khasis was threatened. To protect his land and independence, Tirot Singh declared a revolt against the British in 1829 and attacked two British officers. This was followed by several years of guerrilla-style warfare against the British. Finally, on 13 June 1833, Tirot Singh surrendered, and he died in captivity. He is honoured to this day as a hero of the Khasi struggle for freedom.
Short Notes
27. Tularam Senapati
Answer: Tularam Senapati was a powerful general of the Kachari kingdom who ruled over the North Cachar region, known as Tularam’s territory. At first the British allowed him to rule, but later, after his death, the British annexed his territory. The British granted pensions to his successors.
28. Purandar Singha
Answer: Purandar Singha was the last Ahom king. In 1833 the British entrusted him with the administration of Upper Assam as a tributary king. But on the charge of failing to pay the fixed tribute, the British took away his kingdom in 1838 and annexed Upper Assam completely to the British empire.
29. Tirot Singh
Answer: Tirot Singh was the Siyem of Nongkhlaw in the Khasi Hills. When the British wanted to build a road through the Khasi Hills, he revolted in 1829. After several years of struggle he surrendered in 1833. He is remembered as a symbol of the Khasi people’s struggle for freedom.
30. Gomdhar Konwar
Answer: Gomdhar Konwar was a prince of the Ahom royal family and the first Assamese to revolt against the British. In 1828 he proclaimed himself king and took up arms against the British. However, the British captured him and sent him into exile. He is regarded as one of the first freedom fighters of Assam.
31. Occupation of the Singpho kingdom by the British
Answer: The Singphos were a community of the north-eastern frontier region of Assam. During the Burmese invasion they had occupied the Sadiya region. After the establishment of British rule the Singphos revolted several times, but the British suppressed these revolts and brought their territory under their own control.
32. British occupation of the Jaintia kingdom
Answer: Jaintia was an independent kingdom in the southern part of Assam. In 1835 the British deported king Rajendra Singh to Sylhet and, under the leadership of Captain Lister, occupied the Jaintia kingdom. In this way the Jaintia kingdom was included in the British empire.
Extra Questions and Answers
1. Fill in the blank: The Treaty of Yandaboo was signed in the year ______.
Answer: 1826.
2. Write two results of the Treaty of Yandaboo.
Answer: (a) Assam passed under the control of the English East India Company, and (b) the nearly six-hundred-year Ahom rule came to an end and Burmese influence over Assam was also removed.
3. What was the main cause of the revolts of Gomdhar Konwar and Tirot Singh?
Answer: The main cause was the resentment against foreign British rule, new taxes and the loss of local independence.
4. On what charge did the British annex Upper Assam and the Matak kingdom?
Answer: The British annexed Upper Assam (the kingdom of Purandar Singha) and the Matak kingdom on the charge of non-payment of the fixed revenue or tribute in time.
Key Terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Treaty of Yandaboo | The agreement of 1826 between the British and the Burmese by which Assam passed to the British. |
| Pargana | A fixed land area or administrative unit used for the collection of revenue. |
| Siyem | The title of a Khasi chief or the head of a Khasi state. |
| Barsenapati | The title borne by the ruler of the Matak (Muttock) kingdom. |
| Agent to the Governor-General | The senior British administrative officer placed in charge of the North-East Frontier. |
| Revenue | The tax or tribute collected by the government on land or goods. |