In 2021, the Ministry of culture in consultation ICHR determined that Paika rebellion can't be called the First War of Independence. Here is the rationale provided by ICHR for deciding so. Source: Verbatim reply received from ICHR through RTI

ICHR Ref.: F. No. 1-1/2017/MS/ICHR-Paika Rebellion # A Note on Paika Rebellion, 1817 **Prelude** The Paika Bidroha (Rebellion) of 1817 was the first rebellion in Odisha to overthrow British power. Earlier than this, several rebellions had taken place against the East India Company in other parts of India between 1769 and 1801. The Paika rebellion was regional in nature, as is evident by its limited political objectives and extent. Hence, it would not be appropriate to call it the First War of Independence. It may be suggested that on the occasion of celebrating the bicentenary anniversary of the Paika Rebellion across the country, the State Government of Odisha can commission the writing of the history of this rebellion on the basis of archival and other primary sources. This authentic history will not only be a befitting tribute to the heroes of the Paika Rebellion but also present a correct perspective of it before scholars and students. **Part I** **Paika Rebellion of 1817 and Its Suppression** **(i) Seething Discontentment in Odisha on the Eve of Paika Rebellion** In 1766, the East India Company made its debut as a political power in Odisha by taking possession of Northern Circars, including Ganjam and Ghumusar, with an eye to extend control all over Odisha. It achieved this objective by terminating the Maratha power from Odisha in 1804 and by deposing the ruler of Khurda and annexing his vast kingdom by force and deceit in 1805. Further, in its zeal to consolidate political power, the East India Company crippled the military strength of the people of Khurda. It confiscated the land of Paikas, a class of militia composed of various castes and communities, who had enjoyed rent-free lands on a hereditary basis for their military services to the Khurda kingdom. So also, Bakhshi Jagabandhu Vidyadhar, the hereditary Commander of the army of the Khurda Kingdom, resented the seizure of his family estate of Killa Porang. As a mark of resentment against these oppressive measures of the East India Company, a Bakshi-Paika coalition emerged as a junta, seeking an appropriate occasion to drive out the East India Company from Odisha. The growing discontentment among all classes against the new economic policy of the East India Company also provided a broader base for the Bakshi-Paika coalition. The new economic policy of the East India Company destroyed the traditional fabric of Odisha administration between 1805 and 1817. It initiated the collection of land revenue in silver currency in place of cowry, established a monopoly on salt, and conducted a series of land revenue settlements which created hardship and resentment among zamindars, moneylenders, and ryots. The oppressions and extortions by revenue farmers and police darogas added to the miseries of ryots. The rajas of Ghumusar, Badakhemdi, Sanakhemundi, Shergarh, and Paralakhemundi resented the huge payment of tribute to the Company. This seething discontentment among all classes, from peasants to princes, against the East India Company provided an opportunity for the Bakshi-Paika coalition to ingratiate themselves with them and to mobilize them to destroy the East India Company for the restoration of the ruler Gajapati to his kingdom of Khurda and to rehabilitate the traditional system of administration in Odisha. As a result, people from all over Odisha gathered at Banpur (in Khurda State), the epicenter of the Paika Rebellion of 1817. **(ii) Suppression of Paika Rebellion, 1817** Bakhshi Jagabandhu Vidyadhar assumed the leadership of the rebellion. On 29 March 1817, he started the rebellion from Banpur (in Khurda), mainly with the support of Paikas, along with the Khurda militia, Adivasis, the armed forces of the Rajas of Shergarh and Ghumusar, and others. The rebels destroyed the symbols of British power, such as buildings, kachehries, and police stations. The rebellion spread to the neighboring regions of Khurda, such as Pipli, Gop, Pattamundai, Ranpur, and other parts of Odisha. In the beginning, the rebels secured victory over the Company's forces and declared Gajapati as the ruler of Puri. However, the strong military operations of the East India Company suppressed the Paika Rebellion by October 1817. Ultimately, the surrender of Bakhshi Jagabandhu to the British at Cuttack in May 1825 ended the possibility of the revival of the Paika Rebellion for the restoration of the Khurda Kingdom. **(iii) Paika Rebellion, 1817: A Regional Rebellion** Broadly speaking, the Paika Rebellion of 1817 started as a sepoy rebellion, and the civil population also joined it. By and large, it was a regional rebellion confined to the region of Odisha, and it aimed at the restoration of the ruler of Khurda to his patrimony. It revealed no political vision for all of India. Moreover, it cannot be called the First War of Independence, as earlier than this, a large number of rebellions had taken place in other parts of India between 1769 and 1808, as the sequel will reveal. **Part II** **1817 Paika Rebellion: Not the First War of Independence** In the Indian context, the 1817 Paika Rebellion of Odisha was not the first resistance against British hegemony in India. Even before this regional rebellion, the East India Company had confronted numerous revolts of small and large dimensions across India, such as in Dhalbhum (1769), Gorakhpur (1778), Rangpur (1783), Ganjam (1800), and Bundelkhand (1808). Among these, the most powerful rebellion that challenged British supremacy was that of the Poligars and other chieftains in Tinneveli (Tamil Nadu, South India), which spread to Malabar and Canara between 1800–1801. The British Government suppressed this rebellion by December 1801. The details of this anti-British rebellion could be gauged from Professor K. Rajayyan's scholarly monograph entitled *The South Indian Rebellion 1800-1801: The First War of Independence* (Madurai, 2000). Of course, the Poligar Rebellion (1800–1801) was anti-imperialist, but it was certainly regional in nature and could not be called the First War of Independence. The rebels had no political agenda, nor did they have civil population support, which would have shaken the foundation of the growing British Empire in India. Like the Poligar Rebellion of 1800–1801, the Paika Rebellion of 1817 cannot be acclaimed as the First War of Independence. Even from the point of chronology, the Poligar Rebellion precedes the Paika Rebellion. Hence, the Paika Rebellion cannot be called the First War of Independence. In fact, it would not be apt to glorify a regional rebellion by calling it national. # Conclusion Since the inception of colonial rule, the tribals were the first to revolt against the British colonial power. The reasons, of course, vary from one tribe to another; however, efforts by the Britishers to bring them under their control resulted in widespread revolts in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the end, many of these revolts resulted in movements. The Paika rebellion is no exception to this. However, in some respects, the nature of the Paika movement is somewhat different from others. It was not isolated but a collaborative rebellion. Besides tribals, peasants, along with the feudal section, also participated in it. Thus, the support of Khurda against the British by neighbouring kingdoms and the sweeping scale of popular participation, including the key contribution of the Adivasis, highlight its significance. Taken together, these events suggest that the revolt was not a minor incident; rather, it was a very significant event. But simply for this, it is difficult to give this movement the status of the first war of independence. Prior to it, several revolts took place against the Britishers in India. Between 1757 (Battle of Plassey) and 1857, there was a succession of rebellions and uprisings throughout the country. Veerapandya Kattabomman of Tamil Nadu rebelled against British power in 1799. In the same way, the Pazhassi rulers' revolt was crushed by the East India Company in 1805. Similarly, the revolt of Velu Thambi Dalawa, Prime Minister of the kingdom of Travancore, took place in the first decade of the 19th century. However, this uprising was crushed by the Britishers by 1809. Besides, there were several uprisings in India against the Company, such as Dhalbhum (1769), Rangpur (1783), and many more, which seriously challenged the Britishers. However, these revolts were crushed ruthlessly, but they paved the way for further revolts. No doubt, the Paika rebellion inspires the masses even now, but it is difficult to term it as the 'First War of Independence.' The geographical dimension was limited, at most, to parts of Orissa, and the objective of the revolt may have been broad-based; however, due to the reasons given above, the Paika rebellion of 1817 cannot be termed the First War of Independence.