Two things distinguish resistance here. In 1857 the region produced a command that outlasted its commander: Kunwar Singh took the field at nearly eighty, and after his death his brother kept a parallel administration going in Shahabad for months, which is why the Bhojpuri ballad repertoire still carries him by name. And in the twentieth century this region supplied both of the mass movement's sharpest turning points — Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district in February 1922, after which Gandhi called off Non-cooperation nationally, and Ballia in August 1942, one of the few places where the administration was actually displaced, if only for days. The emigrant half of the region has no comparable political record, because indentured labourers had no political rights in the colonies they were taken to; what they carried instead was language and song. One attribution should be stated carefully: Mangal Pandey, whose action at Barrackpore in March 1857 is conventionally treated as the opening of the revolt, is claimed for Nagwa in Ballia district, but the evidence is contested and another birthplace is also cited.
The Banaras risingAugust – October 1781
Warren Hastings demanded successive war levies and cavalry from Raja Chait Singh and, when they were not met, had him placed under arrest at Banaras in August 1781. The company detachment sent to hold him was overwhelmed, the raja's men secured him at Ramnagar, and Hastings withdrew to Chunar while the rising spread across the districts.
Outcome: Suppressed by early October 1781. Chait Singh was deposed and a relative installed; the tribute was raised, and the confiscation of funds during the affair later formed part of the impeachment charges against Hastings.
Kunwar Singh's campaignJuly 1857 – 1858
Kunwar Singh took command of the regiments that rose at Danapur on 25 July 1857 and occupied Arrah on 27 July, where a small fortified house held out until a relieving force arrived. Jagdishpur was destroyed on 3 August and he moved west, fighting through Awadh, Rewa and Azamgarh before recrossing the Ganga in April 1858 — the crossing at which a bullet shattered his wrist.
Outcome: He defeated a British force near Jagdishpur on 23 April 1858 and died on 26 April. Amar Singh continued the campaign and held a parallel administration in Shahabad into late 1858.
Chauri Chaura4 February 1922
A Non-cooperation procession in Gorakhpur district clashed with the police; after the police fired, the crowd set fire to the station and twenty-two policemen were killed.
Outcome: Gandhi suspended the Non-cooperation movement nationally on 12 February 1922. Of 225 people tried, the Allahabad High Court on 30 April 1923 confirmed nineteen death sentences, carried out between 2 and 11 July 1923, and fourteen sentences of life imprisonment.
The Ballia parallel administration19 August 1942
During the Quit India movement, crowds at Ballia obtained the release of imprisoned Congress workers and the district collector handed over authority; a local administration was declared under Chittu Pandey.
Outcome: Troops re-entered the district within about a week and the leaders went into hiding.