Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar declared on Friday that the chowk near the ISBT bus stop in Sarai Kale Khan, Delhi, will henceforth be named in honor of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. The announcement was made on the celebration of ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’, which also marks the 150th birth anniversary of the tribal independence activist.
The Union Minister declared that the chowk had been renamed in honor of freedom warrior Bhagwan Birsa Munda with the objective of encouraging tourists to learn more about his life and legacy.
To mark Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s 150th birthday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and Delhi LG VK Saxena unveiled a statue of the man in Delhi.
A pivotal figure in India’s tribal liberation movement, Birsa Munda motivated the Chotanagpur region’s tribal inhabitants to rebel against British control. He was the leader of the armed uprising known as “Ulgulan” (The Rebellion), which went on to become a symbol of resistance.
Munda inspired the tribesmen to resist the British government’s forceful land grabbing, which would plunge them into severe poverty and turn them into bonded laborers. He helped his people understand how crucial it is to own their land and defend their rights over it.
He established the religion of Birsait, which prioritized the worship of a single god and combined animism with indigenous beliefs. As their leader, he was given the title “Dharti Aba,” or “the father of the earth.” At the age of 25, he passed away on June 9, 1900.
In 2021, the Central Government proclaimed November 15, Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary, to be “Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.”