British Imposed Re 1 Kumbh Tax During An Era Of Rs 10 Monthly Salaries

British Imposed Re 1 Kumbh Tax During An Era Of Rs 10 Monthly Salaries


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The hefty Kumbh Mela tax angered local communities, particularly the Prayagwal Brahmins. These men used to guide devotees and relied on Dakshina. However, this tax significantly reduced their earnings

British Imposed Re 1 Kumbh Tax During An Era Of Rs 10 Monthly Salaries

The Kumbh Mela became associated with India’s freedom struggle. (Local18)

The Kumbh Mela has commenced in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. This year, 60 crore people are expected to participate in the Kumbh, making it the largest gathering of people worldwide. This Maha Kumbh, occurring for the first time in 144 years, features high-tech technology, including underwater drones, AI cameras, and aerial surveillance.

Decades ago, however, the Kumbh Mela was a starkly different affair. During British rule, the fair served as a source of revenue, a centre of nationalism, and a base for revolution.

Revenue source of the British

When the British East India Company annexed Prayagraj in the 19th century, they came to know that the Kumbh Mela is organised every 12 years. However, the British were not particularly interested in the religious significance of Kumbh; they were looking at it as a business.

The British collected a tax of Rs 1 from every person who visited this fair. This was the ‘Kumbh Tax’, which every devotee had to pay to take a bath in the holy Sangam at the fair.

It should be noted that one rupee was a huge amount at that time because the average Indian’s wage at that time was less than Rs 10. For example, a tailor used to earn just Rs 8 a month and a sweeper or waiter used to earn Rs 4 a month. Despite this, the Kumbh Tax was kept Rs 1. This was one of the ways of the British to exploit Indians.

British woman Fanny Park, who spent about 24 years in India, has written about this Kumbh Tax and its effects on local traders. She mentioned that the tax was taken from the devotees who came to the Kumbh Mela.

Along with this, tax was also collected from those who did business in the Kumbh Mela, such as barbers. Many devotees shaved their hair in Kumbh, which increased the business of barbers considerably. In 1870, the British established 3,000 barber centres and earned about Rs 42,000 from them. About a quarter of this amount was taken from barbers; each barber had to pay a tax of Rs 4.

Resentment of local people and birth of nationalism

The increasing collection of Kumbh Mela had angered the local communities, especially the Prayagwal Brahmins. These people used to guide the devotees and in return, they also got Dakshina, but the Kumbh Tax had cut their earnings. Also, at this time, many Christian missionaries were also coming to Prayagraj and motivating Hindu devotees to convert, which angered the local people even more.

During the Indian War of Independence in 1857, the Prayagwals supported the revolutionaries. Although they could not participate in the war themselves, they gave shelter to revolutionaries like Rani Lakshmibai. With this, Kumbh Mela became associated with India’s freedom struggle.

Mahatma Gandhi in Kumbh

In the 20th century, Kumbh Mela became a major place for nationalists. In 1918, Mahatma Gandhi visited Kumbh Mela and took a bath in the Ganga. The British administration was very worried by this, and they prepared intelligence reports to monitor Gandhiji. During the Kumbh Mela of 1942, the British banned pilgrims. Officially, the British said that they were taking this step to avoid a Japanese attack, but many historians believe that this step was due to the growing strength of the ‘Quit India Movement’.

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