Gadkari Revolt

The Gadkari revolt occurred in the Kolhapur district in Maharashtra. When the British occupied Satara, they extensively took over the lands of the region, particularly of the agrarian Maratha-militia, the Gadkaris.

Opposing the British actions, the Gadkaris rose in revolt in 1844. They took over the Samangarh and Bhudargarh forts and rose against the British troops at Kolhapur by setting up a parallel government in the state. Even though the opposition by the Gadkaris was eventually curbed by the British army, it remains etched in history as one of the earliest incidences of resistance against colonial rule.

The Gadkari revolt was one among the many civil uprisings during colonial rule. These uprisings, although dispersed in time and place, represented common conditions such as the unfair colonial land revenue policies and the destruction of indigenous industry. The aim of these revolts was to oppose the new models of imperialism and restore earlier social relations. The leadership, though traditional and semi-feudal in character, addressed local grievances and had an impact in invoking a collectivistic front in the years to follow.