Tribal Freedom Fighters of Odisha: CHAKARA BISOI (Odia)

Chakra Bisoyi was a Benniah Kandha born in 1823 at Binjigiri village, located near Kullad of the lower Ghumsar area presently known as Bhanjnagar in Ganjam district of Odisha. After the arrest of his uncle Dora Bisoyi, Chakra Bisoyi began to nourish a desire to revive the Kandha resistance against the British rule. Chakra Bissoyi remained the most predominant figure in the history of Ghumsar and Kandha uprisings from 1846 to 1856. His brave adventures and daring actions, his indomitable courage, uncommon vigour, inordinate zeal and towering personality have added lustre and glory to the name of Ghumsar. After Chakra Bissoyi, the Kandha risings did not die down. The Kandhas rose against the foreign rulers from time to time in 1860, 1862, 1863, 1865, 1882. It was a spontaneous reaction of the tribals against the British administration. Chakra Bisoi, therefore, occupies a significant place in the history of popular tribal resistance movement in the state of Odisha.